SGA Report — Oct. 20th Meeting

As part of The Weekly’s renewed commitment to improving transparency between the Muhlenberg College community and the bodies that govern it, a short recap of all Student Government Association meetings will be printed the week following the meeting.

On Oct. 20, SGA met in the Seegers Union Great Room and addressed a variety of topics in the approximately 75-minute-long meeting.

Christian Balodis ‘17, the SGA President, addressed the Assembly about the upcoming strategic planning meeting. Balodis encouraged as many members of SGA as possible to attend the Nov. 2 meeting so that they could supply and receive input on the way the college is moving. Balodis also wants their attendance at the strategic planning meeting to be among the first steps the SGA takes to be more transparent.

Nicole Case ’18, the SGA Treasurer, updated the Assembly with the balances of the SGA account. The General Fund’s balance remains at $0, as the money was allocated to clubs and student organizations; the Reserve fund has $220,032; the Capital fund has $46,374; and the SGA budget remains the same. There was an increase in the Reserve fund from $218,789 to $220,032 which was due to an error in the original data entry. Additionally, Case updated the Assembly on the status of their official jackets as well as their new nameplates.

The General Assembly then discussed and voted on 11 motions of New Business.

Although many motions pertained to internal SGA business, some of the motions were also pertinent to the larger student body.

First, the Assembly voted to allocate $500 to Delta Tau Delta (DTD) for the purchase of decorations and fog machines for their upcoming haunted house. While the SGA does not provide money to fundraisers, DTD is only asking for a suggested donation, which qualifies for funding from the Reserve fund.

The SGA then voted to allocate $330 for SGA professional portraits and to allocate $650 for a new television in the SGA office, with both coming from the SGA budget.

Next, the Assembly passed the motion to allocate up to $4,000 from the Capital fund toward a speaker system in Seegers Union. The speaker system would play music around the Union in hopes of spreading out the concentration of students in the General’s Quarters. It would involve a multi-zone system featuring two speakers in every zone, including— but not limited to—the Light Lounge and Parents Plaza. Additionally, the speakers would only play music between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. as to not distract from students’ studies.

Finally, the Assembly voted to amend the Election Manual so as to allow for two weeks of campaigning once SGA candidates are announced. Many members agreed that participants could not do adequate campaigning in one week, but that going over two weeks would be little risky because people could lose interest.

The meeting adjourned without incident at approximately 8:15 p.m.