The Student Government Association met this week for the first of two meetings required by a vote of the student body made last semester following allegations of a lack in productivity. Jada Antoine, management senior from New Iberia, said she believes the summer meetings are a good idea.

“They can come and get things done,” Antoine said. “Every organization should plan ahead.”

Solomon Tention, entertainment chair of the Student Programming Association and general studies junior from Savannah, Ga., said the SGA needs to become more personal.

“They need to have stuff done before the semester, to plan in advance,” Tention said. “They say we don’t come to the meetings. We need them more than they need us.”

Items voted on at the meeting included appointments of several positions such as business senator, treasurer and director of student rights and grievances.

One of the appointments not voted on was director of public relations position. Mariam Matteuzzi, who was nominated for the job, was not in attendance and therefore the SGA could not vote on her appointment.

Matteuzzi is also the multi-cultural chair for the SPA and a member of the NAACP.

Brittany Taraba, SGA president, said despite Matteuzzi’s heavy schedule demands, she would be a valuable addition.

“When she says she’ll do something, it gets done,” Taraba said.

Other items voted on included the allocation of the Spirit Award, the acceptance of the Taraba Corollary and the summer 2010 budget.

The proposed Spirit Award is a prize of $2,500 that would be awarded every fall semester to a student organization.

The Taraba Corollary is a proposed legislative packet of amendments to the SGA Constitution that would be in effect through Taraba’s presidency.

These items and the appointment of all positions passed by unanimous decision.

After all items were voted on, SGA members swore in the appointees to their positions.

While all in major positions attended, there were 14 other SGA members absent from the mandatory meeting.