BY CORIE LYNN
VIDEO BY GRANT ROWLEY
Historically, FHSU’s Student Government Association has convened in the Memorial Union each week. However, on Thursday the SGA’s student senators instead met in Eagle Hall of the FHSU Foundation’s Robbins Center.
The meeting began with reports from the SGA’s executive staff.
President Mark Faber and Vice President Ryan Stanley spent their weeks giving presentations on the SGA to the campus’s freshmen.
Faber began by reminding the student senators that intent-to-run forms for potential Freshman/KAMS student senators will close on Monday and that the following elections will take place Sep. 22-23.
He is also working to find student senators to sit on the university’s committees. Committees, such as the Homecoming Committee and the Memorial Union Policy Board, are open to any student on campus.
“If you know any student that wants to get involved, let us know,” Faber said.
Additional reports came from Legislative Affairs Director Kendra Clary, who mentioned that free legal counseling will be available to students once again, and Community Relations Director Chloe Stanley, who worked to create party packs for students.
With the semester only just beginning, few committees had reports for the evening, but according to Faber, the Safe Ride and Student Emergency Assistance Fund Committees both met.
The SEA is low on funds and looking for additional ways to fundraise.
Safe Ride, a bus service that ran 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. to reduce incidents of students drunk driving, will officially be disbanded. The service stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic but is still unable to resume.
“They can’t have many people on the buses because of COVID because of social distancing,” Faber said.
However, Faber explained that because of how heavily the service was utilized and because Safe Ride still has funds the committee is looking for alternatives to the bus service.
The meeting focused on the beginning reports, but the SGA also swore in its new executive staff, held the first reading of an appropriations bill and discussed the status of the campus buses that took students to the various FHSU buildings
According to Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Teresa Clounch, the service began five years ago to move students around campus construction. The service was phased out during the pandemic, though this phase-out was planned.
“It was intended to be temporary,” Clounch said.
The Student Government Association will reconvene at 7:00 p.m. on Sep. 16 in the Robbins Center’s Eagle Hall.