Over winter break, you probably saw a plethora of SGA Constitution posters scattered around Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, GroupMe, and any other sort of social media platform that exists. Those posters were made by yours truly in an effort to get people to acknowledge and vote on the New Student Government Association (SGA) Constitution, which the Constitution and Bylaws Committee arduously drafted throughout the majority of the fall semester.
The amount of advertising done for the New Constitution may have seemed a bit excessive, but every senator had to put in time over break to spread the word since we needed one-third of the student body, or 1041 votes, to reach a quorum. And yes, we were advertising voting, but not voting in a specific direction, we promoted voting in general and acknowledged all voting options of “yes,” “no,” and “abstain.”
A saying that floats around at SGA meetings is, “don’t just be a senator during our meetings on Sunday,” and I really saw this come to fruition over the intersession. I spammed the senators with a copious amount of emails, asking them to fill out spreadsheets, share posters, and be accountable for contacting students. Fortunately, I saw amazing collaboration between senators, cabinet officials, and other students. We really would not have reached the necessary amount of votes without everyone working together – both SGA officials and members of the student body.
Now that the New Constitution has passed, due to two-thirds of students voting “yes,” I am very excited for one of its major changes: two additional Senate seats for each year. The increase in senators allows for more representation for Stevens students and provides the SGA with new opinions on campus issues. These extra senators will also help current senators focus on pursuing their initiatives and increase the size of our committees. With the addition of new senators, committees will be able to distribute more responsibilities as well as gather more ideas, which can improve the experiences of all Stevens students.
As the newly appointed Public Relations head, I already made five posters and published them on various social media platforms to promote running for Senate. After being a senator for a whole semester I can testify to how interesting and rewarding the position is. During my short time in the SGA, I have been able to meet new people, have a great mentor, learn more about the school, assist with committee goals, support legislation, and connect with my classmates by informing them of initiatives and bringing their ideas to the SGA. Yes, I may be slightly biased, but I think the required work of a senator is well worth the results and self-growth.
I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish this semester with the New Constitution, new Cabinet, and new senators, as this is just the beginning.
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