A new school year brings new opportunities for students to get involved, and this was apparent at the first official Student Government Association meeting of the semester. The meeting was held Tuesday in the D.P. Culp Center Forum.SGA President Chad Hall, SGA Vice President Ashley Bowser and SGA Secretary and Treasurer Maggie Darden led the opening of the meeting as they focused on the discussions ahead.

The first topics at hand involved swearing in new members of the cabinet and the senate.

A guest speaker named Mike Dalka representing the Overmountain Men Victory Trail Association came and spoke about the lesser-known history in East Tennessee.

Crucial historical events and locations such as Sycamore Shoals and the Watagua Agreement were mentioned as Dalka stressed his desire to see this history showcased at ETSU.

Suggestions were offered by senators to help along in getting a class started for this history as well as starting a program through the Student Organization Resource Center.

One of the most discussed subjects of the afternoon was the possibility of ETSU partnering with the Collegiate Readership Program. The CRP is an organization that focuses on putting printed news material into the hands of college students.

“I don’t know about you all, but I prefer printed material to what alternatives we have online,” Hall said. “In theory, college students should be getting more in-depth news than whatever news blips they find online. We can get almost any publication, and whatever papers are not sold are taken back.”

While partnering with the CRP is still a consideration, many students present were not fond of the idea of spending student money on more printed material when much of it goes to waste.

Dr. Sally Lee, associate vice president of Student Affairs, commented on similar attempts to bring in a variety of news publications in the past.

“The question is, would students actually pick up the paper and read?” said Lee. “It’s a great idea, but in the past, more faculty read the papers than students..”

Another focus of the meeting involved the B.U.C. Fund and the importance of letting students know what the fund is. Every ETSU student pays $20 dollars each semester into the B.U.C. Fund. Seventy-five percent of that money is put toward homecoming and other major campus events, while the remaining 25 percent is used to fund student programs on campus.

“There’s nothing I hate more than seeing thousands of student dollars being passed out without anyone asking questions,” Hall said.

The meeting concluded with new senators introducing themselves to the SGA and listing their field of study, as well as how they will contribute to the SGA and overall student body.

SGA meetings are held every Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Forum of the D.P. Culp University Center.

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