SGA Kickstarts Several Projects in Light of Student Surveys
SGA has received a plethora of feedback on issues ranging from residence halls to campus dining.
The Student Government Association kickstarted several projects for the semester after surveying students at the end of the Fall 2023 semester. The surveys prompted students to express their knowledge (or lack thereof) and opinions on campus and student life. Since creating the surveys, SGA has received a plethora of feedback on issues ranging from residence halls to campus dining.
“We like to say our motto is to represent all students and be the voice for all students, but not all students are apt to come and talk to us,” SGA president Jameson Cook said. “We thought [a survey] was a good method to physically show people that we specifically care about each and every one.”
Campus Affairs Committee Director Rachel Robertson agreed with Cook. “I think overall, student government is meant to serve as a middle man between students and faculty – a representative of students,” Robertson said. “I think a lot of that comes in representing the whole student body rather than only subsets of the whole.”
SGA is working on several ongoing projects for the semester, attempting to meet the needs of diverse members of MC’s community.
MC and Clinton have long been home to several military servicemen and women. In partnership with the baseball and softball teams, SGA is hosting “We Love America Day” to show support for active military personnel and veterans. Through the event, SGA also seeks to increase student attendance at baseball and softball games. According to MC’s athletics website, the highest attended baseball game peaked at 369 (against rival Delta State) and the highest attended softball game reached a total of 223 attendees.
“We Love America Day is to support our baseball and softball teams but also veterans and different alumni that have been in service,” Student Affairs Committee Director Zach Dickey said at the SGA meeting held on Jan. 29. “We hope to have clubs and tribes come out and do tailgates. We're going to have different events going on during the day, so it's going to be a really big event.”
The event is slated for April 6.
Additionally, the Student Affairs Committee expressed concern for some of MC’s international students, many of whom live off campus. The committee is devoted to overseeing student services like Mental Health Services and attending student well-being. SGA has spearheaded a project to provide transportation for international students without cars and prevent them from walking to and from their homes to campus.The Student Affairs Committee is seeking to partner with local churches with vans available to transport the students.
“We have connected with many churches in the community to see if they are willing to help,” Dickey said. “We have had all positive feedback and hope that we can get this rolling in the future.”
SGA is in conversations with campus higher-ups to install TVs in every on-campus building for the purpose of advertising events and student services. These screens would be similar to the screens behind the receptionist desk in the front entrance of Alumni Hall.
Other SGA initiatives include bringing ASL and Braille classes to MC, adding a new restaurant to campus, overall campus cleanliness, and the addition of ID scanners outside the East/West balcony doors. SGA views all concerns—big or small— mentioned by the student body as important.
“People see the little, and that little leads to big,” Robertson said. “I think it’s important to address the little, because even the little can affect a lot. If we limit ourselves to only addressing what we consider the bigger things, then we would have a lot that gets swept under the rug.”