Students encouraged to have a say and jump into SGA

Corey Benson

The Signal

Hemaryan Padhy, computer engineering major, watches the SGA meeting Oct. 19. Photo by Amy Salvato.

Student Government Association hosted its semi-annual SGA Day Oct. 19 to garner student interest in student governance and the issues of importance to the student body.

“Our slogan for this year’s SGA Day is ‘Jump Into SGA’ because we believe it is crucial for students to let their voice be heard in committees, town hall meetings, and SGA meetings,” said SGA President Rebecca Smith. “These arenas, where concerns are voiced, tell the administration at UHCL that the students are interested in how their money is spent and that they are concerned about improving the academic experience for all students; present and future.”

SGA Day is held each semester in Atrium II.

“I walked out of my class and heard the meeting in progress,” Marilyn Heredia, biology major, said. “I liked how visible the meeting was. I had never seen an SGA meeting and it was great to actually hear what is going on around campus.”

SGA will hold two Town Hall Meetings 12:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the SSCB Lecture Hall and 6 p.m. Nov. 4 in Bayou Building, Garden Room.

“At both meetings, we will be discussing the possible tuition increases for Fiscal Year 2012,” Smith said. “These meetings serve as the student body’s outlet for addressing the tuition increases directly to the university administration.”

There are multiple opportunities to get involved with SGA. Students can serve as representatives on a Shared Governance Committee or General Committee.

Students displayed school signs and t-shirts to show support for Student Government Association. Photo by Amy Salvato.

“You can ‘Jump Into SGA’ to serve the student body and gain personal development.” said Prashanti Pandit, SGA vice president committee coordinator. “There are several open positions on general university committees including Graduation Planning Committee, Piper Award Committee, Parking/Traffic Safety Sub-Committee, Traffic Appeals Committee, and Space Allocation and Utilization Sub-Committee. There are also open positions on advisory committees for the library, book store and food service.”

Committee applications can be found on the SGA website, www.uhcl.edu/SGA. Students may also serve as an SGA representative for a recognized student organization or apply to serve as an executive council director or an executive council member. Executive council positions are elected in the spring semester.

“Any student interested in getting involved can ‘Jump Into SGA’ by attending SGA meetings every Tuesday,” Smith said.

SGA Meetings are held 11:30 a.m. each Tuesday in the SSCB Lecture Hall. For more information, contact SGA at sga@uhcl.edu or 281-283-2556.