SGA met Wednesday night to discuss a variety of upcoming issues and events. However, this meeting was slightly different then in the past.  The SGA invited members of other organizations and campus groups to come to the Senate meetings. 

Representatives from Athletics, the Office of Health Promotion, the Inter Hall Council and members of the Multicultural Greek Council came to the meeting to voice their concerns and opinions to the Student Government.  The members of the Student Government were able to understand better the duties of each of these other organizations and in turn find better ways to represent them.  

For example, the representative of the Health Promotion Office said that the office is eager to learn more about what the student body wants, especially from their “It’s on us, Nova” campaign. 

Not only is the Health Promotion office looking to boost their campaign, but also start to advocate for mental health awareness.  To raise awareness, the Office of Health Promotion will be providing fun and health promoting events, like therapy dogs during finals week and a “friendsgiving” in the Spit.  The role of SGA in this process is to provide a platform of support and acknowledgement to these organizations when help is needed.

Another major development in the meeting was on the topic of parking on campus.  Vice President John Puszcz spoke with the Director of Parking and Transportation, Dennis Gallagher, about parking on West Campus. 

The two sat down to discuss the conflict regarding lack of parking, especially at night.  Many students have been complaining that when they park at night, there are no available spots.  This forces students to park in loading spots and other spots not labeled as legal parking.  Students who pay for spots are then given parking tickets for parking illlegally when Main Lot cannot accomodate them. 

Puszcz and Gallagher have settled on opening up spots in the Loading Only areas and in the W-1 parking lot.  These spots will only be open to students living on West Campus from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.  SGA is optimistic this is a first step toward resolving the issue of parking.

The SGA is also aware of the various feelings regarding the outcome of the election.  If anyone would like to talk about any aspect of the election, there are many groups on campus having discussions.

 On Thursday, Nov. 17, a Community Conversation has been planned at 7:30 p.m. in Café Nova to discuss not only the outcome of the election but some of the violent actions taken after the results as well.  If there is any concern or need to further discuss the outcome, do not hesitate to consult the Office of Health Promotion or Public Safety.