By Natasha Muhametzyanova, Contributing Writer
The West Liberty University Student Government Association (SGA) is taking a new approach at event planning. Now, even students who do not have a chance to attend senate meetings can voice their opinions. SGA connected with the student body via Twitter to plan two big events for the spring: Spring Fling and a bus trip to New York City.
Spring Fling is an annual dance that takes place every spring semester at the end of Greek Week. Planning for the event started at the end of the last year; the student government asked students to decide on a location for Spring Fling on Nov. 3. The student body voted via a Twitter poll 62 percent to 38 percent in favor of hosting the event on campus.
“For the first time ever, Spring Fling will be hosted here on the Hilltop,” SGA President Reid Boden said. “This is both groundbreaking and symbolic. This will serve as a testament to the solid foundation and relationship that Student Government has maintained with our administration this year.”
“Our Director of Programming and his committee have been and will do an outstanding job in ensuring that Spring Fling is adequately planned and provides a memorable experience for all of our fellow students,” Boden added.
While students are familiar with Spring Fling, a one-day trip to a major city is new to many. An old yet forgotten tradition, the trip became a point of discussion last year during SGA presidential elections. Trip destination was a topic of fervent discussion at the SGA meeting in the fall; senate votes were divided between Washington D.C. and New York City.
On Jan. 16, the student body voted on Twitter 72 percent to 28 percent in favor of New York City.
“Our secretary and her committee have done a phenomenal job in planning this long-awaited and hopefully most looked-forward-to event of the year,” Boden said.
“Surprisingly, there were very few obstacles we had to overcome. Our administration has been in support of this trip from the very beginning and has expressed enthusiasm in assisting us,” Boden added. “It was all about finding the right time to take this trip and communicating with the people willing to help us. Thankfully, everything fell into place, and we’re headed to the Big Apple.”
Besides voicing their opinion on the upcoming events, this semester students will vote in SGA elections. “These are the elections in which the student body decides what direction they want to take Student Government, and select whom they wish to represent them,” Boden said.
On April 7, students will receive an email with a link to the electronic voting page. Senators who served a full year in the senate will need to run for re-election. SGA president and vice president positions will also be open to the interested candidates.
To qualify for presidential and vice presidential nominations, candidates must be full-time students who attended WLU for a minimum of three semesters and have attended at least 20 WLU SGA meetings as active members. The SGA Constitution provides a full list of requirements for all Student Government positions. Campaigning may not start earlier than two weeks prior to the election day due to the constitutional obligations and restrictions.
“To clarify and to erase any doubt about the integrity of the election process, our executive board will not oversee nor conduct any official election supervision and will not be counting votes in any manner,” Boden emphasized.
To learn more about WLU’s SGA, visit their webpage or contact the executive board at [email protected].
