The Student Government Association (SGA) reviewed content for resolutions to establish a scholarship committee and adopt a housing scholarship at Tuesday’s meeting. 

Resolutions SR 24/25-01 and SR 24/25-02 were presented by Senator Louis Gonzalez, a sophomore biology major from Kansas City, Missouri. 

“I am happy that it was discussed and it was something that needed to be discussed and addressed,” Gonzalez said.

SR 24/25-01 is a resolution to add a scholarship committee that would oversee the application and selection process of any scholarships sponsored by the SGA. The committee would include a senator appointed by the scholarship committee chair.

An amendment passed to change the language specifying the minimum and maximum amount the committee must disperse in scholarship money each term. 

Senator Johnathan Schaufler, a senior nursing major from Salem, Arkansas, proposed the amendment. 

“I changed it to make it a vote by the senate of how much to allocate so they can just review the budget and the senate can discuss and motion to allocate this much for scholarship,” Schaufler said.

Previously, the resolution required the committee to disperse between $4,000 and $8,000 in scholarships.

Jackson Galloway, SGA senator and senior electrical engineering major from Little Rock, said he thinks the scholarship committee resolution will benefit scholarships that SGA sponsors in the future.

“One thing that Louis is doing very well is the committee,” Galloway said. “I think the committee is going to help out a lot with streamlining scholarships in the future, I think it is a great idea.”

The second resolution, SR 24/25-02 aims to address the increasing need for affordable on-campus housing for financially disadvantaged undergraduate students. 

The resolution proposed a housing scholarship. The scholarship would be dispersed by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. The scholarship would award three students $1,000 each for the academic year, with funds applied to either one or both semesters. Requirements include financial need, low-income status, 15 credit hours and a minimum GPA of 3.0 for underclassmen and 2.75 for upperclassmen.

Schaufler motioned to remove a section of the resolution stipulating that students who have already been awarded an institutional scholarship cannot receive the housing scholarship.

He said restricting students with institutional aid from receiving the housing scholarship excludes several students who may still need aid.

“Most institutional scholarships do not cover full tuition,” Schaufler said. “So, even a student that received that scholarship could still have unmet needs and then they would not be able to apply.” 

Gonzalez said opening the resolution to those with an additional institutional scholarship would not have a big effect as there is an expectation for many students to apply regardless of the limitation. 

“The main deal is that those who do receive institutional scholarships are already a leg up than those who do not receive them,” Gonzalez said. “I’m thinking of people like me, nontraditional students that are married, that are coming back to college, that might not be able to pay for housing on campus or are older students that live on campus.”

The senate discussed the motion and several senators suggested the section be amended rather than deleted. 

After a round of discussion, the resolution was tabled for the next SGA meeting. 

In other business, the SGA senate tabled discussion for SR 24/25-03, a resolution to allow Cadets and Cadres to park at the Military Science Building parking lot during the designated restricted parking hours.

Additionally, Allison Webber, a sophomore nursing major from Highland, Arkansas, was appointed senator at large. 

“It’s nice being here and actually getting a seat,” Webber said. “It’s a little intimidating at first though and I’m excited to get into it.” 

The SGA senate will meet again at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Delta Center for Economic Development.

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