SGA discusses student concerns at Town Hall
The Central Michigan University's Student Government Association executive board answered students' questions about involvement, engagement, financial transparency, representation and more at the meeting on Nov. 17.
“My strategy starts with grounding our team in a purpose,” SGA Vice President Kathryn House said.
She said that the work SGA does directly impacts students across campus, which is a leading cause for her motivation to be a part of SGA. House also said that she tries to focus on building a supportive team across SGA and celebrating the small wins.
The team started the forum with each member discussing their reports of the work they have done so far.
“Dear students, it has been a fulfilling journey with you all, despite the ups and downs,” SGA President Akua Acheampong said. “From my candidacy till now, you have shown immense support for the projects and ideas that have been presented.”
She said that she immediately got to work following the team’s inauguration by hiring more students for the SGA cabinet.
In House’s report, she said the team brought on two students, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Leader.
“And it has been incredibly rewarding to support both of them through their processes with consistent check-ins,” House said.
She said this semester she has tried to prioritize strong internal structure and active representation of student voices across campus.
Carnell Poindexter III, the SGA Treasurer, discussed the Student Budget Allocation Committee (SBAC) discrepancy issues this semester with the bylaws. He apologized for the delay in this committee's opening, since it opened in October instead of September.
He went on to discuss the SGA budget and showed his way of keeping the budget on track. The team urged students to apply for SBAC funding for conferences and projects across campus.
When the forum moved to previously submitted questions to the executive board, they discussed the specific steps they are taking to boost engagement for commuters and transfer students.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage our commuter and transfer students to step out of their comfort zones,” Acheampong said. “Stay after class with some of the events, not just SGA events, but a lot of events go on campus that are always looking for new people to connect with.”
The board collectively answered how they handle differences in opinions and conflicts.
“We have so many great minds and passionate individuals within our leadership,” Acheampong said. “When working with so many great minds in general, there is bound to be some form of friction.”
She said it is completely normal to have different opinions, and it is important to lead with kindness.
When the forum moved to financial transparency, Poindexter answered how students are able to ensure the financial records are updated and published with fair transparency.
He said that there was a delay in the budget because he needed to find some costs that were not allocated.
"However, it is in the budget, and I got them all grouped together, so it's up to date," Poindexter said.
The questions ended with high hopes for students by addressing the lack of an athletics liaison and an international student liaison.
“Although I cannot fully share yet, I think we have some good news coming soon,” Acheampong said. “In terms of student voices, I think we surveyed y’all a lot.”
She said that SGA has cabinet members who are international students who are great advocates and are making sure all voices are heard.
SGA has another town hall from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 in Anspach 161 with CMU President Neil MacKinnon, Provost Paula Lancaster and Dr. Shawna Patterson-Stevens.
In other news:
- Acheampong addressed the change in location, considering that last year, SGA was held in the University Center. She said that despite the change, there was an increase in attendees at meetings.
- SGA had previously announced its 105th anniversary celebration for November, but the team said that they postponed the celebration for the spring semester.
