UMBC SGA

The first matter of business for the senators tonight was the confirmation of four new SGA Supreme Court Justices.  Chief Justice William Joyner (who you can read about in the fifth paragraph of this post) set out with a goal of finding a group who would be dedicated to reshaping the court.  He was on hand to introduce the four new recruits before the floor was opened for questions.  They went as follows:

Catie Collins is a Sophomore who realizes the importance of student advocacy.  She values her time at UMBC, especially after the time she put in working to build up the necessary funds for college before being able to enroll.  Her time on the court will be spent making sure other students are getting the experience they are paying for.

Greg Waters has already shown his dedication to UMBC; he is tasked with expecting every bathroom on campus during the summer, as part of his employment with Facilities Management.  His goal on the court will be to make an impact that will last longer than a fixed toilet.

Chi Onyewu is a student who has not been too involved on campus, yet.  In his goal of getting involved at UMBC, Chi hoped to join an already established organization.  He is looking to play a mediator type role on the court.

Ben Smith looks to use his oppurtunity to serve as a justice to create a framework for his future.  In the future, Ben hopes to attend law school after his time at UMBC.

All of the nominees were confirmed by the Senate.

We all know stress is rampant during the week of finals, and one of the greatest relievers of stress is physical activity.  Unfortunately, the Retriever Activities Center (RAC) appears to be closing early, 7PM, during exams.

SGA’s Department of Health and Wellness, along with Sen. Josh Michael, is currently evaluating this issue involving the RAC.  To best handle the situation, they are looking for some student input (Take this quick survey).

The reasoning behind the closures is a documented lack of use after 7PM in previous finals.  Also, the RAC is staffed by students, and it is difficult to maintain the appropriate amount of staff needed for the facility during this time.

This missing resource has some students upset, and the SGA wants to see what can be done to overcome this obstacle.  What are your thoughts?

There were so many exceptional submissions to Project Black and Gold, we couldn’t live with just one.  So, in place of the original top five entries, there is now a top eight.  You can log onto myUMBC and vote for you favorites, the five with the most votes will all be paired with a distinctive banner design.

Make sure to get on myUMBC and vote starting today through the 18th.  Remember, these slogans will be seen on campus for years to come!

This year’s SGA is larger than ever before.  To cope with the growing size of the organization, the Department of Public Relations is looking for a handful of dedicated staff members. 

Available openings include bloggers and graphic artists.  Positions are unpaid, but a great chance to gain experience in the field.  Time commitments will vary based on position.

If you have any interest, please fill out an application and send it to mcase1@umbc.edu as a .doc file, or contact Mitch Case for more information.

Finals are only two weeks away, so stress will surely be on your mind. Join senators and first-year ambassadors to discuss how you manage stress or learn about campus resources to help you do it.

Also, tell us what you might like to see during the next SGA sponsored Stress Free Zone.

As always, the event will be on Market Street in the Commons during free hour.  RSVP on Facebook.

The Department of Public Relations will be looking for additional bloggers for the spring semester.  SGA bloggers will be responsible for attending either the Senate (Monday 5:30PM+) or Finance Board (Tuesday 5:30PM+) meeting weekly and create blog posts reflecting what members of the SGA are working on.  Other duties will include various blog related assignments (video posts, SGA announcements, etc) and attending department meetings regularly.

If you are interested in taking your blogging to the next level, please contact Mitch Case at mcase1@umbc.edu.

By the way: Students with no previous blog experience are more than welcome to apply for the position.  (Also, the position is unpaid, but a great chance to gain some experience.)

Along with the exciting Google news of Monday’s Senate meeting, the senators also participated in a discussion on the Student Course Evaluation Questionnaire(SCEQ) students are asked to fill out towards the end of each semester.  Richard Blissett, Director of Academic Affairs, was on hand to talk about what his department has found so far.

In total, the costs of materials to administer the surveys cost nearly $10,000.  To reduce this cost, the department is considering the pros and cons of making the SCEQs available for completion online.

Basically, the benefit is saving the funds for something else.  On the other hand, there is a question of whether students would take the time to fill out the survey, if it was not handed right to them.

What do you want to see done with the SCEQs?

I (Mitch, the blogger.) have taken over SGA’s Twitter account.  Make sure to follow us and stay in touch with what we’re doing!

On Monday night, Jack Suess and Dr. Mike Carlin, both from the Office of Information Technology, talked to the Senate about their plan to convert UMBC’s email system in the near future.  Their hope is to begin transitioning students to Gmail early next semester.  They came to the meeting to explain the details of this task, and look  for the SGA’s support.

UMBC would not be the first school to sign a contract with Google.  In fact, the company has an entire program developed for students.  Other universities to make the switch (and save money) include Notre Dame.

The timeline laid out by Suess and Carlin includes a deal with Google towards the end of January, a Beta run for students in late February and early March, and an eventual incorporation of other applications throughout UMBC.

It seems important to note there will be no cost to outsource student email to the company, and a minimal fee for staff (should they be included in the switch).  Also, Suess predicted no security threats, and felt Gmail would be safer than the current option.  Finally, the Senate and SGA seems to be in full support of the initiative.