Three new student groups were approved by the Student Government Association (SGA) through unorthodox means after the Student Senate failed to meet quorum at its March 6 public meeting.
To avoid leaving the groups in limbo until the next SGA public meeting in April, the Executive Leadership Committee (ELC) chose to adopt an emergency motion pursuant to Article V, Section IV of the SGA Constitution. That section allows the ELC to decide on a motion outside the normal restrictions of a public meeting “in the event of an emergency.”
The three groups approved had already been granted the approval of the Student Groups Committee. They now have the privileges of being an SGA-recognized student group. The three groups are Women’s Club Volleyball, Men’s Club Baseball and Turning Point USA (TPUSA) at Shippensburg University.
Notably, TPUSA at SU is a chapter of a national organization of the same name led by Charlie Kirk, a far-right political demonstrator. TPUSA’s mission is to “educate students about the importance of freedom, free markets and limited government,” according to the group’s website. However, as reported in Rolling Stone, the group has pivoted in recent years toward far-right Christian nationalism.
Under Kirk’s leadership, the network maintains a “professor watchlist” aimed at identifying professors who “discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.” The American Association of University Professors argues that the watchlist focuses on social media posts and encourages harassment.
Under normal circumstances, SGA requires 2/3 of its senators to conduct official business. Of 25 members, including senators and ELC, only 15 were in attendance. Eight senators were excused, and two were unexcused.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.