EXECUTIVE BRANCH AUSTIN LAUFERSWEILER PRESIDENT The Student Government Association is proud to bring you the Bulldawg Bulletin, the official newsletter of the UGA SGA. Uzma Chowdhury, Mary Grace Griffin and I are honored to be the 26th student government elected executives, and excited to share our goals and progress with the greater UGA community. Our term is off to an extremely productive start, and we’re looking forward to demonstrating our commitment to students. Significant changes have been made in the SGA Senate, most notably the implementation of a 20 minute open forum at the beginning of each meeting. The forum provides any UGA student with an opportunity to directly address his or her elected representatives with guaranteed feedback and follow up. Additionally, Senators are now organized into legislative committees that focus and streamline advocacy and project management.
SGA is also developing and maintaining a number of services offered to students, by students. Student Legal Services provides free legal consultation to students by licensed attorneys, and is facilitated by SGA. We’re also looking to create and maintain a business professional attire lending closet, where students could rent business professional clothing free of charge. These initiatives are truly the tip of the iceberg. I can confidently say this year’s administration is the most motivated and dedicated I have seen in my four years in SGA. That being said, we’re always looking to expand our staff and work with passionate students. If you would like to contact or get involved with SGA, email us at ugasga@uga.edu or stop by 102J in the Tate Student Center.
UZMA CHOWDHURY VICE PRESIDENT Every September 1st, I scan the sky for that silly owl that I know has been lost for the past 10 years attempting to deliver my Hogwarts letter. Sorry, but I’m dead serious when I say Harry Potter made me. From the time I read the first book at age 8 by flashlight, trembling excitedly under a stifling pile of blankets so I wouldn’t get in trouble staying up late, to age 15, sobbing, at midnight clutching the last book which was dedicated was to me, to “you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.”
2) Spend every minute of your life bettering the world around you. And because we’re not so different, we should
Everything I am today, everything I believe in, has come from two key lessons Harry Potter taught me:
That’s why I will keep believing in magic, I will keep believing in Harry, because Harry let me believe in myself, Harry let me believe in a better world for all of us, that anything is possible. So until I get into their adult education program, I will keep waiting for that dang Hogwarts letter...
1) There’s no one you can’t love if you know their story. We hated Snape for years. Don’t act like you predicted his goodness (even though I totally did) we hated him until we knew how much he loved Lily, until we knew his story, until we knew his struggles and then we loved him. Severus Snape taught me to look up to people that others look down on, because maybe we’re not so different after all.
THE BULLDOG BULLETIN | Executive Branch
fight to uplift those who are looked down upon. We should join S.P.E.W. and empower the house elves, we should let the muggle-borns into Slytherin, we should fight, every day, for a world where equality and inclusion truly exists. We need to fight like Harry, like Dumbledore’s Army, like the Order, for a better world. We need to love each other and believe that it can be better--that it will be.
After all this time? Always.
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SGA BOARDS GREYSON CLARK DIRECTOR OF POLICY Wow, what an exciting introduction to SGA! The SGA Policy Board is a new addition to the organization, and I am too. Under the leadership of Austin, Uzma, and Mary Grace, the Policy Board is working within four broad areas of the life of its constituents: academics, sustainability, student services, and diversity engagement. Our mission is to research and implement policies that will enhance the experience of students at UGA. Based on the election platform last year and student concerns raised at the open forum (do come!), we are engaged with an exciting number of projects. A great year is in the making.
PATRICK KLIBANOFF DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS This year, the Communications Board has been working hard to improve our communication strategies so SGA can enhance our conversation and interaction with students, faculty and the University of Georgia community. We recently introduced a new, student-managed website for SGA. With the new website, we are able to update information more frequently, updated information so that SGA can be as transparent as possible. We are also in the process of designing a new “op-ed” section for the website, which will complement Senate’s new open-forum. This section of the website will provide students with a neutral platform to share their voice and make their opinions heard.
THE BULLDOG BULLETIN | SGA Boards
ELLEN GAGNET DIRECTOR OF
STUDENT SERVICES The SGA Student Services Board provides UGA students with the means necessary to succeed at Georgia as well as in the future. These services include the newly established Business Professional Attire Lending Closet, a Bike Lending Program, and a Campus Safety Mobile Application, in addition to several other existing services such as the Collegiate Readership Program, Student Legal Services, and Freshman Insider. This year, we’re most excited about initiating new programs, such as the Business Professional Attire Lending Closet, which will give students the opportunity to rent the clothes they need for interviews, presentations, and more, as well as collaborating with other UGA departments, such as the Office of Sustainability to create resources like the Bike Lending Program.
LESLEY RIOS DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING Hey! I’m Lesley! I am serving as the Director of Programming for SGA this year. As a fresh face to the organization, I saw this position as an opportunity to bring something new and creative to the table and more importantly, give back to The University. My favorite aspect of any event is seeing the reaction of the attendees. Seeing even one person enjoy any aspect of our event makes all of the hard work done by both myself and the Programming Board worth it. I also love great advice so if you have any ideas that you would like for us to incorporate into our event calendar this year, let us know!
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SENATE AND FRESHMAN PROGRAMS TAYLOR LAMB PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE The Student Government Association has implemented many positive changes this year, taking the appointment of President Jere Morehead as a big opportunity for growth. With our mission to improve transparency and communication, we have created a new website with several contact options as well as implemented an open forum before each Senate meeting. As President Pro Temp, my responsibilities include conducting Senate meetings in the absence of the Vice President, appointing empty Senate seats, and serving as chair of Rules Committee. Any legislation written by senators is sent to me and the five other members of the committee for review. If it is approved, it is sent to the Senate floor where it is then presented, debated, and voted on. I absolutely love the students at this university. I desperately want them to get involved in SGA, and so far, the 26th SGA administration has seen a lot more participation from the student body. I’m beyond excited to see what other improvements we can make, not only to SGA, but also to this university.
KENDAL MILLER DIRECTOR OF
KATHLEEN WILSON STUDENT LIFE SEAT, RELIGIOUS LIFE
Last year, Freshman Focus introduced me to the scope of SGA’s work at UGA. This year I am continuing my involvement in SGA as the Religious Organizations Senator. This seat is a “student life seat” which means I am not affiliated with any specific academic college on campus, as are the other senate seats. Rather, it is my job to represent the student body at large and work specifically with religious organizations on campus to make sure their concerns are heard. I first heard the message of religious tolerance and acceptance at daily chapel services during my 8 years in an episcopal school. Since then, I have lived in Spain, a primarily Catholic country, and I have studied Arabic in Morocco, a primarily Muslim country. Through these experiences, I have been reminded that one’s religious preference is to be valued, respected, and taken into consideration in all circumstances.
I’M BEYOND EXCITED TO SEE WHAT OTHER IMPROVEMENTS WE CAN MAKE, NOT ONLY TO SGA, BUT TO THIS UNIVERSITY.” Taylor Lamb, President Pro Tempore
FRESHMAN PROGRAMS We at Freshman Programs could not be more excited to welcome 118 new members to the Freshman Programs family! This year, we were thrilled to have 350 applicants, blowing away last year’s number of 277. We had our first meeting September 16th and are looking forward to all of the great things we have in store for the rest of the year. The thing I’m most looking forward to this year and the reason I have stayed involved in Freshman Programs is having the opportunity to watch a group of freshmen develop into these wonderful, inspiring leaders and become a family at the same time. Freshman Board is excited to have its 15 members become crucial members of senate by encouraging them to draft legislation. Freshman Focus’s 30 members will be serving as freshman committees with delegates reporting to committee heads about progress. Freshman Forum is eager to explore new potential service projects and how to make them a reality. We are excited for the year and look forward to meeting all of our new members!
THE BULLDOG BULLETIN | Senate and Freshman Programs
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SGA IN ACTION STUDENT LEGAL SERVICES As your student government, we provide you with access to convenient and complementary legal support. Through SGA’s Student Legal Services, students are provided a 100% free, completely confidential consultation with a local, Athens-area lawyer. Lawyers can assist in a variety of circumstances, and all information is protected by the attorney/client privilege. Some of the areas include: automobile accidents, landlord/tenant, family, relationship, roommate, personal injury, medication, name change, will/estate, and more. Consultations take place on Thursdays and Fridays in the Tate Student Center, room 147. To schedule your consultation and see a list of FAQs, please visit http://ugasga.wordpress.com/services/student-legal-services/.
UGA MOBILE APP UGA is a big place and can be difficult to navigate sometimes. With the UGA Mobile App, we try to make things easier by granting students access to helpful resources right at your fingertips. If you just missed the bus, don’t sweat it. The Mobile App will tell you another Orbit is just 4 minutes away. Trying to bypass the crowds at the dining hall? It looks O-House only has 30% occupancy - maybe you should head there. Including calendars, maps, student accounts, Bulldawg Bucks, major searches, and athletics info, the UGA Mobile App is here to make resources more accessible. Oh and by the way, don’t stress about cost. It’s simple. The app is free to download on iTunes for all iPhones, iPods, and iPads.
COLLEGIATE READERSHIP PROGRAM Need access to The New York Times for that international affairs course? Not a problem. Through the Collegiate Readership Service, all UGA students have complete access to NYTimes.com and NY Times Smart Phone apps for free. In addition to electronic access, students are granted complimentary access to printed publications, including USA Today, The New York Times, and Athens Banner-Herald. Printed publications are located in Collegiate Readership distribution sites throughout campus. With a quick swipe of your UGA ID at the distribution site, the world is at your fingertips.
SMALL CLUBS ALLOCATIONS Starting a new club or organization can be difficult without proper funding, but with our help, funding won’t be an issue. Each year, SGA allocates more than $10,000 to help fund events and activities for small organizations on campus. This money, coming from Student Activity Fees, is open to registered organizations that are not affiliated with any particular college or school. If interested, organizations should submit the Small Clubs Programming Form to the Student Government Association at least 4 weeks prior to the event for the Small Clubs Allocations Committee to review. During funded events, organizations may not charge admission fees. In addition, allocations may not be used for food, beverages, charitable causes, recognition awards, or banquets. For a more detailed description of guidlines and access to the Programming Form, please visit http://ugasga. wordpress.com/services/small-clubs-allocation/.
FRESHMAN INSIDER Just as the name suggests, Freshman Insider will give you all the details on freshman year. From which residence hall to live in, to which dalling hall has the best food, Freshman Insider covers it all. The “Ballin’ on a Budget” section of the website offers great advice for fun things to do in Athens when things are tight and the “Study Struggles” portion offers unique study locations. The website also clears up common misconceptions about traditions, such as the accidental use of “The Arches” instead of “The Arch”. Even if you’re not a freshman, Freshman Insider offers upfront and honest advice and even more importantly, a good laugh. And let’s face it, we all wish we were still freshmen. Visit http://freshmaninsider.wix.com/freshmaninsider
THE BULLDOG BULLETIN | SGA In Action
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EVENTS THIS SEMESTER September 10, 2013
ACADEMIC MAJORS FAIR
This is an event held in Tate Plaza to better inform students about academic majors and careers. Faculty and department heads attended to speak on behalf of their college. Overall, the event was a huge success and we plan on having our 3rd Annual Majors Fair next fall!
October 1, 2013
CEO FORUM
Allan Mulally, CEO and President of Ford Motor Company, is coming to UGA to speak to students, faculty, and staff about his experience as leader of the No. 10 company of the Fortune 500 list. In addition, USA Today reporter Mike Snider will be present to cover the story.
November 2, 2013
WAR FOR THE OAR
The week of the Georgia/ Florida rival game, SGA will have the sacred Okefenokee Oar at various locations around campus! Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to know where the Oar will be so you can come and get your picture taken with this iconic trophy!
November 8, 2013
HOMECOMING
Look out for various events during the week of Homecoming including the Homecoming parade, street painting, Dawgs after Dark, and even a Silent Disco! The Student Union has been planning some amazing events that you won’t want to miss.
October 29, 2013
BETTER RELATIONS DAY WITH AUBURN
Members of SGA will travel to Alabama to learn about Auburn’s SGA and school traditions . Each year, UGA and Auburn take turns hosting the event to promote innovation and ingenuity. By visiting Auburn, we hope to improve SGA and enhance the experience of every student here at UGA.
THE BULLDOG BULLETIN | Events This Semester
DON’T BE SHY... @ugasga @ugasga facebook.com/uga.sga
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