2012-2013 Strategic Plan Undergraduate Student Government Association
Georgia Tech – We are humbled and delighted to be serving as this year’s 89th Undergraduate Student Body President and Executive Vice President alongside Michael Mosgrove (Speaker of the House) and Andrew Olsen (Chief Justice). We all share the honor of attending one of the greatest universities on earth. We’re seventh in the country and twentyfourth in the world. Our College of Engineering now has all its programs ranking in the top 10 nationwide and our academic programs in architecture, business, computing, liberal arts, and the sciences are also strengthening in ranking. Together, all the colleges that comprise our Institute provide a robust offering with a unique technological twist that has increasing importance in today’s world. Things are only getting better. This year brings the largest and most diverse (and international) Freshmen class yet. They will cheer on the Jackets in the new McCamish Basketball Coliseum and will experience a midtown Atlanta community that is booming with retail and food expansions. As the Student Government, we will allocate approximately $5 million this fiscal year and participate in 50+ InstituteWide Committees. This year, we will continue enhancing the student experience and innovating in academic methods. We will push for a complete information technology overhaul and we will make our voice heard on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol. We have one of the most historically trusted and autonomous student government associations among the Universities of the Southeast – and we plan on keeping it that way. But being the best also has its challenges. Pushing the envelope when you’re already ahead is no small endeavor – the headwind is always strongest out front. We are tasked with making something great even better. Following our campaign, we expanded our platform into a robust strategic plan with a few words from our Cabinet, detailed in the pages below, followed with a welcoming letter from Speaker Mosgrove and Justice Olsen. • • • • •
Vice President of Academic Affairs Vice President of Campus Affairs Vice President of Communications Vice President of Campus Organizations Vice President of Finance
• • • • •
Director of External Affairs Director of Information Technology Director of Internal Development Speaker of the House Chief Justice
We are confident we can accomplish or make headway on all of the above. We owe it to the campus we love and we are uniquely positioned to do so. Please, never hesitate to drop in the office or reach out to provide feedback, input, and constructive advice. Georgia Tech SGA has and continues to be the sum of its parts – our student body. We cannot wait to see how our campus grows this year and contributes to the Georgia Tech experience. Yours in White and Gold,
Eran Mordel Eran@gatech.edu Undergraduate Student Body President ‘12-‘13 Georgia Institute of Technology
Amit Khanduri Akhanduri3@gatech.edu Undergraduate Student Body Vice President ’12-’13 Georgia Institute of Technology
HIGHLIGHTS With that in mind, our top 5 goals for this year are: • Mitigating the cost of rising tuition and fees by developing a strong presence with both the GT administration and State officials; • Developing educational technologies to further the relevance of our Georgia Tech degrees in today’s world; • Improving communication and resource availability through a complete website redesign and input from the student body; • Enhancing our campus experience through positive health initiatives and improved faculty-student relations; • Fostering growth alongside Atlanta’s neighborhoods and community outlets and best serving an increasingly diverse/international student population. The above highlights are detailed in depth in the pages that follow. Please read on and get involved!
2012-2013 Executive Cabinet
2012-2013 Speaker of the House, Mike Mosgrove
2012-2013 Chief Justice, Andrew Olson
ACADEM IC AFFAIRS BO ARD The Academic Affairs Board is charged with enhancing the educational experience and academic environment Georgia Tech. The Board is comprised of the Educational Enhancement Committee, the Curriculum and Institute Policies Committee, the Academic Services Committee and the Student-Faculty Development Committee. This year, the board will focus on two key areas to improve the infrastructure of academic resources and services available to the student body. DEVELOPING ACADEMIC RESOURCES Academic resources are key in helping students focus on things that are most important to them i.e. classwork, doing research etc. To this end, the Academic Affairs Board will: • • • •
•
Develop a database that documents the research occurring on campus across all disciplines to promote undergraduate research involvement and interdisciplinary research opportunities Develop and refine a syllabus database that will allow students to view the syllabi that correspond to specific classes to help make decisions in the registration process Ensure that the student voice is well-heard throughout the process of incorporating Coursera into our academic community Continue to enforce Dead Week Policy by providing a way for students to report violations and ensuring that the current policy is easy to understand and well-distributed to all professors and students. The Board will also research the possibility of developing a new final exams policy. Improve academic advising by creating and distributing a survey for students to express their opinions regarding their own experiences with advising in both a qualitative and quantitative way
EDUCATIONAL ENHANCEMENT The Academic Affairs Board aims to enrich the Georgia Tech experience by helping students integrate service, leadership, and research into the classroom and curriculum. Our goal is to help each student receive not only a technically brilliant education but also develop as leaders in their field and in their community. To this end, the Board will • • • •
Work with faculty to maintain the current progress with incorporating service learning into curriculum and resources on campus Continue to provide student opinion regarding the development of the X-degree and its details such as its curriculum formation Consolidate current mentorship opportunities on campus and make these opportunities available to all members of campus through Faculty-Student Mentorship networks and Student-Student Mentorship Networks Incorporate a physical education portion to Health 1040 to help get students into the habit of living a healthy lifestyle
Lucy Tucker Vice President of Academic Affairs ltucker31@gatech.edu
CAM PUS AFFAIRS BO ARD The Campus Affairs Board tackles issues impacting the student experience at Tech. The Board’s priorities for the year are as follows: IMPROVING GEORGIA TECH SPIRIT Here, the board’s efforts will be focused on improving school spirit through increasing attendance at sporting events and building a livelier campus community. • • • •
Revamp our football block seating policies to be more fair, transparent, and fun Incentivize basketball seating to encourage students to support our players Look into off campus transportation options to get our students to away games Work to ensure that students continue to have fair access to our sports facilities
IMPROVING CAMPUS SERVICES High quality campus services are essential to ensuring a pleasant campus experience. • • • • • • • •
Continue to develop the GT Farmer’s Market to make it profitable and functional Provide visa and passport services on campus for students Work to make Health Services scheduling more flexible and easy for students Create an LGBT resource center in some form in the next year on campus Start the Greek Allies program to provide our Greek students with resources within their chapters Continue Tech’s great MLK week traditions and expanding events to connect with the Atlanta community Continue the Tech United campaign to discuss pertinent campus issues Develop an effective Capital Planning Student Advisory Board
IMPROVING CAMPUS SAFTEY Our campus is outright unique. Its unique diversity, history, composition, location... our location builds character and provides for a formidable relationship with Coca-Cola's international headquarters, accessibility to a metro-area that is home to athletic teams, historic monuments, the CNN center, and much more. With those relationships and vantages in an urban setting comes increased responsibility, specifically in heightening our safety precautions, a pinnacle to our approach in 'safeguarding' the student body. Campus safety of our students, faculty, and staff continues to be the Institute’s top priority and student government is exploring a number of options in partnering with peer Institutions and the city and re-thinking our on-campus policies. • • • • •
Rebrand the Stingerette to identify vantage points across campus for more efficient pick-ups and students traveling/waiting in groups Encourage Jacket Guardian (opt-in system) usage and education campaigns across campus Investigate a campus culture change – partnering with peer Institutions and many campus organizations Push for new, sustainable lighting (and upkeep) around all campus streets and facilities Find ways to mitigate noise violations, utilization of the Good Samaritan Policy, etc. for Greek life
Nick Picon Vice President of Campus Affairs nickpicon@gatech.edu
CAM PUS COM M UNICATIONS BOARD Board Overview The Campus Communications Board aims to coordinate all external and internal communication for SGA while also acting as a liaison between SGA and the student body. All committees within the Campus Communications Board (Collaborative Events, Graphic Design, Historian, and Public Relations) work as a team throughout the year to produce the highest standard of publicity, campaigns, public relations, student representation, student involvement, and all other methods of campus and community communications. This year, the board will focus its efforts on improving GT spirit, providing effective campus communications and on engaging the entire GT community. IMPROVING SCHOOL SPIRIT: Through collaborative events such as T-Night, the Whiteout Game, and I <3 GT Week, the board promotes a great sense of school spirit and sense of community among both students and faculty. These events promote positivity and pride and also allow for a more well-rounded college experience for current students. I <3 GT Week will include at least 5 more student organizations than last year to promote school spirit across a broader span of the student body. SGA Weeks will also serve as school spirit events through the promotion of both SGA and Georgia Tech as a whole in events and prizes for students. The Communications Board will reach out to the student body for input and suggestions for the Whiteout Game and Event that will show why different members of the Tech community love Georgia Tech football. While the event and shirt will primarily focus on the athletics aspect of Georgia Tech, this school spirit will hopefully transfer over into other Tech sports programs and the school spirit for the Institute as a whole. PROVIDING EFFECTIVE CAMPUS COMMUNICATIONS: In order to provide effective communication for all SGA members and the Georgia Tech community, the Campus Communications Board strives to release accurate and beneficial information. The board aims to be precise yet thorough with all media releases and statements in order to maximize comprehension and limit confusion among the student body. The revamping of the SGA website will include features such as “bi-weekly updates” that are easy to find and easy to understand. Other useful information about SGA such as JFC plans, UHR decisions, and policies will also be clearly labeled and accessible via the updated SGA website. When important announcements or press releases are made, the Communications Board will ensure that all students understand what has taken place and why. In order to avoid confusion or the spread of false information, the board will create concrete, factual, concise, and understandable messages to relay to the student body. ENGAGING THE GEORGIA TECH COMMUNITY All members of the Georgia Tech community are welcome and encouraged to approach SGA members about comments, questions, or concerns. Also, the Campus Communications Board works to reach out to all members of the student body through engaging publicity, campaigns, and events. For every SGA event, the Communications Board will reach out via email, word of mouth, flyering, etc. to as many accessible student organizations as possible in order to include and invite as many students as possible. The Communications Board will strive to collaborate with smaller student organizations in order to help them grow and develop as well as to learn from their organization and its members. While the students are the main focus of SGA, the Communications Board will reach out to faculty, staff, and administration to invite them to participate in SGA events as well. Inclusivity involves the entire campus community, and the board wants to create unity amongst all parties. The Campus Communications Board is eager and prepared for the upcoming school year and the communications related assignments of the future. While the 2012-2013 school year will be the board’s main focus, the future of SGA and Campus Communications Board is also a priority and will be a motivation to uphold the Georgia Tech Standard of Excellence in every project, regardless of size. Lastly, the board will work with the other boards, committees, representatives, and branches of Student Government to promote unity, team work, and cohesion within the entire organization.
Vett Vandiver Vice President of Communications vkvandiver@gatech.edu
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS BO ARD The External Affairs Board of the Undergraduate Student Government is comprised of the Student Lobby Board, the Community Relations Chair, and the Institute-Wide Committees Chair. Overseen by the Director of External Affairs, the board’s mission and goals are focused on how Georgia Tech interacts with its surrounding community. From legislative affairs at the state Capitol, to community outreach at the Woodruff Arts Center, to the over 50+ Institute-Wide Committees, the External Affairs Board is focused on informing and representing students’ interests in areas that go beyond the confines of the Tech campus. Below are the main objectives of the External Affairs Board for the upcoming year: PROMOTE CITIZENSHIP AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT To this end, the Student Lobby Board, in conjunction with other GT student organizations, will strive to execute a voter registration drive to encourage a greater sense of civic engagement for Georgia Tech students. The drive will be accompanied by guest speakers, events such as tailgates, and registration drive information sessions, which will all promote the importance of the November election. The Student Lobby Board will be working throughout the year to plan the most successful GT Day at the Capitol yet. The event, which will take place in January 2013, will include transportation to the state Capitol, networking opportunities, and lots of campus spirit! With Georgia Tech’s proximity to the Gold Dome, we as students have a real advantage of showcasing the Institute’s success to state lawmakers, and through GT Day at the Capitol, we will ensure that students’ opinions and concerns are heard at the state level. PROMOTE ACTIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Tech the Halls is a holiday philanthropic event organized through the Community Relations Committee of Georgia Tech’s Student Government Association. The event aims to take underprivileged children from the surrounding Atlanta area shopping during the upcoming holiday season, and provide holiday cheer along with activities and special presentations from area leaders. The Community Relations Committee will collaborate with the newly-formed Tech the Halls student organization to make the event bigger and better than ever before. Georgia Tech and the Woodruff Arts Center will continue their successful collaboration into a new program this year aimed at providing consistent access to transportation for Tech students to the High Museum, Alliance Theater, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Every Thursday night until Finals Week, a Stinger bus will pick up students from the Student Center and the Graduate Living Center, take them to the Woodruff Arts Center, and continue this pattern in a continuous loop! SGA is looking forward to extending this partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center and GT Parking & Transportation. GT Night(s) at the Woodruff Arts Center allow students free access to the High Museum, the Alliance Theater, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and also highlight some of Georgia Tech’s most promising student musical organizations and talent. Now in its third successful year, the Woodruff Arts Center Student Pass Program allows year-round student access to the High Museum, Alliance Theater, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Anyone with a current Georgia Tech student ID may purchase the pass at the Georgia Tech Box Office for $20 beginning at the start of the school year, and the Community Relations Chair and all of SGA will promote and maintain this initiative with all available resources. To foster a better relationship with Home Park, a neighborhood many Tech students call home, SGA will reach out to current management in order to create a partnership to reduce crime, increase residents’ rights, and make the areas surrounding Tech more student-friendly and safe for all. PROMOTE GREATER INVOLVEMENT IN INSTITUTE-W IDE COMMITTEES The Institute-Wide Committees Chair will strive to increase campus involvement and participation on each of the 50+ committees. Each committee, with their specific purpose on our campus, makes decisions every year that transform each student’s way of life, and through the representation of students on these committees, SGA is ensuring that students are being heard by faculty and administration alike.
Merry Hunter Hipp Director of External Affairs mhhipp@gatech.edu
INFO RM ATIO N TECH NO LO GY BO ARD The Student Government Association Information Technology Board strives to improve the student body experience by delivering online tools and resources through the management of all SGA technology. Our approach is threefold: first, we develop, manage, and improve online communications resources, namely the SGA website; second, we develop, maintain, and improve SGA educational technologies such as Course Critique; and third, we strive to grow and foster the relationship between the student body and Georgia Tech administration, particularly the Office of Information Technology, by standing up for the technological resources that students need and want. COMMUNICATIONS The original purpose of the former Information Technology Committee was to adapt SGA's communications to the internet age by developing an SGA website. To this day, the SGA website marks the symbolic cornerstone of SGA Information Technology. As such, the following communications initiatives are to be pursued in the upcoming academic year: • A revamp of the SGA website to provide more of the information students need in a format that is accessible, modern, and conforming to SGA's goals for communications • The transfer of the Weekly Digest from the Dean of Students to SGA, and a new system for compactly providing information for students in a more organized email EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Student Government IT is probably best known on campus for Course Critique. Because of its significant impact on campus, the well-being of Course Critique remains a perennial priority for our group. This year, however, SGA is looking to push the envelope and expand its offering of educational technologies. Here's what's in store: • A complete revamp of Course Critique to better meet the demands of a large data set and a need for new features for data interaction and sorting • A syllabus database, offering copies of syllabi from every Georgia Tech course, complimenting the usage of tools like Course Critique in planning classes • A research database, offering a listing of research opportunities, so students can be matched to the ideal research mentor TECHNOLOGY POLICY It's no secret that the relationship between Georgia Tech students and the Office of Information Technology is not ideal. As the liaison between students and administrators, SGA is charged with improving relationships like these. Here are some areas which we would like to explore: • Establishing an OIT steering committee with Georgia Tech students of a wide variety of backgrounds to provide OIT with feedback on what students really want • Exploring implementing new web technology for students, like an updated T-Square, Open Course Ware, improved personal servers, and much, much more I am proud to represent the student body and the Student Government Association in pursuing these goals to radically improve our technology resources. I am even more proud to have three extremely qualified Georgia Tech students serve alongside me as Information Technology Specialists. Colin Bookman, Rahul Castelino, and Wayne Lee, along with subcommittees of their choosing will be leading our efforts this year. Each brings a unique skill set that will be invaluable in achieving the aforementioned objectives, and I look forward to working with each of them.
Joseph Mattingly Director of Information Technology jmattingly@gatech.edu
INTERNAL DEVELO PM ENT BO ARD The Internal Development committee is charged with developing a Student Government that continually strives to better serve the Student Body through policy, leadership, and organizational development. In order to achieve this mission, we will: CREATE THE MOST EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE STUDENT GOVERNMENT POSSIBLE. The committee will develop comprehensive new policies that address the systemic issues affecting legislation, while also maintaining up-to-date current policy. In order to enhance the culture of accountability in the Executive Branch, the committee will ask each committee chair to create SMART goals and periodically review those goals with their respective cabinet member. The committee will utilize the experience of returning members and the perspective from new members to better understand what organizational improvements can be made. FOSTER THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE MOST COHESIVE STUDENT GOVERNMENT POSSIBLE. More opportunities for Student Government members to develop interpersonal relationships outside of SGA will be provided so that they can be more cohesive inside of SGA. This will help in strengthening the relationship between Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches by ensuring that each branch has a stake in the business of all others and in turn, encourage cross-branch participation. The committee will provide opportunities for leadership and career development programming to create a SGA that cultivates the strongest student leaders.
Nicholas Robson nrobson3@gatech.edu Director of Internal Development
JOINT CAM PUS ORGANIZATIO NS CO M M ITTEE The 2012-2013 year represents a significant opportunity for the Joint Campus Organizations Committee (JCOC). The groundwork has been laid for Jacketpages to serve a variety of uses, and the ongoing transition of the Office of Student Involvement into the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement is an opportunity for the administration and JCOC to build a strong and lasting partnership that will facilitate the quality involvement of students in their world. In addition, the 2012-2013 SGA leadership is committed to a comprehensive improvement of our policies, including those of JCOC, to allow SGA to better recognize and provide for the unique missions of Georgia Tech’s student organizations. Put more clearly, the following priorities represent those of JCOC, the Vice President of Campus Organizations, and the broad executive leadership of the SGA, with respect to student organizations: EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF JACKETPAGES AS A TOOL TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS JCOC will facilitate increased involvement of campus organizations in the ongoing improvement of Jacketpages system, to better provide for the needs of student organizations. In order to more effectively obtain feedback about Jacketpages, JCOC will introduce active and passive systems for soliciting comments and suggestions from students on Jacketpages as a system to facilitate the needs of the student body, particularly with a focus on student involvement, leadership, and engagement. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND UPDATE OF JCOC POLICY JCOC will work with the JFC to introduce operational policies and procedures for the classification of student organizations as having “special organization classification”, which will allow particular exceptions to normal funding restrictions for those organizations whose missions and operations regularly require a more contextually aware application of funding policies. In order to continuously improve, JCOC will test and review updated policies throughout the 2012-2013 school year and actively re-evaluate their accomplishment of intended improvements. The committee will engage in active solicitation of feedback from student organizations on areas for improvement in JCOC policy, and review peer institutions’ policies and procedures for alternative policies that may be employed by JCOC and SGA. CONSTRUCT CENTRAL RESOURCE DOCUMENTS The committee will develop documentation that will provide comprehensive and understandable information for new and existing student organizations and select optimal location(s) for placement of that document so that students can find it easily and without undue effort or complication. It is the mission of the Joint Campus Organization Committee and the Vice President of Campus Organizations, over the year, to accomplish the aforementioned goals and priorities. More so, it is our mission to employ those goals and priorities always aware that they exist to serve those students, which are the reason for the Georgia Institute of Technology. By facilitating the efforts of students to be active and involved, and providing them with the best resources and optimal policies, the JCOC, and SGA, can further the mission of Georgia Tech to be at the forefront of not only research and academics, but of student life, leadership, and the creation of citizens of the world; individuals who will go on to make their mark, and stamp it always with the tag of Georgia Institute of Technology Alumnus.
Johann Weber Vice President of Campus Organizations johannw@gatech.edu
JOINT FINANCE COM M ITTEE The Joint Finance Committee is tasked with advising the Undergraduate House of Representatives and the Graduate Student Senate on financial matters. This advice is based on thorough, productive discussion with the student organizations submitting requests for funding in order to determine if the funds requested meet with JFC policy. JFC also works with the Student Organization Finance Office to ensure that funds are spent in a manner consistent with their intended purpose. In order to best serve the entire student body, JFC will focus its efforts in the following three areas over the coming year. CREATING A MORE INFORMED COMMUNITY Every year, the Joint Finance Committee reviews hundreds of financial requests. Much time is wasted in JFC and on the floors of the house and senate because members of the community are not well informed on JFC policy and the bill and budget process. To this end, JFC will provide small, easy informational brochures to organizational leaders in addition to workshops for organization leaders. These will provide information specifically tailored for cultural, competitive and special interest organizations. Because of high turnover rates, SGA senators, representatives and executives have a poor understanding of JFC Policy and historic precedent. JFC will work to educate decision makers in policy with short information sessions, as well as establish a mechanism for documenting and providing historical allocation information for requests. JFC will also provide detailed recommendations, citing the reasoning for every recommended line modification. CREATING A BETTER SERVED COMMUN ITY At Georgia Tech, student organizations are among our greatest resources. They provide a truly unique college experience to thousands of students, and they use funds allocated through SGA to do so. Historically, however, SGA has been viewed by organizations as a roadblock they must cross to gain access to funding. JFC will work this year to improve the lines of communication between SGA and student organizations by establishing productive dialogue and crafting insightful policy. JFC will reach out to the leadership all student organizations at the beginning of the year to establish a productive line of dialogue with campus leaders and disseminate informational materials. JFC will rewrite its policy to consolidate its many different restrictions, allocation guidelines and formulas into one, easy to reference list. Policy will also be crafted, in collaboration with the Joint Committee on Campus Organizations, to provide special exemptions for different types of organizations. These exemptions will allow organizations to complete their disparate missions in an efficient manner. DEVELOPING A MORE EFFICIENT PROCESS The bill process currently takes a minimum of two weeks from authorship to passage. This process is extended when different versions of bills pass the house and senate, when organizations submit bills around holidays, and when other factors interfere with the standard process. The budget process takes several months and many hundreds of man hours for meetings with different organizations and painstaking review. JFC will work to make this process more efficient and investigate new methods of submitting bills to SGA. JFC will implement new policies that will allow organizations to change minor aspects, such as the destination of travel, of previously approved financial requests. This will allow organizations to complete their goals in a dynamic environment without having to repeat the entire bill process. JFC will review the budget process to make it more efficient for all involved parties. Organizational meetings will be scheduled with more care and JFC members will be fully briefed on discussion points. The house and senate will be provided with the previous yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requested amount, allocated amount and spent amount for each organization, as well as any JFC recommended changes and the reason for those recommendations. JFC is essential in ensuring the fair and transparent allocation of the Student Activity Fee. With these improvements, JFC will serve SGA, student organizations and the entire student body in a more efficient, transparent, helpful and friendly manner than it ever has before.
Daniel Farmer Vice President of Finance daniel.farmer@gatech.edu
UNDERGRADUATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INTRODUCTION The Legislative Branch serves as the representative arm of Student Government Association. Comprising sixty-four Representatives from various classes and majors, this body, also known as the Undergraduate House of Representatives (UHR) is designed to represent students’ needs and interests in the activities of Student Government. Each class at Georgia Tech (freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior) elects four Representatives and every major receives a certain number of Representatives depending on the size of the major. In addition, the UHR has a Representative for the student athletes and those students participating in the Co-Op Program. Every corner of campus is well represented in the UHR so as to gauge and protect the interests of all undergraduate students. The UHR has several duties each year. First, the UHR is charged with the allocation of the Student Activity Fee collected from every Yellow Jacket. This fund creates SGA’s approximately $5million budget. The money is used to sponsor student organizations and activities on campus and is allocated jointly in most occasions with the Graduate Student Senate. In addition to funding, the UHR is responsible for collecting and being knowledgeable of student opinion on key issues that affect the student body. Representatives are charged with the need to stay in touch with constituents and collecting their thoughts and opinions on matters of student life. Lastly, the Legislature is responsible for the maintaining and updating of all governing policies of SGA and amendments to said policies. The UHR is a very diverse and dynamic body each year. It is our goal in the Legislature to ensure that each Yellow Jacket receives their due representation at the Institute level. FINANCING As stated, one of the UHR’s primary responsibilities is the allocation of the Allocation of the Student Activity Fee (SAF). Organizations ranging from the Campus Recreation Center and the Student Center to clubs and student organizations have access to the funds through a bill process (outlined on the SGA website: www.sga.gatech.edu). The mission of the UHR is to allocate the SAF in a fair and just manner so as to maximize the use of the fund for the greatest good to the student body and students’ experiences at the Institute. Funding is allocated through a bill process in which organizations can request funds for events and programs by submitting bills. They then must seek an Undergraduate Representative and a Graduate Senator to author and sign off on the bill. All of this is done through the website called JacketPages (www.jacketpages.sga.gatech.edu). Once the bill has been submitted, and the organization has worked with their Representative and Senator (a list of Representatives and Senators can be found on the SGA website (www.sga.gatech.edu) to get the bill properly written and signed, the bill must wait two weeks before it is heard in the Graduate Student Senate meeting (Tuesdays at 11:00am) and the UHR meeting (Tuesdays at 7:30pm). The bill will be voted on here by all of the Senators and Representatives. Organizations who have submitted bills must have a representative at both the Graduate and Undergraduate legislative meetings. Once the final version of the bill has passed, organizations can receive their funds from the Student Organization Finance Office (in the Flag Building). GOALS In addition to accomplishing the annual goals listed in the introduction, the UHR is taking a very proactive stance this year. Given the newly created position of Speaker of the House as the leader of the UHR, the Representatives are moving into a year of development for the UHR and the Legislature at large. Over the summer, the Summer House Steering Committee reevaluated the UHR and its policies and found three main areas of weakness that trended from year to year in the UHR: membership motivation, accountability, and chemistry. In order to compensate for these shortcomings, a plan was devised to restructure the leadership of the UHR. By rebranding and delegating new responsibilities to positions that did exist, and creating new positions, all while reorganizing the “hierarchy” of the leadership of the UHR, it is the committee and Representatives’ hopes to reinvigorate the UHR and their fellow Representatives.
NEW HOUSE LEADERSHIP It is the plan of the committee, Speaker, and Representatives to implement the new leadership structure this academic year. The new House Leadership is comprised of the Speaker of the House, the Chairman Pro Tempora, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Parliamentarian, the Sergeant at Arms, the House Administrative Committee Chair, and the Membership Committee Chair. Coordinating duties of the Class Presidents will carry over but will report to the Pro Temp. In addition to the leadership structure outlined above, College Caucus Leaders are newly created positions that will preside over the six, newly created college caucuses in the UHR. Each of the six colleges of the Institute will have their own caucus. The major Representatives whose schools fall within each of the colleges will be members of the respective caucuses (for example, the Mechanical Engineering Representatives shall be members of the College of Engineering Caucus). Each caucus will elect a leader to serve as the College Caucus Leader. This individual will be responsible for the coordinating of initiatives of the Representatives within that respective caucus and will report to the Pro Temp for the purposes of accountability. CONCLUSION Over the next year, the Legislative Branch will see an increase in active participation on behalf of the Representatives. This new leadership system is the first step in the development of the UHR and the leadership of the Speaker of the House. The intent is to create a precedent for refining the Legislature in parallel with the Presidents’ refining of the Executive Branch so as to create a more cohesive Student Government Association at large. Sincerely,
Michael Mosgrove Speaker of the House Undergraduate House of Representatives
NEW HOUSE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE Speaker of the House
Chairman Pro Tempore
House Administrative Committee Chairman
Secretary
Membership Committee
Chairman Parliamentarian
Treasurer
Sergeant at Arms
Ad Hoc Committee related to House or SGA Issues
Ad Hoc Committees related to Financial Issues
Class Presidents and College Caucus Leaders
Membership Committee
Ad Hoc Committees related to Campus Life Issues
House Administrative Committee
UNDERGRADUATE JUDICIARY CABINET Dear Student, The Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet (UJC) is a student board composed of up to twelve Justices and one Chief Justice. The UJC is the highest judiciary board of the Georgia Tech Student Government and serves two main roles on campus. The primary role of the Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet is upholding non-academic integrity on campus. The other role of the UJC is to interpret any actions or legislation of the Undergraduate Student Government Association in order to uphold the system of check and balances provided for by the Undergraduate Constitution. The UJC fulfills its primary role of upholding non-academic integrity through hearing disputes either between students or between a student and the Institute. Students who have been accused of violating the Georgia Tech student code of conduct may choose to go before the cabinet as an alternative to judicial review by Georgia Tech administration. The board represents a jury of peers that is dedicated to protecting the rights of the student as well as maintaining the integrity of the Institute. Once the UJC hears the case, they conduct closed-door deliberations to determine responsibility, and if necessary, potential sanctioning. The Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet strives to make sure sanctions are educational, rather then punitive in nature, in order to encourage the student not to repeat their mistakes. The UJCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimate goal in this process is to protect the integrity of Georgia Tech and the rest of the student body through the enforcement of the Student Code of Conduct. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet is excited to continue this tradition of student driven integrity through student board hearings and other new initiatives. Two new members joined the board this past spring, and the UJC will be holding interviews to add some additional new justices this fall. For more information about the Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet please visit our page on the Georgia Tech SGA website. Sincerely,
Andrew Olson Chief Justice Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet
Brought to you by the Undergraduate Student Government Association 2012