The Student Government Association election for new general members on the Washington Street Campus took place Sept. 14-15. Each fall semester, the SGA elects 30 new members. In order to be eligible to join, one must have a 2.0 GPA or higher, be taking at least six hours and be able to attend the meetings at noon Wednesdays. After becoming an elected member, general members are allowed to run for office for the upcoming year. “It is never too late to join,” said Heather Atchley, Student Life director. Students who did not run for membership still can attend SGA meetings at noon Wednesdays. Students who cannot make the Wednesday meetings but would like to get involved can become associate members. There also are committee meetings students can attend, Atchley said. SGA has four committees. The treasurer committee meets at 3 p.m. Thursdays; the representation committee meets at 1:15 p.m. Mondays; the historian committee meets at 1 p.m. Wednesdays; and the publicity committee meets at 3 p.m. Wednesdays. Atchley said she encourages all students to get involved and join clubs. “SGA speaks on behalf of all of the student body,” she said. “They are the voice for all of the students.” SGA president and general studies major Cutter Love said, “SGA is a fantastic program. It is great to get involved with people of different interests as well as help others.” David Cochran, SGA parliamentarian and a psychology major, seconded Love’s enthusiasm for the organization.“I love being able to be together with my friends and help with the school,” Cochran said. Several new SGA members already are expressing similar feelings. Newly elected member and business major Elliot Evalle said he decided to join SGA because he “really wanted an opportunity to connect with other student leaders” during his second semester at AC. Evalle said he is excited to form positive relationships with the administrators at Amarillo College as well as the activities he will be involved in. Evalle said he thinks SGA is “extremely important for students of a college institution to have an influence and a say in programs and services that can be effective in schools and offer real, tangible benefits. I think that a strong, efficient and competent student voice is critical to the overall health of any higher education institution.” Another newly elected member, Corenda Hess, a secondary education/counseling major, said she decided to become a member because she wanted to get involved in AC. “I thought it would be really cool to see the behind-the-scenes of student life at AC,” Hess said. “I’m really excited to see how AC gets students involved and how the fundraisers that they run work.” She said she believes SGA is important because it allows her to be in a professional setting while being involved in something she believes in. SGA executive board officers attended the annual Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities conference last weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas. “We are so excited to learn about how to better advocate for our students, how to represent them more fairly, how to recruit them and how to have a really fun SGA,” said Lily Gamble, SGA treasurer.
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