August 31, the Ball State Student Government Association (SGA) held its first meeting in the ballroom of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. Seven positions were voted in, five of which were voted into the cabinet and two others were promoted to Parliamentarian and Chief of Staff.
Senator Brenna Large was promoted to parliamentarian, with her goals to better inform members on the Roberts Rules of Order, host information sessions or retreats for senators and hold Rules and Constitution membership as a mix of old members and new members.
She was initiated with a majority by verbal vote.
Joseph Gassensmith was re-appointed as the chief of staff. Gassensmith is leading a committee over fair wages for student workers, and he wants to maintain an effective cabinet.
The standing committee rules were passed with majority by verbal vote.
Senator Hunter Luzadder, who was not in attendance, was spoken for by SGA President Tina Nguyen. Luzadder is set to focus on making graphics and running Instagram for the senate.
Luzadder was voted into the position of press secretary with the majority by verbal vote.
Nguyen also spoke for Conor Daily, who was voted into the role of secretary of university governance. Daily was voted in with the majority by verbal vote.
Leah Craig, who ran for secretary of justice, said she has a strong knowledge of judicial policies and judicial review. Craig said she would serve the chief justice by answering any questions that are raised about the SGA constitution or bylaws.
Craig was voted in 20-0.
Lajayaa Henderson, secretary of diversity, wants to highlight and take initiative in her position.
“As secretary of diversity, I plan to take initiative to reach out to organizations, as well as the ‘Big 4’ [Asian Student Union, Black Student Association, Latinx Student Union, and Spectrum], as well as those who do not fall under that umbrella and try to give them a voice and opportunity to be seen on campus,” Henderson said.
Henderson was voted in 19-1.
Nguyen spoke on behalf of Brenden Resnick for the position of secretary of environmental affairs. Resnick minors in social and environmental justice and has given time to bring awareness to environmental and social issues.
He served as a board member in high school for environmental action for four years. He also carried out recycling and replanting efforts.
Resnick was voted in 20-0.
Nguyen spoke on the upcoming year and her plans for her term as SGA President.
“This year we want to differentiate between the two branches, there is a difference between the senate and the executive board, which people do not know,” Nguyen said. “The executive board is here to push for what we run on, and the senate also helps the student body in a way of what they see that needs improving.”
One of the focal points for the 2022-23 SGA is to push for fair wages for students. With last year's Fair Wages Legislation failing at the trustee level, the SGA plans to take another look at fair wages.
Over the summer Nguyen worked to create a commission to deal with the problem of student wages.
“I just feel that it is very unfair and a problem in our student body right now,” Nguyen said.
Contact Elijah Poe with comments at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ElijahPoe4.
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