At the latest SGA meeting, the senate confirmed two senators and a justice, leaving four more vacant positions that must be filled to have a full student government.
The senate unanimously confirmed the members, two of which were former members, at their Sept. 19 meeting. The senator of military affairs, senator of nursing and health sciences, senator of graduate school and a justice position are open, according to SGA’s advisor Noelle San Souci.
If SGA positions are still vacant after the spring election, potential members are interviewed by the Appointments Advisory Committee. If approved by the committee, the candidates are sent to the senate for final approval.
Isabella Polombo, a communication major who previously served on SGA as a student-at-large, was confirmed as senator of innovation. They plan to focus on accessibility and uplifting students in the innovation program. “[These students] have so much to share with the campus,” Polombo said.
The Bachelors of Innovation is an interdisciplinary program that arms students with a set of skills that allow them to come up with innovative solutions to problems.
Polombo would like to use their position to support a specific group of students in the innovation program who are working on developing an app for the shuttles on campus.
“I want to use SGA funds and work collaboratively with you all to find grants to help address the accessibility of the shuttle on campus,” they said.
Asher Early was confirmed as senator of clubs, organizations and Greek life. Early is a business marketing and management planning double major, and a member of the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi. He is also the risk management chairman for the UCCS chapter of the fraternity.
As a student who was uninvolved in any extracurricular activities in high school, Early aims to be more involved on campus. He wants to use his position on SGA to get other students involved as well.
To spark engagement, Early plans to encourage clubs and organizations to host events like mixers together. “I’ve read things from other schools, mainly D1 schools, on how everyone is a part of a club and organization, has their own place, and I really feel like it should be that way here,” Early said.
Amber Davis was confirmed as a justice for student government’s judicial board. She is a women’s and ethnic studies major with a minor in pre-law.
As a previous Senator of Multicultural Affairs, Davis said she was interested in joining the judicial board to see another side of SGA while still serving students to the best of her ability.
She said she is emphasizing the removal of bias in her new position. “I think it’s just really important to step outside of both perspectives and just try to see all different sides,” she said.
In other news:
- SGA passed the SGA Office Supplies bill, which will provide SGA with cleaning and office supplies to make the SGA office more appealing to students. This bill allocates $300.26, including GAR, to allow SGA to purchase cleaning supplies, a microwave, a fan, a coffee machine and a speaker. Speaker of the Senate Greg Abukar-Duru, who authored the bill, said that these items will be open to all students to use, and he hopes it will make them feel more comfortable in the office.
- SGA tabled a resolution establishing their primary goals for the year until their next meeting because of concerns over wording. If this resolution is passed at the next meeting, it will be published to hold SGA accountable for the areas they plan to target.
- San Souci encouraged senators to think about what role SGA will play in the upcoming election, highlighting voter registration, standing for students’ right to free speech and supporting students in the aftermath of the election as areas of interest.
Photo from Scribe Archives