Several new student organizations, senators and bills were introduced and approved during the Student Government Association meeting on Oct. 18. Thirty-one senators were present for the session, passing several business items by unanimous consent. The supported items included The Funding Allocation Bill and the Increased Eligibility for Hardship Fund Application amendment.
Bills to change SGA funding process, increase eligibility for hardship fund passed
Three returning bills were presented during the session: the Professor Course Profile bill, the Funding Allocation Bill and the Increased Eligibility for Hardship Fund Application.
Penned by Out-of-State Sen. Nathan Atkison, the Professor Course Bill is a resolution that would increase course information and course legends and disclose the success of those who have taken the class previously as well as withdrawal rates in any syllabus.
At-Large Sen. Andrew Bobbitt spoke in negation of the bill, referencing studies showing that ratings of professors’ teaching style disproportionately score professors of color and female professors lower than male counterparts.
Bobbitt also claimed the bill would create a bias toward new or first-time professors who haven’t taught a course before.
“Although this bill has well intentions, I do believe it is fundamentally flawed,” Bobbitt said. “And I do want to clarify that I do support students to be more informed … I just do not believe that this bill accomplishes that.”
Additional concerns regarding the language of the bill were also mentioned, especially surrounding what a “success rate” is defined as. At-Large Sen. Riley Hansen and Government Oversight Chairperson Jay Thompson also spoke on privacy concerns related to sharing pass/fail rates for a course.
Thompson called to refer the legislation back to the Academic Affairs Sub-Committee and Atkison seconded the motion, which passed. This means the bill will go through the committee before making an appearance and potentially passing at Senate.
The Funding Allocation bill and Increased Eligibility for Hardship Fund Application amendment were both passed. The Funding Allocation bill, which was previously passed unanimously by the Government Oversight Committee, made modifications to the SGA funding process.
Alterations included dividing the individual funding pool into two separate funds, one for the fall semester and one for the spring semester. It was passed with unanimous consent after a brief amendment was proposed and implemented to clarify the terminology used in the bill.
The Increased Eligibility for Hardship Fund Application amendment, presented by Student Body Vice President Sophie Martins, modified the Hardship Fund application requirement that students must be full-time to receive benefits. The Hardship Fund is a financial aid package awarded to students involved in a “hardship” – ranging from being involved in a car accident or any other life-changing incident – that could impact their enrollment status.
Martins noted that many applicants are international students and cannot always be enrolled full-time, limiting the accessibility of the fund to those in need. The amendment also increased the request limit from $500 to $1,000 for domestic students.
The motion to amend the fund was approved, with 30 votes in favor and one abstention.
Software program approved to support Shocker Support locker
A new software program to better support employees at the Shocker Support Locker, the on-campus food pantry, was presented and approved by senators after almost 20 minutes of questioning and delegation.
The three-year contract, with an initial $10,500 payment and two additional $5,000 payments, will provide locker employees with a more efficient way to count inventory items and aid in language translations.
According to Gabriel Fonseca, the interim executive director of Student Engagement and the presenter of the bill, implementing the PlanStreet Inc. software would decrease wait times and optimize employee efficiency.
Others, like Liberal Arts and Sciences Sen. Victoria Owens, were concerned that the services offered by the locker weren’t well enough supported to warrant the price of the contract. She questioned whether such a program would be beneficial for the Shocker Support Locker, which struggles with a “lack of funding and ability to stock the locker.”
“Is it lucrative for us to be funding this $10,000 program over products that we can(’t) stock?” Owens said. “What is it if we scroll through the software, but we have like two cans of peas?”
Fonseca referenced funding from external sources to help support the locker, saying the program has a high degree of interest for those who want to provide support and funding.
The motion then passed a vote with 29 in favor and one abstention.
New student organizations approved, appointments made
Five new student organizations were unanimously approved to become registered student organizations. The Google Developers Student Club (GDSC), the Graduate Student Association Biomedical Engineering (BME), Fight Club, Letters of Love and Shocker Choir were all approved.
Additionally, Engineering Sen. Michael Boydo was appointed as the pro-temp of the Student Affairs Sub-Committee, and Freshman Sen. Jacob Burford was appointed as the clerk of the same sub-committee.
Underserved Sen. Shyla Cowles was confirmed as the pro-temp/clerk of the Underrepresented Sub-Committee.
New senators, associate justice approved
Four new senators were confirmed into the association, all by unanimous consent:
- Pushyamithra Pabbaraju – international senator
- Fabian Gracia-Alvarez – underserved senator
- Jack Delmar – military and veterans senator
- Raziah Izard – at-large senator.
AJ Jones, a liberal arts and sciences senator, was appointed as an associate justice of the judicial branch, with words of affirmation provided by Student Body President Iris Okere.
In the same session, Director of Housing and Residence Life Katie Austin outlined the proposed room options and rates for The Flats, The Suites and Shocker Hall for the fiscal year 2025. The housing rates will be proposed to the Kansas Board of Regents in November. If KBOR approves the rates, they will go into effect by next fall.
The Student Government Association will meet again on Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Santa Fe room of the Rhatigan Student Center. Attendees are welcome to sit in during sessions or view SGA’s livestream.
