By ELAINA GONZALEZ/Opinion Editor
At the Student Government Association meeting on Feb. 14, he Academic Advising ad hoc committee presented information on event planning for student organizations and new rules.
Academic Advising Committee
Ashley Bill, executive director of Advising and Academic Onboarding, spoke about the reason the ad hoc committee was created.
“We can look and see what issues are going on and how we can address them,” she said.
She emphasized the success of this decision, saying the number of advising-related complaints has “gone down fairly significantly” as the committee works to address student concerns.
Due to these results, Bill asked that the committee become a permanent fixture within SGA. She hopes to grow the committee’s attendance.
“We really need to have representatives from all of our undergraduate colleges on the campus,” she said.
Bill said common issues students face during advising season include long waiting periods or uncertainty about which classes to take.
“We have a slew of advising technology already built into MyUTTyler [and] EAB Navigate,” she said.
She acknowledged that many students either do not know about these resources or are unsure of how to use them. Concerning the Advising Committee, she said one of her aspirations is “being able to use this group as a sounding board – how [we] get information out to the students about these different pieces of technology.”
Student Organizations and Space on Campus
Camry Tharp, assistant director of Student Engagement, then spoke. She confirmed that UT Tyler University Academy will acquire the Ornelas Activity Center at some point.
“Scheduling of events for students in that space … has ceased at this point,” she said, although UT Tyler is “honoring the ones that have already been requested.”
Since the UC is “a typical student space,” Student Engagement wants to prioritize students and student organizations, she said
“We are considering some usage policies for the university center with regards to how it can be reserved,” she said, “especially allowing student organizations to have first rights to the space.”
Considering that outside organizations often plan to use UT Tyler spaces far in advance, Tharp proposed prioritizing use by student organizations.
“That’s, again, where we will change the policy in a way that we give students ample time to request ahead of time,” she said.
Tharp recognized that student organizations may not be able to plan too far in advance due to the nature of student planning, potential funding and semester-by-semester changes; she also acknowledged the difficulty of rescheduling events which were cancelled for valid reasons.
“Nothing is set in stone,” she said, “but we are still trying to put students first regardless… [and] include you guys into the conversation.”
Reports
Officer reports began when SGA President Landry Smith discussed his recent meeting with President Calhoun. He first affirmed the effectiveness of UT Tyler’s One Stop Shop, which offers both in-person and online resources. Smith then talked about “increasing student worker opportunities” in the future in order to prepare students for the workforce.
In Committee Reports, SGA Vice President Robert Bennett reminded the student body of upcoming events, including the Council of Presidents on Feb. 20, the Big Event on March 4, Midnight Breakfast on March 22, and a future visit to the Houston UT campus.
Secretary Chloe Dix talked about the SGA Instagram, inviting attendees to recommend ideas for posts and contribute to the overall “direction” of the social platform. She mentioned exploring themes for Midnight Breakfast, which was to be discussed with the E-Board.
For Student Voice Reports, Senators for the College of Arts and Sciences reported recent events within the school and a widespread distaste for the rolling desks currently used in many CAS classrooms.
Within the Soules College of Business are plans to fix the broken printer as well as networking opportunities presenting to students. The School of Nursing mentioned a need for more outlets within the Palestine Campus and the potential removal of the pinning ceremony at the end of Nursing School.
New Rules
Chief of Staff Soren Peters presented a few changes to the SGA Constitution. The organization’s name was confirmed as the UT Tyler Student Government Association in the opening sentences of the Constitution.
The official meeting time of SGA was set to be Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., both for the remainder of the semester and following years. The inclusion of this time in the Constitution allows student members to plan their schedules accordingly. The Senate approved the changes unanimously.
Conclusion
The Senator of the Week was Justin Vargas, who was commended for “the great work that he does inside Student Government and especially the great work he does outside of Student Government.”
You can view a video of the meeting on the SGA Youtube Channel.
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