Student Association has experienced a bumpy first semester to the 2015-2016 aacademic school year, facing much scrutiny and drama despite accomplishing many things.
During the last meeting of the semester on Monday, Dec. 7, Abdulmalek Almonif became the seventh representative of year to resign from the Association. The number is more than double last year’s total number of three representatives. Of the seven, five stated their resignation was due to time constraints.
However, two representatives stood apart from the rest. Former representative Janelle Lake said that her goals and aspirations were no longer compatible with the direction that the Association was headed in. Former representative Ivan Macias also said that the main reason he left Student Association was because he felt there was an excess of conflict of interest in the organization.
“This year the Association has sought to hold representatives more accountable to their duties owed to the student body,” President Jarrod Eaton said. “With this in mind and with increased involvement comes the unfortunate vulnerability to circumstances where representatives are no longer able or willing to serve the Association for various reasons.”
Also in the semester, Parliamentarian Taylor Fisher released her first judicial opinions on the controversial closed session of Student Association on Sept. 13 of this year. Fisher ruled that the Student Association improperly entered a closed session while interviewing applicants for representative positions. Fisher’s ruling required that the Student Association release the meeting minutes from the closed session.
In Fisher’s second ruling she declared, “The Speaker shall not limit Representatives in their ability to freely speak to the public.” This ruling came after Speaker of the House Cody McKay stated in an email to members of the Association that they must contact Eaton and Public Information Officer Rachel Aguirre before they speak to the public.
“This action was unintentional in nature, has been corrected and has been dealt with accordingly,” Eaton said. “We look forward to operating under proper procedure in the future and are confident the best interest of the student body remains at the center of attention.”
Eaton described how Student Association has done several things this semester in an effort to improve the lives of students and others within the Saginaw community. The Association helped raise $24,540 for charity during the Battle of the Valleys. Eaton also noted that the Association has allocated significant amounts of money to students.
“It can be noted that the Allocations Committee has estimated to have allocated its projected $25,000 to IELD’s and RSO’s,” Eaton said.
Student Association also takes part in smaller philanthropy programs and events such as adopt-a-family during the holiday season, Christmas caroling at local nursing homes and Relay for Life. Eaton explained that the Student Association provides students many resources such as blue books for exams and entertainment events like relaxation night and public speakers. Student Association is also responsible for the entertainment provided at tailgates.
“One item that the Association as a whole is attempting to expand upon is the current lack of awareness for all of the resources it has available to students,” Eaton said.
Eaton says that the Association has many plans for the upcoming semester.
“Next semester brings with it a great deal of promise,” Eaton said. “A number of events outlining areas for student concern are currently already underway. These include, but certainly are not limited to, a mental health awareness week, a sexual assault program, a law enforcement and student relations panel event, as well as others. Many of these programs and events have already received significant planning and we are looking forward to seeing the positive results that each of them cultivates.”
Overall, the president believes that the body is heading in the right direction.
“If we as a student body can come together with the clear understanding that we are all attempting to accomplish the same goals and effectively discover these solutions,” he said. “Our futures and the futures of those students who will follow in our footsteps will be far brighter than we ever could have imagined.”
