This covers the meeting on January 15.

CLIMATE CHECK

Junior senator Leopoldo Perez said he had heard multiple complaints about the ongoing repair of south campus piping, which he said blocks the path to Mabee Dining Hall and has caused parking issues. Facilities Services has closed a portion of Lot P, the parking lot in front of Murchison Hall, for the repair.

On Jan. 10, Ernesto Gonzalez, associate director of Facilities Services, sent an all-campus email regarding the piping repair project. Adviser David Tuttle suggested SGA president Claire Carlson, junior, reach out to Gonzalez and bring more information about the construction to the next meeting.

Sophomore senator Esther Omegba said a student approached her asking about adding mirrors to the workout area of the Bell Center. According to Omegba the student emailed Seth Asbury, associate director of Athletics for Facilities and Event Management, but asked if SGA could fund the mirrors through the student activity fee.

Tuttle said he’s not sure if such a request should come out of the student fund, and he suggested Carlson reach out to Asbury about an update. According to Tuttle, there’s a capital improvement fund that can cover such an improvement if a request is specific and a widespread concern.

GRADE APPEAL POLICY CHANGE

Brian Micelli, professor of mathematics and chair of the Faculty Senate, presented changes to the university’s grade appeal policy.

According to Micelli, there were multiple issues in the original document, including an unspecific timeline. The current policy includes multiple steps. First, a student unhappy with the outcome of their final grade will approach the professor. If the student is unhappy with that result, they would bring the appeal to the department chair and then to the Faculty Senate, which eventually would elect three professors of a different department to review the appeal. After that, the appeal goes to the vice president for Academic Affairs, Deneese Jones.

The policy’s update removes the part of the process that requires the Faculty Senate chair to find three professors to appeal the process, since the vice president for Academic Affairs can always empower the senate to find three members should a decision be unclear. The update also provides a clearer timeline for each step of the process.

SGA approved the changes to the process.

FUNDING & DIVERSITY

Adviser Tuttle started the discussion of funding requests and explained that senators should set precedents for consistent funding sooner than later.

First, Tuttle asked members of SGA to rank six categories of requests: programs/social events, speakers/educational events, cultural events, political events, topical events and travel.

Next, Tuttle asked SGA to place themselves physically in order of their priorities. The spectra included funding for the benefit of indivudal students versus funding for the benefit of the student body, funding liberal groups versus funding conservative groups and whether it is SGA’s mission to fund underrepresented groups or not to fund underrepresented groups disproportionately.

TABLING

Carlson explained that SGA may begin tabling again and led a discussion of ideas for increases engagement with constituents that way.

OFFICER REPORTS

SGA vice president Georgia Roberts, sophomore, announced the first finance committee meeting will be next week. There has been one request so far.