After returning from the Indiana Statehouse, Student Government Association members passed two bills on Thursday, Feb. 4 to purchase office supplies and combine senate elections.The SGA took a trip to the Statehouse on Feb. 2, to participate in the Hoosiers for Higher Education event.
Hoosiers for Higher Education is an education advocacy group funded by the IU Alumni Association and the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations.During the event, students were given a chance to network with local legislators and IU administrators.IU President Michael McRobbie, spoke about the schools’ statewide engagement initiatives and Sue Talbot, IU Trustee and former HHE director, urged students to be thankful for the many legislators who participate in the program.
SGA tech officer Ruben Dodge, computer science freshman, said he thought the event was cool.
“I’ve never actually got to see [McRobbie] before,” he said. “We also got to speak with Indiana senators Connie Sipes and Ed Clere,” Dodge said.
SGA President James Bonsall, business junior, who is a member of the HHE Student Advisory Board, delivered a speech to all that attended. He spoke on about the importance of student leadership and involvement.
“Push yourself, your student government, and your legislators to have that vision and to continue to support Indiana University,” Bonsall said.
“I thought it was a pretty good speech,” Dodge said. “I could tell he was a little nervous, but he did a good job of holding his own. ”
Also, after more than three weeks of discussion, SGA passed a bill that would combine the two current SGA elections.
The bill, authored by SGA press secretary Candice Boudreaux, business junior, faced opposition last week from former SGA senator Spencer Castile, business sophomore.
Castile recently resigned due to a scheduling conflict. Castile said he was upset with the possibility of a single election because he felt it would be unfair to senators who run for presidential seats because they could lose their senate seats if they lost.
“I think the current election style was put in place for a reason,” Castile said. “We need to go back and evaluate that reason before we move forward.”
Bonsall said he agreed with Boudreaux and said there was no need to burden the students with two elections. Also, an office supply bill was also introduced by Boudreaux.
The bill would budget $225 from the office supplies fund to replenish diminishing supplies.
The budget includes pens, binders and $30 worth of scissors.
According to the bill, the supplies help the SGA “perform various tasks relevant to SGA operations. In order to ensure that we have the proper materials with which to perform our jobs and work on behalf of the SGA, it is necessary that we purchase these office supplies.”
SGA senate chair Jonathan Moody, psychology junior, said there has been a problem with SGA office supplies lately.
“Our office supplies seem to have disappeared rather quickly since we’ve purchased them back in April,” Moody said.