Posted by Kat Kullman
On Tuesday, Sept. 14, the Senate of the Student Government Association convened for its first meeting of the year with Alex Stark, Class of 2011, as the new president. The primary item on the agenda was a resolution to amend the election policies and procedures for student government candidates.
Vice President for Communications and Outreach Jenny Snow '10 introduced the topic of amending the election policies. At Skidmore's last election, only 17 percent of the student body cast a vote. Snow's resolution would establish tighter time frames for students to vote in the elections of their peers.
Snow feels that this shorter time period would encourage students to not delay in their voting. "Elections used to run over a very long period of time. I've just compacted it into a week. If elections were all in one day, students would be more likely to vote then and there," Snow said.
Snow also proposed several ideas to help get the student body excited about voting. "To hype up elections, we're thinking about a meet and greet after the election speeches so that everyone can have one-on-one conversations," Snow said. She also mentioned a raffle for gift cards to Saratoga shops and restaurants. To enter, students must forward the SGA confirmation email they receive after voting.
The resolution to condense the voting period into one day was passed unanimously among the Senate. Elections for SGA will be held in the upcoming weeks.
In other news:
Several students were appointed to various committees and vacant spots among the student government. Senator Aaron Shifreen '13 was appointed as both the Parking Court chair and Honor Code commissioner. Senators Lauria Chin '12 and Stacy Sullivan '13 were both appointed to the IPPC Subcommittee on Student Affairs. Senator Gabby Stern '13 was appointed to the Campus Environment Committee.
All students are welcome to attend the weekly Senate meetings. Senate meets at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays in Ladd 307.