Climate Check
Sophomore Senator Nellie Clark raised concerns over the TUPD vehicle safety sign’s allegedly AI-generated art. She said the same art could have been made by a student, and opened up a conversation about how to support student artists. SGA Adviser Jessica Edonick proposed potentially getting student artists to make flyers or posters for Strategic Communications and Marketing (SCM) as an avenue for support.
DEI Chair Ayesha Farrukh mentioned that professors were denying international first-year students who do not speak English as a first language the ability to use translation software in their First Year Experience (FYE) classes. Senator Farrukh also said that different professors give students different responses regarding translation software, and there does not seem to be a clear consensus on whether or not such software is allowed.
Sophomore senator River Rocha said that the pool cues in the Tiger’s Den keep breaking. Dean Edonick recommended reaching out to Director of Student Engagement and Development Jarvis Clark.
First-year Senator Hannah Kim brought up the discrepancy in difficulty between different FYEs. President Ratrut said that senators should bring both the difficulty and lack of translation software to Associate Provost of Academic Affairs Kyle Gillette, who oversees the FYE, Dean Edonick said. Senator Farrukh said that the issue of accessibility ties into the larger issue of professor accountability and compromised student anonymity when filing complaints, which President Ratrut said would be a beneficial issue to address in the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
Staff Chat
Executive Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness Frances Frey presented the potential topics to be addressed in the university’s next QEP. She explained that QEP is a project that the university develops, plans and implements over five years. The university will not develop this QEP until fall 2027, then implement it in spring 2028 through spring 2033, before being replaced by a new QEP.
Senators discussed five topics for this upcoming QEP that Frey proposed:
- Increased career preparation
- Creating a more positive and inclusive campus culture for mental health
- More institutional focus on finding students’ strengths and vocations
- More help for juniors and seniors navigating mental health, academic success and career readiness,
- Implementing more education pertaining to how to use AI effectively and preserve critical thinking in the process.
When deliberating these possible topics, many senators spoke in favor of the AI QEP idea. This QEP’s topic proposal is due on Oct. 31, so SGA will continue to discuss ideas in their next few meetings.
Officer Reports
President Ratrut said SGA will repost and advocate for It’s On Us, a sexual violence prevention organization, during Purple Week (Oct. 20-24) to raise awareness on domestic violence. SGA members will hand out free stickers at the Purple Week fundraiser for the Rape Crisis Center of San Antonio.
Advisor Chat
Dean Edonick expressed concern over respect among students on campus, saying that prospective families have overheard students talking in a disrespectful manner during campus tours. She cited social media and AI as causes of a spike in loneliness and violence and discussed an incident from last year in which a student stood on a balcony at the Center for Sciences and Innovation and considered jumping off and committing suicide due to a Fizz post about her. Dean Edonick asked SGA members how they plan to combat issues of cyberbullying and disrespect on campus. President Ratrut said that SGA members should lead by example. Senator Farrukh proposed creating a committee of student moderators and some faculty to actively moderate Fizz for cyberbullying and reach out to victimized students. She also proposed implementing an anti-bullying program during first-year orientation. Dean Edonick said that this issue requires a multifaceted approach.
