This fall, the Student Group and Activities Committee (SGAC) of Student Senate has been busy voting on appeals, discussing penalties and accepting paperwork.
Roller hockey and men’s lacrosse have received 20 percent budget reductions for this year and must update their constitutions. These organizations received penalties for failure to turn their waivers in on time to SGAC.
It is required that club sports submit waivers to SGAC to prevent liability issues in case of player injury.
The Shippensburg University Marching Band received a 15 percent budget reduction and must also update its constitution. This is the result of the organization’s failure to submit paperwork on time to SGAC. The same situation and penalties are true for the financial management association.
Fishing club lost its Student Senate recognition for failure to submit paperwork on time to SGAC and for falsifying waivers in an attempt to meet the 15-person requirement for the club.
The amount of penalties that have been issued to campus organizations this fall has been high for SGAC.
According to SGAC president and Student Senate Vice President Olivia Straka, the rules regarding paperwork have not been enforced in the past.
“I simply want clubs to understand that this paperwork is important and that rules are in place for a reason. I want others to see that the [Student] Senate really does do a lot for the university and that when groups ignore some very vital paperwork, it feels degrading,” Straka said.
When a club does not turn paperwork in on time to SGAC, Straka informs the club that Student Senate no longer recognizes it. Clubs that lose their Student Senate recognition are also notified that they have 14 days to appeal the decision.
Once a written appeal is submitted, Straka presents her opinion of the appeal to the voting members of SGAC. The officers of the club appealing are then invited to present their argument.
The voting members of SGAC ask the officers questions and then vote upon the appeal in private. Straka does not vote on appeals unless there is a tie. There are 10 members of SGAC.
If an appeal is denied by SGAC, the decision is brought before the entire Student Senate for a final vote. Officers of the club appealing are again invited to present their case.
During the spring semester, SGAC will be focusing on the process of reviewing updated constitutions of clubs and organizations on campus.
While SGAC meetings are closed to the public, students with concerns can set up an appointment to address the committee as a whole.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.