Strong communication is the key to a successful year for the Student Government Association, vice president Kayla Griffith said Tuesday at the first SGA meeting of the 2003-2004 academic year.
President Jarrod Suits is spearheading a plan to help students become more aware of the duties of the SGA. “In the past SGA has been non-existent,” Suits said in reference to problems previous administrations experienced in successfully reaching the student body. “Students did not know the SGA’s role,” he added.
Suits hopes to reach more students through an awareness campaign aimed at opening the lines of communication between the student body and its elected leaders.
The organization hopes to have an “event day” several times throughout the year, where students will be able to play games and have fun while meeting and talking with SGA representatives. They also hope to include voter registration and a chance for students to fill out suggestion and grievance forms, as well as a variety of other opportunities for students to be involved in issues and decisions affecting them.
The SGA is beginning by working toward a goal of making the organization more united than it has been in the past. Griffith also said that all the officers would have an “open-door” policy towards fellow SGA members and students. If students have a concern, the SGA wants them to voice it.
The SGA will also be heavily involved in homecoming again this year. Suits said they will “voice their strong support for the football team since this is the last football homecoming.”
The SGA funds a large portion of homecoming through its 606 allocations fund and also has representatives leading in planning and helping run this annual occasion at ETSU. SGA members hope students will have a strong showing at this year’s homecoming events.
Some new changes the SGA is making include newly revamped 606 allocation fund applications. Suits hopes the allocation process, in which registered student organizations can apply to receive money for activities, will become more streamlined and easier this year than it has in the past. The first 606 applications are due Sept. 5.
Other changes for SGA include a new slogan and web site. The web site, which will be up and running in the near future, will feature information on the SGA such as contact information and current SGA events. It can be accessed from the ETSU homepage by clicking on the “Current Students” link.

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