The Slippery Rock University Student Government Association elected a new speaker of the senate for the 2015-2016 year at their regular senate meeting Monday.
North Hall Senator, Logan Steigerwalt was elected as speaker of the senate starting next semester. The current speaker of the senate, Megan Burr will be graduating in December.
Steigerwalt will be sworn in as the speaker of the senate in January 2015 when he will assume the position.
Vice President of Campus Outreach, Jared Stanley said that through being Steigerwalt’s peer mentor for the First Year Leadership Program, he has seen growth in Steigerwalt and he thinks that he would be great for the position.
Slippery Rock University President Cheryl J. Norton was the guest speaker at the meeting where she gave an update of how the university is continuing to enhance the ability and support the needs of students through the integration of student affairs and academic affairs.
“Everything that we do at this institution and all the decisions that we make should be on the behalf of the students to ensure that we break down barriers and give new opportunities so students can not only be successful at Slippery Rock, but be successful after graduation,” Norton said.
Norton said that the integration should provide more services and programs, increase cooperation between units, improve communication about the needs of the students and how those needs can be met inside and outside of the classroom, create a synergy among the individuals of this institution and reduce the redundancy of efforts so that the university can put more sources back into programs for students.
“We combine academic and student affairs because you [the students] are a person and you don’t divide yourself,” Norton said. “You learn from one hour to the next and you integrate yourself into your behavior and practices.”
Norton said that it takes a village to succeed in our vision and luckily we have a caring community to work through that village.
Two conference grant winners, The National Council of Teachers of English and the Preservice Mathematics Teachers presented what they learned at their conferences at the meeting. The conference grant is given to clubs and organizations so that they can attend nonmandatory conferences. An amount of up to $500 is given to each club. In return for the grant, SGA asks each organization to come back and present to the senate what they learned while at their conference.
The SRU Competitive Bass Anglers were granted $5,412 to help fund for advertisements and tournaments.
The motion to elect new members into the Board of Directors for SGA was tabled because of a lack of discussion among the senate.
Rachel Lawler was elected as Freshmen Senator and Commuter Senator, Kaci Vandergrift was named “liter” of the week.
The next meeting will take place on Dec. 1 at 8:45 p.m. in the theater of the Robert M. Smith Student Center.
