SGA Logo. | Photo / Runway
If you’ve attended any student organization centered events on campus, there’s a good chance you’ve seen, spoken to, or been given a freebie by the members of the Student Government Association under their bright orange and blue logo banner. SGA usually has a booth in almost all student organization events, such as the Organization Fair, Quad City, and Trunk or Treat events.
This reliable presence on campus is one of the goals SGA President Dawson Gremmels said he intends to focus on during his term, along with letting students know what the purpose of SGA is. “When you think SGA, I want you to think ‘your voice’” Dawson said during his state of the SGA address on November 11.
The Student Government Association (SGA) is a student organization that serves as a communicative gateway between the student body and campus administration. Consisting of more than 40 “senators” representing each of the five colleges and 12 members of the Legislative Council, the SGA senate meets every other Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Senators and members of the Legislative Council are voted on by the student body during the SGA elections in April.
In addition, freshmen can participate in a separate section of SGA, known as Freshman Council, in which members discuss specific concerns of the freshman class to present their ideas at the general SGA meeting. Incoming freshmen hoping to become members of the freshman council go through an extensive application and interview process with current Legislative Council members to find the most qualified students to join.
Senate meetings are always open to the public, giving students the opportunity to voice their ideas for possible bills directly to the senate. Bills are the primary way SGA communicates with campus administration, and each senator is required to sponsor or co-sponsor at least one bill per academic year. A bill can pertain to any subject on campus the senator believes can be improved, written in the form of a “resolution” to implement the improvement on campus. The Senate votes on these bills during their bi-weekly meetings, choosing either to send the bill back for revision or to approve the bill to be presented by the Legislative Council to the appropriate administrative body on campus during one of their frequent meetings with campus leadership.
In the past, several pieces of SGA legislation have passed and gone on to become part of campus culture. One of the most recent pieces of legislation, SR109, which advocated for a sign language interpreter to be present for all major campus events open to the community, was implemented this past semester. Of course, not all bills make it through campus administration, even if they pass through the Senate’s vote successfully.
SGA members don’t just write bills and attend meetings, they also host and/or participate in several student organization events on campus. This past semester, SGA hosted several events during Student Appreciation Week from September 12-16, including T-shirt giveaways, a library open house, free doughnuts and coffee, and a voter registration drive.
In November, SGA hosted Diversity week, which included events such as a multicultural food tasting, a diversity Kahoot! Game, and a creed signing event. Throughout this semester, SGA President Dawson Gremmels and Chancellor Keith Carver will also continue Coffee & Concerns, a monthly event where students can talk with the two campus leaders about on-campus issues and enjoy a warm cup of coffee.
The SGA office is in the Student Life Center in Boling University Center. During the week, there’s usually a member of the Legislative Council in the SGA office available to talk to. For students not wishing to speak with an SGA member in person, there’s also a suggestion box by the front entrance of Paul Meek Library, or the official SGA email: sga1@utm.edu. Students who are interested in joining SGA can email sga4@utm.edu.
