Fall 2009 Semester Report
Find out what SGA did for you last fall in our semester report:
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Tags: Semester Report, updates
Funds for programs, conferences available from the Student Budget Allocation Committee
Need a little extra money for your RSO this semester?
Well, SGA’s Student Budget Allocation Committee has help for those groups that are strapped for cash. Groups that need money for various projects or a conference can apply to have their expenses covered.
There’s about $18,000 left in the budget–$12,000 that can be allocated for various projects and $6,000 for conferences.
Usually groups apply for the money in the Fall semester; however, there is still a considerable amount of money left in the account this Spring.
Members need to apply as soon as possible in order to secure funding for their needs.
The department cap of $1,500 has been lifted, allowing for more work to be completed by the various groups. It allows for all groups to be considered equally with the critical eye.
Application forms can be found online at the student life Web site. Once completed, the form must be returned to the Office of Student Life. All project requests must be turned in three weeks prior to event and all conference requests must be submitted at least four weeks prior to the conference.
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Tags: conferences, programs, RSO, SBAC
Students can get involved and influence change through the Student Government Association’s senate, which currently is taking applications to fill nine available seats.
A student seeking election should contact Killian Richeson, senate leader, to get an application. The student will need a petition signed by 50 students in order to be considered.
“Each senator represents roughly 1,100 people,” Richeson said. “Making the position of senator one of major importance.”
There are 23 senators in the senate, and each senator represents the college his or her major is under.
“If a senator’s major is the chemistry and physics duel major, then that senator would represent the students under the College of Science and Technology,” Richeson said.
An SGA senator serves on committees with faculty who discuss university issues. Richeson said the benefit of senate membership is “protecting the student’s rights and fighting for each and every student to make the learning environment of Central Michigan University a better place.”
For more information, contact Killian Richeson, Senate Leader, at riche1kt@gmail.com.
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By Nathan Heath, RSO Growth & Development Chair
There are many RSOs on campus at CMU and many are beginning to look ahead at 2010. Here are 10 tips to help an RSO succeed into the next year.
1.) Public Relations: Nothing sells an organization more than clever and well thought out ways of publicizing your group. Flyers, classroom announcements, SGA, and radio announcements are just some of the ways you can get the word out! You also can consider asking for help from students in CMU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
2.) Developing Close Bonds: The closer a group is, the more things they can accomplish and the more efficient they run.
3.) Recruitment: Many freshman and sophomores are looking to get involved from the get-go and what better way than for them
to join an RSO to get their feet wet? Places like Mainstage and RSO Spot light are great ways to advertise your RSO’s goal and purpose.
4.) Networking: Develop good bonds between yourself and other RSOs across campus. Networking is a great tool to use in
times of need. It just goes to show that if you scratch someone else’s back, they will be like to turn right around and scratch yours in return.
5.) Engage Members: During meetings, engage active members in the group. Don’t just lecture and speak to them. Make them
feel like they are a part of the group, especially with new members. The most efficient groups see activity from all
active members, not just ones that are deemed to be the ”executive board.”
6.) Retreats: Nothing says bonding like a nice fun couple days of leadership activities and social shenanigans! One decent-sized retreat per semester is healthy for groups that might see shy members who aren’t sure on what to do. Central is known for its rather large emphasis on leadership.
7.) Structure: Though many people tend to frown upon groups that are based upon a strict set of rules, you’d be surprised
at how much of a difference it makes to have a set-in-stone plan for your organization. Attendance policies, member
guidelines, etc are just some of the ways to ensure efficiency from your RSO.
8.) Vision: Every RSO has a purpose, but often times you won’t see many groups who have an ultimate vision for the future.
You might have an awesome Chess Club, but where do you want your group to end up ten years from now? Where do you expect
your group to go? What impact will it make? These questions can help your RSO develop an overall vision / goal that can help direct your members in the right direction of success and growth!
9.) Fundraising: Come up with creative ways to raise money for your organization. There comes a time when SBAC and/or RHA
might not have enough funding for your organization to do whatever it is that you want to do. Bake sales, car washes, and candygram sales are some of the most common types of fundraisers but don’t be afraid to go big! Restaurant fundraisers, karaoke nights and poster sales are just some of the big ways to see a bigger turnout and increase the revenue you need to go on that next conference!
10.) The Electronic Age: Along with PR, it’s a good rule of thumb to consider the Web when figuring out a way to reach out
to the masses. Most of us have computers and even more of us spend countless hours a day online (darn you, Facebook). An
eye-pleasing Web page can be highly beneficial to you and your organization. Organization missions, membership, photos,
videos and more can be publicized for everyone to look at and who knows? The next person to visit your site could be a student looking to get involved!
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Tags: RSO
A Bike Share Program at CMU?
By Colleen McNeely, Legislative Affairs Chair
The current project underway in the Legislative Affairs committee is a bike share program to be initiated at CMU. A bike share program is essentially a system in which the University owns a certain number of bikes that are available to rent free of charge for the student body.
Similar projects have been initiated at CMU before, but were always shut down due to liability issues. We are working out the logistics of the program and have gotten in touch with other schools who have bike share programs to get information on how they got around the liability issues, what types of systems they have, etc. Northern Michigan University now has a successful bike share program after they faced liability issues as well; in fact, their student body president has sent us a detailed report on the program that we plan to use as a model.
This semester, we plan to schedule further meetings with Tony Voisin, director of student life, and Jan Trionfi, director of risk management, to present a report on the ideal program, as well as resolutions for liability issues. It is our goal to get a bike share program running as soon as possible, i.e. in the 2010 academic year, but it is not yet determined when exactly the program will be initiated.
A bike share program would be beneficial because it will provide a more healthy, sustainable, and dependable method of transportation for students, especially for those who cannot afford a bike or who have lost a bike to theft. It would also distinguish CMU from other universities for prospective students, as this would be a more innovative action on behalf of SGA.
While the committee is keeping busy with the bike share program, we are always looking for new projects that will advocate for the student body! We appreciate any student input on issues of concern, especially those involving administration and/or government.
We’d love to hear from or see students by e-mail, mcnee1ce (at) cmich.edu, or at a committee or SGA meeting!
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Tags: bike share program
By Colleen McNeely, Legislative Affairs Committee Chair
The Legislative Affairs committee has had a busy year so far! The committee aims to serve as a political liaison between students and administration and/or any form of governmental body, and advocating for students is what we have been up to. In fact, as soon as the committee formed, we jumped into quite a few major projects.
Last semester, we passed the Michigan Promise Resolution unanimously in the House and Senate, creating an official stance of the student body on the issue that has financially affected so many students this year, not just at CMU but throughout the entire state.
The first serious project was Promise Day, the campus-wide event that provided more than 800 students with information on how to contact their state legislators concerning the elimination of the Michigan Promise Scholarship – enough to make an impression on senators and representatives. The event drew publicity for CMU SGA from WNEM, a Saginaw TV news station, as well as other news sources such as michiganmessenger.com, which further increased advocacy for students by the committee because our voices and opinions were put out in the media for all to know.
Although the scholarship has still not been awarded to those students who earned it, I feel that our concerns were acknowledged in Lansing and worth the effort not only by the committee but also by the students who took the time of day to call their policymakers.
Take a stand and talk to your senators and representatives about the Michigan Promise. E-mail me at mcnee1ce (at) cmich.edu for information.
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Tags: legislation, Michigan Promise
By Nathan Heath, RSO Growth and Development Chair
As a committee, it is our designated task to come up with new and innovative ways for RSO life to grow and expand, but it comes as a shock to realize that few individuals even know what RSO even means. Last semester, we hosted an event concerning the process behind starting an RSO and it ended in great success with 45 attendees. Not bad for a first time program!
It accomplished what we sought out to do: inform individuals on how to start their own groups and start a legacy of change across campus.
Some of our future goals include:
- getting RSO life encouraged more in FYE classes
- promotion of RSO’s through orientation
- creating a closer knit bond between all the SGA representatives in the general house
Registered Student Organizations are the face of campus and it is our goal for this semester to create a closer, more unified campus by getting these groups known. People will feel more at home here at campus knowing that there’s groups out there that adhere to their likes and dislikes.
RSO doesn’t just mean Registered Student Organization, it means “Recognizing Student Opportunities!”
If you’re interested in starting an RSO or improving an RSO you are currently involved in, e-mail me at heath1no (at) cmich.edu.
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Tags: registered student organization, RSO
Michigan Promise Scholarship Resolution
Whereas, Central Michigan University’s (CMU) Student Government Association (SGA) is dedicated to inspiring improvement throughout its community by providing and promoting advocacy amongst and for its constituency, in hopes of developing a healthy and diverse learning environment while fostering a positive image of our university; and
Whereas, currently the State of Michigan’s Senate has passed budget legislation eliminating the Michigan Promise Scholarship in order to close a $2.7 billion deficit, while the House has yet to approve said legislation; and
Whereas, 96,000 students in Michigan will be negatively affected by funding withdrawals made to the Michigan Promise Scholarship; and
Whereas, last year, 4,214 CMU students received the Michigan Promise Scholarship, amounting to $4,213,500 in lost scholarships; and
Whereas, this year, 3,409 students (freshman and returning) have not been awarded their earned Michigan Promise Scholarships, amounting to $3,409,000 in lost scholarships; and
Whereas, this year, 122 students who had been awarded the scholarship, but were not officially on CMU’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid roster for those who were eligible to receive the Michigan Promise Scholarship, have also not received their promised funds, amounting to an additional $127,000 in lost scholarships; and
Whereas, this year, 338 incoming freshman who have been labeled as “high-need” due to their eligibility status for Federal Pell Grants, have had their lost scholarships accounted for by CMU, costing the university $338,000; and
Whereas, the loss of the Michigan Promise Scholarships, especially during the currently weakened economic state, is likely to cause CMU retention rates to decrease as formerly financially stable students continually lose funds that have been relied on thus far; and
Whereas, amidst the current economic climate, the dismissal of the Michigan Promise Scholarship will further perpetuate student debt as students will have to look toward more loans to fund their education; therefore
Be it resolved, that the CMU SGA implement the following actions to ensure that the student populous receive their promised scholarships:
- Encourage students to demand, as constituents, that Michigan’s Legislature passes no further legislation that would eliminate or reduce the Michigan Promise Scholarship.
- Publicize a campus- and state-wide “Promise Day” in which SGA will facilitate the mediums necessary for students to call and urge their Senators and Representatives to vote in favor of a budget plan that will not eliminate or reduce the Michigan Promise Scholarship.
- Advocate to policyholders in Lansing, on behalf of the CMU student body, the necessity of continuing to fund the Michigan Promise Scholarship, as it is vital to making college an affordable option for all students.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Looking to get more involved in SGA? There are two committee chair positions open right now.
Become the chair of the RSO Growth and Development Committee or the Traditions and Spirit Committee.
Contact SGA for more information.
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Derek van der Merwe from Athletics Internal Operations is coming to speak at the SGA General Board meeting on Monday, Sept. 14. Come to Dow 171 at 7 p.m. to find out more details about the tailgating policy.
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Tags: Central Michigan University, CMU, tailgating
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Recent Entries
- Fall 2009 Semester Report
- Funding for conferences and programs still available for RSOs
- SGA Senate Offers Opportunity To Get Involved, Influence Change
- 10 Tips To Help RSOs Succeed in 2010
- A Bike Share Program at CMU?
- Legislative Affairs Committee Seeks To Mend Broken Promises
- Recognizing Student Opportunities with RSOs
- Michigan Promise Scholarship Resolution
- Get Involved: Open Committee Chair Positions
- Have questions about the new tailgating policy?
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