October 10, 2016
Bradley Umpleby
On Oct. 6, the SGA senate discussed campus updates and Budget Advisory Committee recommendations, passed a new time limit for senate and said farewell to Spencer Davis, former senator at large.
Student body president Sam Elliot presented a campus update and discussed the CU Regent elections.
“I am very excited to be giving my first presidential update of the campus report. As you know, I’m a very passionate individual of this campus; I have many projects going on, so I will keep you all up to date on the most important ones,” said Elliot.
Elliot, along with Heidi Ganahl, Camp Bow Wow CEO and candidate for CU Regent, wanted to make sure students are aware of boxes on the ballot besides those concerning presidency.
“We are one of the very few states that still votes for regents in the general election. It’s very important to make students aware and answer any questions students have regarding the CU Regent candidates,” said Elliot.
Elliott also addressed the progress on the Ent Center for the Arts. Elliott recently toured the new building with SGA vice president Tamara Marshall and Joseph Conrad, director of finance for SGA. They were able to sit in on a two-hour meeting, regarding how the furniture is going to look at the new art center.
“This project is doing very well. There will be many opportunities for students to serve, make this campus better by student involvement,” said Elliot.
Elliot addressed the first outreach event for the student government executives. This event, hosted by UCCS, will present Tatiana Bailey, a leading expert on health economics. Local government officials, including Gov. John Hickenlooper and mayor John Suthers, will be at the event.
“She’s really reshaped how our community is looking at our local economy. Before (Bailey) came in, a lot of the people in the community thought that there were no young people in Colorado Springs; there are plenty of young people, and we have plenty of jobs,” said Elliot.
Finally, Elliot addressed the city’s construction plans on Nevada Avenue, which will be renovated from intersecting streets Austin Bluffs Parkway to Fillmore Street. The plan for this project will be finalized in January.
“There will be a very large development firm to gut that area. The goal is to increase infrastructure while making it a safer area for the students and to their liking,” said Elliot.
Two presenters also came to the podium to address special orders.
Nicole Anthony, cultivation director for the Gallery of Contemporary Arts, invited the senate to attend the gallery’s faculty exhibition, which opened on Oct. 7 from 5-9 p.m.
“GOCA is more than just a gallery space; we’re really interested in using the art and programs to create a sense of community,” said Anthony.
As of now, GOCA has five student employees.
Anthony addressed the downtown GOCA location, and the new gallery under construction, which is a 92,000 square-foot complex that will house the Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery of Contemporary Art Studio within the Ent Center for the Arts. The studio is to open in Jan. 2018.
Next, Kyle Boyle, station manager of UCCS radio, provided senate with an update. The station’s equipment has improved and there is now a total of 16 radio shows, eight of which are new this semester, according to Boyle.
Boyle provided an example of the radio’s collaboration with other clubs on campus such as hosting the APISU Fusion event, where the radio brought in one of their headline acts. The radio spent $1,300 in their efforts to help the club.
“It was a great event, and I look forward to working with them again in the future. We want to get all the cultural clubs together,” said Boyle.
Boyle also addressed a trip to New York City for the intercollegiate broadcast system awards.
“In the past two years, we’ve received a total of five nominations. We’ve brought home one national award; it’s very exciting,” said Boyle.
Boyle is confident they will receive more nominations this year and hopes for another award.
SGA ended the meeting by passing four BAC Recommendations.
The physics club received $180 for the NASA Micro-g Next Challenge. The club is working to address the modern space challenge by obtaining a 1 millimeter sample of dirt out of an asteroid.
The Phi Sigma Sigma sorority received $168 for a four-hour rental of Alpine Field. The field will be rented for a charity event called Kicks for Kid, which raises money to benefit those with cancer.
Men’s club volleyball received $100 for a tournament at Fort Collins.
Jessica Bender, president of the Equestrian Club, addressed the senate to request $1,100 to cover hotel rooms for an opening show in Nebraska. This recommendation was also passed.
Passed by majority vote, senate members now have a sevenminute limit during their meeting to be able to respect all speakers. Presenters are excluded from this.
Davis also gave his final words as a senator before the meeting’s end.
“These are my final seconds here as a senator with you guys. I received a promotion from athletics, so I’m turning a lot of my time over to that. If you guys ever need help, I’ll still be around, but thank you guys for all that you do,” said Davis.