Housing scholarship discussion tabled and lactation stations passed in SGA meeting 

Discussion regarding the abolishment of the housing scholarship was tabled during the Student Government Association’s (SGA) meeting to hear public comments regarding SR 22/23 – 01. 

Senator Jackson Galloway, senator for the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, presented SR 23/24 – 03, which would abolish the housing scholarship previously created and funded by SR 22/23 – 01. 

“SGA’s budget is mostly percentage based, depending on how much money that the Student Government Association receives that semester,” Galloway said. “If say, one year the Student Government Association doesn’t get as much money and they have that $5,500 taken out already, that could cause a problem with other aspects like an emergency.”

Galloway was not available for an interview after the meeting.  

Garrett Partain, former member of SGA, created SR 22/23 – 01. The resolution aimed to help students pay for on-campus housing.

Senator Jonathan Schaufler, junior nursing major from Salem, Arkansas is for abolishing SR 22/23 – 01. 

“The physical writing of the resolution is the issue that I have. The resolution has a lot of leeway in it, especially the original one,” Schaufler said. “It has no really set definition of who is going to get these scholarships, who’s going to decide who gets the scholarships, how many years are we going to do the scholarship?”

According to SR 22/23 – 01, eligible students must be full-time, in good academic standing and signed up for on-campus housing for the upcoming academic year.  Preference will be given to students who demonstrate “financial need, academic achievement in the face of adversity and want to participate in and improve the campus community.”

Students must submit an application to the Chair of the Financial Aid and Scholarships and those who do not meet the scholarship’s specifications will not be considered. Students who have their cost of living paid for via other means are ineligible. 

Connor Williams, a senior nursing major from Marked Tree, Arkansas is against SR 23/24 – 03. He was the first individual to motion to table the discussion of SR 23/24 – 03 due to wanting to hear public opinion before voting. His motion failed. 

Williams said a complete abolition of SR 22/23 – 01 would look bad on SGA, as people could look back onto records and see them attempt and fail in creating a functioning housing scholarship. He also said that he fears that once this amendment has been abolished, no one will go back and create a new scholarship. 

Catherine Hernandez, a junior psychology major from Jonesboro is for SR 23/24 – 03. 

Hernandez said her issue with SR 22/23 – 01 is the wording and that it doesn’t “have the strength to fully do the best.”

Hernandez said SGA could keep the money and put it into a new scholarship; however, she said she did not have any ideas for a new scholarship. 

Lucky Gilmore, a senior political science major from North Little Rock, was the second person to motion to table SR 23/24 – 03. 

“The fact that we did not motion to table this simply because we want to get it on the way now, instead of when we could have motioned to table it and listen to the people that we’re representing have to say, makes me a little disappointed,” Gilmore said. “It doesn’t matter how we feel about it. We can say no next week, but we can say no knowing what the public has to say about it.” 

Gilmore said she’s an advocate for hearing people out even if it ends up being negative or unhelpful because you gave that person a chance to be heard, which is why she wanted to make a motion to re-vote.

Gilmore’s motion passed and the discussion was tabled, allowing the public to give their opinion before the resolution was voted on. 

Dean MacDonald, a graduate student studying public administration from Jonesboro, came to the meeting after being made aware by friends and social media there was a resolution to abolish SR 22/23 – 01.

“It’d be nice to see them implement this program, give it to help it needs and advertise it to the point where you actually have applicants,” MacDonald said. “If you don’t have applicants, that’s how scholarships die. I would urge (SGA) to keep this program by whatever means possible.”

Chris Smith, a junior history and communication studies double major from Cabot, Arkansas, attended the meeting with MacDonald. They said the senators should “fix it, not fail it,” regarding the scholarship.  

Before discussion regarding the scholarship, Schaufler’s resolution to create lactation stations on campus passed unanimously. 

The lactation stations will be in the Centennial Bank Stadium, the First National Bank Arena and the Student Union to provide a space on campus for student, faculty, staff and visitors to feed their children in private. 

Schaufler said the lactation rooms would include two to three recliners with hospital curtains around them for privacy, a sink and a microwave.

“I’m super excited that this resolution got passed. I think that is something that will hopefully impact the community,” Schaufler said. “These rooms are going to offer our parents a really great resource to choose whether they would like privacy, because it is a very intimate matter to feed your child whether you’re breastfeeding or just feeding.”

SGA will meet Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. in the Delta Center for Economic Development.

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