SGA President Removed from Position Temporary Right Before Elections

Student Government Association advisor Michele Irby began the Monday, April 1, meeting by announcing SGA President Matthew Rowling was removed from his position for the time being due to excessive absences, in accordance to SGA absentee policy.

“Please do not ask for details or what is going to happen next because I don’t know the answer to that right now or our plan moving forward,” Irby said.

Rowling is seeking re-election in the annual SGA elections April 3 and 4.

Bohnert continued the meeting with executive reports.

Secretary Morgan Kaplan announced there will be a voting party for the upcoming SGA elections from 6 to 8 p.m. at the program lounge. All students running for SGA will be in attendance.

Campus Safety Committee chair Grace Grywa discussed changes happening in commuter and resident hall parking passes for the fall semester. As is, students are required to have a certain amount of credit hours to get a resident hall pass. Grywa said they are trying to change the restriction on freshmen getting the preferred passes since most freshmen are the ones live on campus.

“More seniors and juniors will still have the resident hall passes, but before freshman could not have them at all. Now we're giving the freshman a chance to get a preferred pass as well,” Grywa said.

Commuter parking passes are also making changes. Currently, Irby said 50 percent go to seniors, 30 percent go to juniors and 15 percent go to sophomores. Campus Safety is wanting to increase it to 85 percent of seniors having commuter passes.

“Most seniors have jobs so it's difficult when they are struggling back and forth places by not having access to a commuter pass, and with more seniors having commuter parking it will allow younger classmen to get the preferred parking passes,” Grywa said.

SGA went on to postpone voting on approval of Student Activity Council constitution changes until next week. They also approved $4,100 in funding for the Collegiate DECA and Global Medical Brigades.

President of Collegiate DECA Ben Henson asked for $2,100 for plane tickets for the International Career Development Conference in Miami, Florida.

The organization is sending 12 members who qualified through state conference to attend the event.

“We are a management hospitality and finance organization, so our program allows students to take what they learn in the classroom and put it into real events,” Henson said.

Last year the organization only had 14 members; they now have 44.

SGA approved their request.

The meeting ended with SGA granting $2,000 to the Global Medical Brigades for plane tickets to travel to Honduras to gain medical experience in another country.