The Retriever Report (April 2015)

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 18:37:53 -0400
sga

A Note From Our President:

"As the academic year comes to a close, SGA and its members reflect on the work they have accomplished and the connections they have created for themselves and for the organization. This report showcases some of the work that is currently occurring in the organization and recognizes that SGA and its members are working hard to represent students and deliver on the organization's immense potential.

The SGA election will soon be upon us and campaigns are beginning in earnest. Candidates will be working hard in the coming weeks to earn your vote for the opportunity to lead this organization and build upon its successes. Your vote has a direct impact on the future of SGA and how it works for you, so don't take it lightly and be sure to vote!"

~ Ganesh Mysore, SGA President

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Department Director: Michelle Seu

Assistant Director: Anthony Nguyen

News & Updates:

Academic Standards Advisory Committee (ASAC): Academic Affairs has a student representative that sits on UMBC’s ASAC, which is currently discussing course “withdrawals” and the institution’s repeat policies for courses. It is impossible to re-program PeopleSoft to prevent students from re-enrolling in courses multiple times because of financial constraints. Academic Affairs has suggested to the committee that an alert should be coded into the software that would result in a pop-up notifying students that they should refrain from taking a course for a third time.

Course Evaluation & Implementation Committee (CEIC): Academic Affairs has reported that the CEIC is currently discussing the implementation of electronic submissions for Student Course Evaluations.

Campus Climate Change Work Group: Academic Affairs has reported that the Campus Climate Change Work Group has approved the existence of “preferred names” on UMBC Student ID’s!

COMMUNICATIONS

Department Director: Lynne Deckel

Assistant Director: Brad Ingram

Ongoing Initiatives:

Ganesh’s Corner: Communications has been producing a video series throughout the semester on SGA President, Ganesh Mysore, as he discusses the major programs and initiatives currently underway within the organization! Check them out on the SGA Facebook page!

This Is UMBC SGA: Communications has released an official trailer for another video series, which will display the inner workings and responsibilities of the various departments and student leadership within SGA.

DIVERSITY & MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS

Department Director: Ahmed Eissa

Assistant Director: Isabel Geisler

Ongoing Initiatives:

Diversity Video: If you haven’t seen it already, make sure to visit the SGA Facebook page to check out the Department of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs’ Diversity Video initiative!

News & Updates:

Diversity Tapestry: For their next project, DMCA wants to create a “Diversity Tapestry” for UMBC students to express their identity and sense of self through writing and drawing! Upon completion, the tapestry would be displayed in The Commons for the entire school to see!

GOVERNMENTAL & INSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Department Director: Kyle Wood

Assistant Director: Josh Shear

News & Updates:

Tuition Affordability Letter Writing Campaign: The student-written letters from last month’s campaign were stamped, addressed, and mailed out to the State Senate Office Buildings last week! The Department of Governmental & Institutional Affairs would once again like to thank all the students who came out to voice their concerns to their State Delegates and Senators!

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Department Director: Jae Yang

Assistant Director: Caroline Taylor

Ongoing Initiatives:

Fitness Ambassador Program: Health & Wellness has accepted their first class of Fitness Ambassadors for their Pilot Program! Congratulations to UMBC Students: Karli Funk, Chloe Jackson, Thomas Liu, Dylan Ray, and Steven Snyder!

Emergency Preparedness: With the help of Commonvision, Health & Wellness plans to create informational brochures highlighting AED locations throughout campus, in addition to including other important facts, such as basic AED & CPR instructions and tips on how to recognize a stroke or heart attack. Health & Wellness hopes to have completed this project by May 1st!

Mental Health: In collaboration with NAMI and Active Minds, Health & Wellness is planning on launching their “Stick It To Stigma” campaign around the last 3 weeks of April, which will comprise of mental health screenings and surveys, movies, info sessions, and other interesting events! Additionally, Health & Wellness is gearing up for the semesterly Stress Free Zone to be executed in May around Finals Week!

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Department Director: Bentley Corbett-Wilson

Assistant Director: Deveraux Smith

Ongoing Initiatives:

ProveIt! Landmark Project: Leadership Development is currently in the process of choosing between 4 different vendors in purchasing the “paws” that will commemorate past ProveIt! initiatives, which are being designed in collaboration with Commonvision.

SERVICE & COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Department Director: Ally Yang

Assistant Director: Nitya Kumaran

Ongoing Initiatives:

Red Card Program: Allows UMBC students to get discounts and deals at various local businesses by showing your student ID!

News & Updates:

Blood Drive: Service & Community Outreach is currently preparing to host a campus blood drive that would be held all day in the UC Ballroom. The exact date and times are TBD, so be on the lookout for more details on Facebook and flyers around campus!

STUDENT ORGANIZATION SUPPORT TEAM

Vice President of Student Organizations: Michael Burgos

Ongoing Initiatives:

Card Reader System to help Student Orgs’ Fundraising Efforts

News & Updates:

UMBC Athletics & School Spirit: The UMBC Men’s Lacrosse Game was a huge success, with a total attendance of 712 students, of which 108 were representing student organizations and clubs! Congratulations to the orgs/clubs with the highest attendance: Men’s & Women’s Ultimate Frisbee, Men’s Club Rugby, Global Brigades, Women’s Club Lacrosse, and UMBC Crew.

LeadingOrgs: SOS is currently planning their end of the year celebration for student organizations!

SGA Website: VPSO, Michael Burgos, is in discussion with faculty and student leadership regarding the utilization of the SGA website as the primary forum for student org resources and information.

If you would like to learn more about SGA or get in contact with any of these departments, please feel free to email Chief of Staff, Austin Nam with your inquiries/requests! (ausnam1@umbc.edu)