You may see them in your classrooms or at Winter Cruise in the Culp Center. Senators and executive members of the Student Government Associ-ation are attempting to spread the word.
In an attempt to expand student knowledge of the functions and goals of the SGA, President Chad Reed, along with the rest of the executive and legislative branches, has initiated SGA Awareness Week.
Beginning Monday and running through Friday, the SGA hopes that its Awareness Week will let the student body voice its concerns and come to understand the significant and important role that SGA can play here at the university.
“This week is to focus on what SGA really does for the students,” said Vice President Jennifer Berry. “SGA performs a number of behind the scenes duties that the typical student has no idea about.”
“The most important thing I do is attend meetings and give the student’s opinion,” Reed said.
The SGA president is responsible for the appointment of students to various university standing committees.
Just one of these is the Technology Access Fee Committee, which decides the expenditure of student fee money for computers and technology equipment.
Another such committee is the Parking, Traffic and Safety Committee, which sets all parking regulations, fines, safety protocols and handles any other matters dealing with traffic and safety.
“Administrators look at me and ask me what the students think,” Reed said. He went on to explain how student members of university committees have quite a bit of say.
“Administrators really want to know what the students think,” he said.
In addition to this, SGA handles various other functions for the students.
The student court handles violations of university policy, and has the power to punish offenders.
SGA also administers student money, such as 606 funds, and the president appoints the majority of the members of the Student Activities Allocation Committee.
SAAC controls the amount of money given to organizations like SGA, the Residence Hall Association, and the East Tennessean student newspaper, just to name a few.
“I want to make students aware that SGA exists and that it functions for all the students,” Reed said.
He went on to express that as a whole, the SGA is capable of expending a vast amount of influence in university decision-making, and the goal of the “SGA Awareness Week” is to let students know this.

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