Increased allocation for student organization activities was the most voted for topic at the spring setting of the Delegates’ Agenda on Feb. 7.
Other popular topics included increasing student activity fees to fund the student activities department and providing tuition benefits to contract workers, such as those employed by Sodexo.
Student Government Association (SGA) President Katie Maxwell said she was excited the increased allocation for student organizations made the top five of the 22 topics presented.
The funding goes through the SGA, which then disperses it amongst the student organizations. However, this fund was recently cut by 51 percent.
Maxwell said those two topics were popular because the majority of those who voted are student club leaders or members of SGA.
“Even though setting of Delegates’ Agenda is open to everyone, it is mostly student organizations officers that come, and the organizations are the ones affected the most by the budget cuts,” Maxwell said.
Delegates’ Agenda is a chance for representatives of the student body to present topics of concern to senior administration and then receive a response. Projects that have originated in Delegates’ Agenda are Gorlok Bucks, Metro passes and the commuter lounge landscaping.
Two weeks prior to the setting, a survey was sent out to the student body asking for topics to be considered for Delegates’ Agenda. Out of the five topics chosen, two of them were from the survey.
Other survey topics such as Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) payroll issues, declining graduate student scholarships and course offerings were not selected for the agenda.
ADP, the new payroll system that has caused frustration amongst students, was four votes short of making it onto the Delegates’ Agenda. Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Hawk said he thinks ADP should have made the final topics.
“While I don’t personally use it, I’ve heard nothing but bad things,” Hawk said. “Personally, I voted for ADP. As an individual student, I thought it should have been up there. But I don’t care how it gets done, as long as it gets done.”
Hawk said while some of the more popular topics on the survey were not chosen, including ADP, those in attendance choose what they believe has a chance to be changed.
Maxwell wanted to assure people the absence of topics on the agenda does not mean they will not be brought to the attention of the administration.
Maxwell and Hawk met with President Elizabeth Stroble and Provost Julian Schuster after the summit. Maxwell and Hawk said they informed Stroble and Schuster of the other issues brought up as well as the topics chosen.
The topics will be presented to the administration on Feb. 20.
Top five topics for the Delegates’ Agenda:
SGA Allocations: SGA’s budget for student organizations recently received a 51 percent cut. This topic requests an increased allocation fund for student organizations.
Increase student activity fee: According to Director of Student Activities Jennifer Stewart, a $10 increase to the fee would create an additional $10,000, which would be split evenly between student activities and the Multicultural Center and International Student Affairs.
Tuition benefits for contract workers: This topic asks the university to provide a reduced tuition for contract workers, such as maintenance and food service workers from Sodexo.
Car rental options: An on-campus car rental service for students.
Increase budget jobs: An increase to budget jobs available to students. This topic was brought to the administration last fall with no changes being made. Maxwell said the plan is to restructure the proposal as opposed to making the same presentation
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[…] And progress is what students, both presenters and attendees, asked of the administration on the five topics that were previously chosen at the setting of the Delegates’ Agenda. […]
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