By: Annie Carr
SGA Press Secretary
Welcome!
The Traditions, Diversity Affairs, New Student Relations, and Environment and Sustainability Committees and SGA Senate all welcomed new members in the last month. Congratulations and welcome to all new members!
Legislative Updates
Because of some SGA Senate initiatives:
1.) Meal equivalency will be available during lunch hours at Thompson-Boling Arena dining locations in fall 2015.
2.)Sorority Village will see the addition of fifteen-minute loading zone parking spaces for those without Sorority Village parking passes.
3.) Braille signs can now be found in the Nursing Building.
Feeling adventurous?
Graduate Student Senate presents the annual Big Orange Adventure at 9:00 a.m. on March 7. This year, the race will raise funds for the McClung Museum. The event is fun-run style; teams of four to six people will run across campus to complete challenges and face a final challenge in the museum. The event is open to the public and will include team door prizes, including one for best costume. Registration is $10 before March 2 and $15 between March 3 and 7. Be sure to register and tell your friends!
Get inVOLved
Senate is working to fill open seats in the College of Arts and Sciences and Haslam College of Business. Apply on the SGA website.
Freshmen: This one’s for you
Freshman Council recently passed a piece of legislation to establish Freshman Forums, a town-hall style event intended to capture freshman feedback. Look out for the first one, coming soon!
It’s almost election season!
Interested in running for SGA office? The MANDATORY interest meeting is at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, February 19, in the UC Crest Room. The Election Commission will be there to answer questions and go over some new and old election guidelines. ALL candidates, including executive office and Senate MUST attend. In the meantime, review the 2015 election packet here!
SGA on the move
SGA’s Government Affairs committee traveled to Nashville last week for Governor Haslam’s State of the State address. The group met with several legislators to discuss issues important to the university, including funding.
SGA President Kelsey Keny recently returned from a trip to an SEC Academic Collaboration Workshop, where she discussed initiatives for open educational resources such as free textbooks and other materials. Student governments from all SEC universities are looking to pass a joint resolution to support colleges offering these free resources to students.
Thanks, Mayor Rogero!
SGA had a great afternoon of conversation with city of Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero on Tuesday during our Coffee and Conversation event and the SGA Senate meeting. She talked at length about the Cumberland Avenue redevelopment, the city of Knoxville’s initiatives for those with disabilities, and the city’s sustainability efforts.
New dining options
SGA representatives at the most recent Dining Services meeting report that several businesses on the Strip have committed to a plan that would allow students to use their VolCards. This is tentatively set to begin this summer.