In a small meeting room in Charles Commons last Tuesday evening, two dozen student leaders yelled over each other as they debated the merits of an election-night cake from Giant supermarket as opposed to a cake made by Hopkins's own dining facilities.
Prasanna Chandrasekhar, SGA (Student Government Association) president, was thinking economically.
"I understand wanting to cut down on costs, but what's a $10 difference?" he asked.
Junior Evan Lazerowitz proposed a motion to appoint the financial committee to review the matter.
Junior Dea Lovy seconded the motion.
While baked goods are far from the SGA's primary concerns, their methodology for voting on a matter as basic as cake points to the manner in which they review each student concern. While motions to vote, debate and adjourn are familiar to members of the SGA, most of the people they represent - that is, members of the student body - are in the dark as to how they conduct their meetings.
The SGA, formerly referred to as the Student Council, is comprised of 30 student representatives from all four classes. The students are elected by their peers during class council elections each April, sees and each representative must serve on two committees overseen by the SGA; Housing and Dining, Student Rights and Interests, and Academic Affairs are just a few of these committees.
Once elected, the representatives find themselves with the opportunity to instigate change within their sub-committees and the greater SGA. Junior Marc Perkins heads the Student Rights and Interests Committee (SRIC). This sub-committee was launched this year with the intention of determining what is of utmost importance to undergraduates by conducting surveys and polls.
"We really want to gather data on what's important to students and how we can improve their undergraduate experience, and we plan to present this information to the administration," Perkins said.
The SGA works closely with Susan Boswell and Paula Burger, deans of Student Life and of Undergraduate Education, respectively, to carry out proposals that originate in the weekly SGA meetings.
"We try to have an open door whenever any officer of SGA has a question, issue or idea. I see [Chandrasekhar] fairly regularly ... I think that most administrators who have responsibility for any student service or program area are equally accessible to student government leaders whenever they have an idea," Burger wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter.
Among the major topics discussed at Tuesday meetings are campus security, sustainability initiatives and general student happiness. When a new sustainability proposal is introduced for the greater Homewood campus or increased security measures are encouraged, it can be certain that the SGA is at the root of the issues.
"We have a responsibility to look out for the interests of the entire student body," Chandrasekhar said.
According to its Web site, "The Student Government is responsible for allocating and recalling student funds, chartering and regulating groups, appointing students to and recalling them from boards, chartering and regulating all commissions, and passing legislation relevant to the concerns of the student body."
To this end, the SGA is the supervisor of all official student groups, from performing arts groups to volunteer organizations within the Center for Social Concern. If a group allies for increased funding, it is the members of the SGA who determine whether or not the cause is deserving, rather than members of the administration.
One heated topic at last week's meeting was the scare caused by former President Brody's public e-mail regarding the current economic and budget turmoil. Brody's e-mail clarified that while Hopkins is not at severe risk, several programs will have to be discontinued or otherwise impacted in the coming months.
SGA faculty advisor Ralph Johnson said that students must become aware that funding will have to be decreased for several student groups.
According to Chandrasekhar, it is the SGA's responsibility to convey to the administration which groups and causes are immediate priorities.
"Obviously we have our own interests, but we really need to make it clear what the student body's top three or five concerns are," Chandrasekhar said, calling for a committee to meet in order to brainstorm this list of concerns.
Much of the discussion is introspective; the SGA allocates as much time to improving their own infrastructure as it does to addressing student concerns. Particularly during the election period in April, accusations and constitutional infractions are flung around the room as they would be in any actual government meeting.
At the end of each meeting, the discussion is opened for any representative to propose ideas or introduce concerns that have come to light since the previous meeting. This is a time for any student issue to be addressed, from environmental consciousness to funding for athletics to, yes, baked goods.
