Student Government Association (SGA) is at the forefront of Eastern University. It is the reason why student-run clubs are able to function. One of the major things SGA does is allocate the budgets of those clubs so they are able to put on events for students. According to Eastern’s website, they also propose new ideas to the university leadership, faculty and staff. “SGA has a voice in all matters that directly impact students. We serve as the primary representatives of the student body to campus leadership,” said freshman class president Micah Lincoln.
SGA former board secretary and current Eastern junior Steph Philemon says that SGA has accomplished a lot since he got here. “I have been in SGA for about three years to date, and we have accomplished many things. These include but are not limited to new washing machines in each dorm building, Eagles’ Essentials Pantry, Aunt Flow [free pads and tampons] in public bathrooms, better processes for club funding and even more grant and loan funding for our school, SGA and club budgets,” Philemon said.
There is a lot that needs to be done and can be done for the future of Eastern’s ever-expanding campus. Philemon thinks that SGA can assist with a lot of that. “I really hope that dorm, residence life and [academic] buildings become better for students in the future. A lot of the time, our school tends to put ‘band-aids’ on matters that require much more attention,” Philemon said.
SGA is the building block that keeps the Student Activities Board and Eastern’s foundation afloat. Students need to have a say in whatever happens at a university, especially since they are going to be living there for a few years. It is always nice to have those temporary fixes made permanent. “These [fixes] include but are not limited to lighting on campus, plumbing, power outages, pest control and even furniture and housing capabilities. These will dramatically improve the ease of students’ minds, as they would like to unwind after a very busy day,” says Philemon.
How can students give their opinions to SGA? There are many opportunities to do that. For instance, SGA town halls are ways for the student population to give their opinions to faculty and members of SGA. Students can also talk to any faculty or staff member at any time. Philemon says that “students can talk to any faculty member, especially on the top floor of Walton,” says Philemon. The third floor of Walton houses student development which consists of the housing department, as well as faculty representatives of both SGA and SAB. Philemon also says that “no voice or opinion should go unheard, and [faculty] will definitely listen, or schedule a meeting.”
There are so many ways to get involved and make your voice heard at Eastern, and SGA is one of those ways.
