Next semester, student organizations will have to apply for their representation in student government.
SGA Graduate Sen. Andrew Bobbitt wrote a bill to revamp the Student Organizations Council (SOC). The council is made up of representatives of student organizations and is intended to help connect them with SGA.
Previously, the council was made up of presidents of all registered student organizations. Soon, it will be made up of 22 seats with one seat being reserved for a new position — the director of student organizations.
Student Government Association (SGA) voted Wednesday to add the director, who will attend meetings with representatives of student orgs and report back to SGA.
Next semester, organization representatives will no longer have to be president of their organizations. Instead, organizations can choose any member to represent them. They will have to apply for one of the remaining 21 seats and be approved by the Student Body President.
“I think this is amazing,” Speaker of the Senate Victoria Owens said. “I think SOC in general has been — there’s been a lot of problems. I think a lot of organizations feel like they’re not being represented.”
Organization representatives will only be allowed to serve for two consecutive semesters. After that, the seat will be turned over to an organization that was not already represented. If no one else applies, the president can waive that rule.
Seats will also be divided up proportionally between tiers of organizations. Tiers are SGA’s way of defining how intensive organizations are, a factor that’s considered when funding organizations.
Tier one organizations have monthly meetings, tier two have on-campus events in addition to meetings and tier three are organizations that participate in conferences or competitions.
The changes to the council and the addition of the director of student organizations role will take effect for the spring 2025 semester.
