According to its mission statement, the Student Government Association is supposed to consist of students “dedicated to serving, representing and unifying the student body of Nicholls,” but unfortunately, that is not the case. Our SGA reporter has attended more senate meetings than some of the senators, more than half of the senate positions are vacant and the senators occasionally argue over meeting times, the cotton blend in T-shirts and how often they have to wear said T-shirts. We feel the SGA has been undermanned, out of touch and unmotivated for far too long.Last year, the SGA accepted a proposal to organize a protest in Baton Rouge against proposed budget cuts. When the University closed for spring break a week before the protest, the SGA failed to meet, leaving the protest as a last minute skip day for the fraction of the student body informed by a small public relations class in the days leading up to the event.
At the beginning of the school year, the SGA spent four meetings, spanning five weeks, discussing when the senate should meet, something that could have been decided before the semester began had the senate met over the summer.
Weeks after the Tucker commission formed to discuss the future of higher education in Louisiana, SGA President Ryan Donegan explained to the senate the potential threat the commission posed to Nicholls and announced his intention to attend one of the sessions and possibly speak on behalf of the University. Donegan did not attend.
Now, five weeks into the semester, 20 of the SGA’s 37 senate seats are empty, with only seven of those vacancies coming as a result of senators quitting or being removed over the holiday break. It took the executive board more than two weeks into the semester to advertise these vacancies to students in an e-mail. So far, only one candidate has been sworn in as a new senator this semester. The senate postponed swearing in another candidate at this week’s meeting due to debate over the candidate’s schedule. The senate also voted to remove a senator due to excessive absences.
The senators that do attend meetings are a mixed bag. A select few are active and engage in productive discussions, but others appear to attend out of their love for debating trivial matters. Other senators rarely speak at all, if ever.
When it comes time to vote, the senate’s apathy becomes clear as they look around the room before slowly raising their hands to fit in. It would appear that several senators do not understand what it is they are voting on at times.
We would like to encourage more students to start attending the SGA meetings, as the typical audience is usually comprised of people with a personal stake in that week’s discussion period. Maybe if the SGA had an audience for which to perform its unproductive show, its members would feel compelled to actually perform their respective duties. Senate meetings are held at 4 p.m. on Mondays in the Plantation Suite.
Conversely, if students want to see the SGA take charge and make Nicholls a better place, they need to voice their opinions directly to the senate. Fortunately, the SGA will be holding the second of its town hall meetings at 5 p.m. tonight in the snack bar area of the student union. Students are encouraged to voice any campus concerns they have at the meeting so the SGA and anyone in attendance can begin to offer solutions.
The SGA may be struggling to function, but it would be irresponsible to complain while sitting idly by. If you feel you can contribute to the SGA, join, but do so with the intention of sticking with it and doing your best to benefit the University. If you have a concern or a suggestion, inform the people who have the power to help you. At the very least, sit in just one of the senate meetings and let the SGA know that you are listening.
