In the near future, those turning 21 might receive more than shot glasses for their birthday.
Mailing students educational material about alcohol poisoning awareness for their 21st birthday was among the many ideas suggested by the Student Government Association during their first meeting of the semester.
Other suggested ideas for this semester include developing a partnership with Ball State's chapter of the Alive suicide awareness campaign and attempting to improve the Amelia T. Wood Health Center experience.
A member of academic affairs committee suggested creating an advisory council that would allow freshmen to meet monthly with President Jo Ann Gora.
While all of the ideas might not play out, Griewank said it's good for SGA to tackle big issues.
Dressed in ties, skirts and business slacks, SGA senators met Wednesday afternoon in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center's Cardinal Hall B to review past initiatives, pass legislation and plan for the future.
"We have a lot larger impact than I think the student body realizes," President Pro Tempore Chad Griewank said. "There are a lot of things students might see but don't necessarily know SGA does."
As an example, Griewank cited the blue bag recycling program, one of SGA's past initiatives. Assessing the effectiveness and popularity of that program in the dining and residence halls was one of the many actions discussed by senators during the organization's 90-minute meeting.
"There's nothing we can't discuss or bring up; we can write any piece of legislation saying we'd like something to happen," Griewank, a junior hospitality and food management major, said. "Some things are beyond us, but when you look at the whole, a lot is open to us."
One opportunity made open to interested SGA senators is the chance to participate in a task force on academic rigor headed by university Provost Terry King.
SGA president Kayla Stanton announced during the meeting that select senators would be among the few students able to sit in on the task force's meetings and offer comments about policies regarding grade inflation and the number of credit hours awarded to immersive learning and online courses.
Some SGA senators in the off-campus caucus also committed to ride the school's blue bus loop at least once this week and talk to their student constituents about the shuttle experience and what about it they feel should be improved. Caucus representatives further announced that they want to look into educating students about navigating the Muncie bus system.
"Senators should never hesitate to ask students what they need done, and should report back to them about the things we're doing," Griewank said. "It's a relationship of open communication."
SGA welcomed a handful of new senators for this semester, including psychology major J.P. Bechtel. The junior said he has been involved with a number of on-campus student organizations, but has been prevented from previously joining SGA because of schedule conflicts.
"I actually came last year [and watched] a few meetings when I had time because I just wanted to see what it was about," Bechtel said, adding that he wants to work with multicultural organizations and help them gain publicity through SGA.
"While we may not make huge changes, we are sort of a liaison that [lets university administration know what the students need]."
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