The Student Government Association (SGA) presented two resolutions to their group of senators and discussed future plans for the organization.

In their opening staff reports, the executive board gave information about their future plans, but many were vague in their descriptions. One of the most detailed reports was from SGA cultural diversity chair Denver Brooks, who said she outlined plans to build a dog park with other amenities for pet owners to use on campus.

Addressing some of the major concerns for students, SGA secretary Carter Gore discussed two important issues in his staff report, mentioning the work progressing with Sodexo to improve dining and with Textbook Brokers to allow flex dollars to be used at the bookstore.

Before getting to the new business of the meeting, SGA filled four open senator spots for a junior, sophomore, College of Engineering and Computer Science and College of Science and Mathematics. One notable addition to the senator group was JP Rowton, the Director of Athletic Engagement for the Student Activities Board, who filled the junior seat. 

Following filling the empty seats, SGA opened up the floor for two senators to present their resolutions to check for grammar. 

Senior senator Parker Hicks brought resolution SR 26/27-01 before the rest of the association, a plan that would require executive members to record their official business in SGA for the future. Before unveiling his idea, Hicks said this resolution was not targeted towards the executive board for performing poorly.

“This is not an indictment on them or anything they sign,” Hicks said. “I love what they do.”

SGA Chief of Staff Chauncy Betts followed Hicks’ resolution with one of his own, ER 26/27-02, to create a tracker to help keep up with their class attendance and make sure their absences will not cause them to fail a course. 

Betts outlined his idea for the tracker as a part of A-State’s Pack Portal website that would track absences in each class on a graph and alert students when they are close to reaching a point of failing a class due to attendance. 

For future expansions, Betts said they will attempt to add reminders of class meeting times for students to help ensure they arrive in a timely manner. 

“Hopefully this causes students to show up earlier and on time (along with) being more prepared for their studies,” Betts said.

In his plan for the tracker, Betts said he has spoken with the provost and wants to work with student affairs and marketing to help bring the app to life. Betts said his main concern right now is the programming behind Pack Portal’s integration with the app along with administration’s backing.

“It’s more on the administration’s side or whoever (runs) Pack Portal because I don’t have that knowledge,” Betts said. “I can assist with how I believe the data should look and what might be most digestible for students.”

Betts said his hopes for the tracker is to help improve class attendance but also to improve professor and student relations.

“(Attendance) might actually play a big part in the professor’s attitude,” Betts said. “I know that professors probably (don’t like) students coming in late and disrupting class.”

In closing public statements, multiple senators proposed resolutions in the works that will be presented some time in the future, giving SGA a direction towards incorporating changes to further help the A-State community.

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