Southern New Hampshire University’s (SNHU) Student Government Association (SGA) held their regular bi-weekly meeting in the Penmen Room Tuesday, February 5. The highlight of this meeting was the election of Ryan Evaul (’19) as Executive Officer (EO).
“I really love SGA, it’s been my passion for four years. I love this organization and I am be honored to be executive officer,” said Evaul during said meeting.
The newly appointed official immediately began promoting new Penmen Pride events, discussing potential prizes for attending events (such as reserved parking spaces) and expressed a need to decide on prizes before the start of a semester so they can be publicly known.
EO Evaul also showed interest in the Responsible Penmen Policy which was presented to SGA by the Executive Director of Community Standards and Student Support Jay Tifone. The Responsible Penmen Policy allows the university to waive a conduct charge when a student or student organization reports an alcohol or drug-related emergency. In short, the policy allows students to get help for a friend, or themselves, without fearing getting themselves or their friends on probation or suspended.
“The idea is to encourage students to get help for their friends who are in danger due to alcohol or drug use,” said Tifone. He stressed the policy is designed to promote proactivity in seeking medical assistance for a drug or alcohol-related emergency. The Responsible Penmen Policy does not apply to students who are experiencing an emergency and are found by university employees.
SNHU’s Student Handbook will be updated to include the Responsible Penmen Policy and all students will receive an email including the policy in the coming weeks.
SGA also discussed their goals for the spring during February 5’s meeting. These goals focused around the changes to SGA itself, including changes to SGA’s internal structure, process for student concerns, revision of financial policies and changes to Penmen Pride.
SGA also debated making changes to their office space to make it more welcoming to the public and a better environment for critical thinking. Additional topics discussed included enforcing co-sponsorships agreements and promoting student voting for the executive officer position, as the position has become more prevalent.
Co-sponsorships were approved by SGA for community events. The funding of $500 was approved for a Business Speaker Event on Thursday, February 21. The 2019 Women’s March Saturday, January 19 and the Slam Poetry event on Tuesday, February 19 were reviewed. Two volunteers were also approved for the Out of Darkness walk on Sunday, April 28.
