The days are shortening. The temperatures are cooling. The leaves are changing. And that means that your Student Government Association (SGA) is back at work to begin an exciting and productive year. Actually, we never really took a break from SGA this summer. While I interned in New York City, I worked with members of the Cabinet and Senate remotely to tackle issues ranging from campus food programming to expanding our dining hall newspaper subscriptions. More on that one later.
This time of year, the question “What did you do this summer?” wafts through every dining hall, dorm, and classroom. By far, the most common response involves the word “internship.” These casual conversations form the backdrop of a recurring discussion — whether students deserve credit for unpaid summer internships. My answer to that question is firmly yes. Students should have the opportunity to earn credit for the knowledge and skills they gain through valuable summer internships. To tackle this issue, I met with several administrators, discussed the issue with the SGA Senate and Cabinet, and began drafting a student a proposal for this change in policy. As with all issues, the devil is in the details. As the year progresses, I hope to continue working with administration and faculty to find a solution that will benefit students.
SGA Committee Applications and first-year Senator elections have also begun. There is an opening for Senior Senator as well this fall. We have not one, not two, but eight students vying for the two first-year Senator positions. Nathan LaBarba is running unopposed for Senior Senator. Online voting opens at noon on Monday, Sept. 23 and close at noon the following day. Don’t forget to vote!
Applications to the SGA committees will be due on Friday, Sept. 20 (that’s tomorrow). They are the perfect way to get involved with an issue area you are passionate about, whether it’d be athletics or the environment or institutional diversity.
Finally, as many of you have excitedly noticed, the SGA expanded our newspaper subscription program this year! In addition to copies of the New York Times and USA Today on weekday mornings, we now receive the Sunday Times in the dining hall. We are also working with LIS to provide unlimited, all-campus access to the Times website and smartphone app, which we hope to have up and running in the coming few weeks. We will then reassess our print subscription program. We would love to hear your preferences on what other newspapers you want to read, in hard copy or online. Do you think we should go paperless? Or do you revel in the feeling of news print beneath your fingers as you enjoy a hot cup of Proctor coffee?
Send us your thoughts at sga@middlebury.edu.
