Slippery Rock University’s Student Government Association (SRSGA) met in the Smith Student Center at 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28 to discuss several topics, including a financial report and the proposal of a new student organization.
SRSGA President Connor Pavlicko announced that the final meeting for the design of the IM fields will occur Oct. 5 from 4-5 p.m. The group will review the deliverables for the project and finalize the design based on the three options presented at the previous meeting.
The first SGA Board of Directors meeting will be Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in the student center, room 323, and open to all students both in-person and via Zoom. The meeting will include a review of the auditor’s report, a financial overview of the organization, a university update from President Karen Riley, discussion of open seats, certification of the slate of officers and discussion of personnel issues.
Finance
VP Thomas Freilino gave a financial update. The SRSGA started the year with $339,284.50.
In new initiative requests, the SRSGA has used $16,443.30, leaving $322,841.20 remaining.
Freilino also gave an overview on the purpose of the bookstore and how it supports students.
“The bookstore is where people purchase textbooks and things of that matter, but it also has a larger impact on the university as well as the community,” Freilino said. “Now, a big question is, where does this money go? It is important to see that the SGA Bookstore provides sponsorships, donations and discounts to students throughout the year. And the surplus sales from the SGA Bookstore’s operation are retained by the SGA; this means that the bookstore can generate resources ultimately that support the works and initiatives of our body, the student government.”
Commission Reports
Senator Delaney Mehrtens attended the president’s commission on veteran and military affairs. The group is looking to fill the positions of chair-elect and secretary. Mehrtens reported that the role of treasurer is no longer needed, as the new financial system consists of a communal budget and co-chair vote on spending. The Veterans Resource Center will hold an open house for their new location Sept. 29 at 12:30 p.m.
Senator Vivian White attended the president’s commission on raising ethnic diversity on Sept. 22. White said that a seminar on burnout and how racial systems affect burnout will be held Oct. 21 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Weisenfluh community space. The event will be led by Patrice Buckner Jackson, professionally known as Dr. PBJ, and be co-hosted by APSCUF. The Foreign Language Department also spoke on how they feel like they aren’t getting enough support since Rock Studies has been altered. A representative from APSCUF is open to further discussion, according to White.
New business
The newly-proposed T.A.I.G.A Club, standing for “Together Advancing Ideas, Growth and Action,” failed 12-10 with no debate or discussion. The club focused on implementing environmentalism and sustainability projects in the Slippery Rock Community
The Slippery Rock Golf Club issued a new financial request for $4,000. The SRSGA approved the financial report as read.
APSCUF representatives
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Doris Short was introduced as a new APSCUF representative. Assistant Professor for Athletics & Exploratory Studies Torry Rollins will be continuing in his advisor role from the previous year. Rollins said that APSCUF will be covering half the cost of Buses to the Polls, which transports students from campus to polling locations on election day. He also noted cuts in Climate of Commonwealth schools and a meeting on Oct. 8 to discuss the AI Petition.
Advisor reports
Director of Student Engagement & Leadership Patrick Beswick and Executive Director Wendy Leitera voiced their concerns about the lack of debate and discussion prior to the SRSGA failing the motion to approve T.A.I.G.A. Club as an official organization.
“There wasn’t any debate or discussion, so now we are in a pickle here,” Beswick said. “That club now has the ability to appeal the vote that occurred here. And when they do so, they shall appeal to the parliamentarian, who then would reference debates and discussions that happened. Since there wasn’t any debate and discussion, there will be a propensity for that vote to be overturned and the club to receive recognition. So, if you are going to vote nay on something, you need to provide justification so that if an appeal were to come forward, the parliamentarian then is equipped to handle that issue.”
Leitera emphasized that the SRSGA students must be transparent about the reasoning for their decisions to maintain trust from the student body.
“Any time there is business in front of this body, not all of the students know that you’ve worked behind the scenes…committee is where the work is done, but not all students know that,” Leitera said. “We do not want to be seen as a body that rubber stamps or is not inquisitive or is not looking at the items at hand. You are associated with a lot of money, so students should have the opportunity not only to question your decisions but also have visibility into how you make those decisions, and the same is true for a new club or organization.”
A main concern from the SRSGA was that AI was used for the creation of the club’s constitution, Instagram content and fliers; some members felt that this contradicted the club’s proposed value of water filtration, according to White.
Leitera said that decisions on organization approval must be made by deciding whether or not the organization met the requirements to be recognized officially, not based on SRSGA members’ personal opinions.
“As long as they are following the processes, it’s not up to us to determine whether or not we want the club on campus,” Leitera said. “It is up to us to make sure that we are assisting them with getting them to the point where they need to be. And I know Parliamentarian Goberish worked a lot with this group; she put in a lot of extra time, as did the committee, so for the body to fail the motion without some justification is very concerning. I’m not saying you did something wrong, but this is a learning opportunity for everyone so you can understand what that looks like to the general student body.”
