The Student Government Association (SGA) convened on Tuesday, April 22, for its weekly meeting. This was their last general body meeting (GBM) of the school year.
The meeting began with non-legislative business. President of the Senate Srigouri Oruganty and Secretary Sumire Sumi gave a procedural presentation on expectations for the next semester, including attendance guidelines, disciplinary marks and GBM etiquette.
The meeting then progressed to a presentation from Senator Amy Xu for a survey about students’ experiences in Genetics. Xu explained the importance of the survey by noting that many students had given negative feedback to the academic quality of the class. The survey asks students for their opinions on the academic support they receive from the teaching staff, the academic rigor of the class and the difficulty of registering the class.
The Senate moved into a five-minute moderated caucus about the survey. Xu highlighted that this survey is meant to be a collaborative effort between the SGA and Department of Biology to improve students’ experience in the class, not a confrontation. Senators provided feedback for the survey, including their personal experiences in the class and suggested areas for improvement for the survey.
The Senate proceeded to the Second Reading. Oruganty and Executive President Vishnu Dontu introduced potential updates on the SGA Constitution. The first update focuses on SGA positions and whether the number of Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Senators in SGA should be reduced for higher efficiency. The Senate moved into Q&A sessions and voted among several amendment options. The Senate passed the constitutional amendment to reduce the number of RSO Senator spots from nine to five.
Dontu introduced the second constitutional update about whether SGA executive meetings should be open to the public. The Senate proceeded to vote. The executive meetings will continue to be open to the public.
