The third Student Government Association (SGA) meeting of the semester took place on Tuesday, Feb.7. In open forum, a senator raised concerns about smoking on the sidewalk behind the heating plant that leads from campus to the Longwood Landings. Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs, said the sidewalk is public property; therefore, Longwood's smoking policy is not in effect there.
Senator Shawn Gaines said he was not aware he had to use a meal swipe at Dorrill Dining Hall (D-Hall) for the pep rally last Thursday, raising concerns about students having to swipe in to attend such events in the future. Another senator said a meal swipe must be used because there are concerns about students going to events in D-Hall and eating a meal for free. She added that suggestions for how this could be avoided are welcome.
Faculty Senate will hold a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 9, and Senator Ben Tyree will mention students' opinions about whether the attendance policy should remain in place or be altered. Students have varying opinions, and Tyree will bring up the pros and cons of this issue.
President Brandon Fry suggested senators gather how students feel about the SGA funding for printing paper in Longwood's academic and computing labs next year, as well as opinions about the new GPA scale.
Students have voiced concerns about the state of the parking lots, and Longwood University Chief of Police Bob Beach said Parking Manager Laura Rice will survey the lots sometime this week to see what repairs are needed.
Members of the pending Graphic Design Club sought approval from the SGA. The club's constitution stated early on that the club would be open to all Longwood students, but it later said that only graphic design majors or minors could join. The SGA passed an amendment to table the constitution until the club rewrites their membership requirements in their constitution.
The Longwood Association of Teachers of English (LATE) requested $778 for an out-of-town Shakespeare play they plan to attend on April 22. $260 of the total amount was for the students' meals, and SGA decided to fund solely the performance tickets and transportation, approving LATE a total of $518 for the trip.
At the conclusion of the meeting, David Clipp and Sarah Sharp were sworn in as press secretary and senator, respectively. The next SGA meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
