The Student Government Association upped their numbers by approving eight new senators during the Oct. 10 meeting.
The increase should end the previous obstacle of not having enough senators present at meetings to establish a quorum.
“The new senator at-large selections are a way of keeping the senate full,” SGA Vice President Jonathon Fields said.
The new senators are Nathan Darnell, Glenn Fisher, Josh Hite, Jocelyn Mooneyhan, Freddie Nsapo, George Taylor, Matthew Hill and Howard Thomas.
“The new senators are motivated, enthusiastic, and represent a diverse portion of campus,” SGA President Derreck Whitson said. “I think they will improve representation and express more student views.”
Also on Oct. 3, Matt Luff was appointed to the position of secretary of interior and Stephanie Rhea was appointed as senate clerk.
Two bills sponsored by Sen. David Lane were approved on Sept. 27.
SSB-00-001 deals with Memorial Day recognition at ETSU.
“The bill establishes SGA support of Memorial Day observance at ETSU in an effort to pay tribute to those who have fought for our country,” Lane said.
SSB-00-002 will establish a university standing committee to report to the university’s president about veterans’ concerns.
“A veterans affairs committee is an excellent idea and should be set up for those unique groups of students with different concerns than traditional students,” Whitson said.
SSA-00-004, sponsored by Sen. Priya Ponnapula and co-sponsored by Sen. Stacy Isaacs, was passed.
The act amends the SGA Code of Laws to replace ballot voting with electronic voting. Students will use their campus e-mail to vote during elections in the future.
It is hoped that this will alleviate concerns about electronic voting, such as the ones encountered last semester.
The act was created in response to the Student Court case in which SGA was found guilty of violating Title IV, Section 125 of the Code of Laws. The new act will hopefully prevent this type of violation from occurring again.
In other matters:
Two senators left the SGA. Senator Lora Jenkins was suspended and Senator Traci Rogers resigned.
During the Sept. 27 meeting, Chapter 606 funding was appropriated.
Funds totaling $11,461.50 were allocated to 12 ETSU organizations.
Those included are Alpha Lambda Delta, Association of the U.S. Army, Delta Sigma Pi, Fat Tire Club, Orientation Leaders Association, Printmak-ers Guild, PRSSA, Student Association for Young Children, Student Ceramic Association, SGA, Student Life and Leadership and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Whitson introduced a new program idea of online teacher evaluations.
“The program would post answers to standard general questions about teachers and teaching styles and would be completed by students who took the class,” he said.
“We need to decide if it would help students, if it would be used, if it is fair, and a way to do it.”
He noted that the program is not a new concept and that many universities have similar programs.
Whitson discussed the Tenn-essee Board of Regent s/ Student Presidents Council meeting on Sept. 23.
“The lack of state funding is a big issue right now,” he said. “We want to try to host open forums to meet with leaders and stress the need for resources.

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