Student Government Association Blog

Your Student Body. Your Student Voice. SGA.

Dear Missouri State

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It feels like yesterday I was driving from Independence to Springfield with my mom, sister and a car full of my belongings.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

A family achievement

When I was young and living in Saudi Arabia and Syria, going to college was a dream. A dream that many kids in countries like the ones I lived in have, but do not achieve.

Going to college was a big deal for my family and me. As I was moving into Wells House, it was the start of truly seeing my mom’s sacrifice being paid off. She fled her home country, Somalia, because of a war, and settled in Saudi Arabia to start a family.

She later moved to Syria for better opportunities. After several years, she wanted her kids to have the best opportunity possible and migrated to America. All of this took a lot of sacrifice from her so that I could be in the position that I am today.

‘Being a Bear is a privilege and an honor’

Missouri State gave me everything and more. I remember my freshman year Welcome Weekend and how fun everything was. I was meeting new people and slowly feeling more comfortable. As each year went on, more opportunities started to come. I continued to accept every opportunity that came up because if not now, then when?

College is supposed to be a time to challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone, and to have fun. Missouri State challenged me in ways that I didn’t think it would.

No matter what I was going through, there were many resources available for me. There were faculty and staff members who were there to assist me and an advisor that I could email any of my questions to. The beauty of going through struggles is the opportunity to grow and learn. Missouri State helped me do just that.

Being a Bear may mean loving the fountain, knowing the fight song, being able to explain the public affairs mission, supporting our athletics or loving Clif Smart so much that you probably thought about inviting him to your wedding one day. To me, being a Bear is a privilege and an honor. It means that you have pride in yourself and confidence that you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

‘To the Class of 2020: You did it’

As this chapter closes, I will always cherish the past four years. I was scared when I first came to Missouri State, but quickly, Missouri State made me feel comfortable and took me in with open arms.

Although these past four years cannot be celebrated with a traditional graduation ceremony in May, it still does not take away all of the sacrifices many of those graduating this spring made. To the Class of 2020: You did it. You all have made many people proud. We will always be Bears.

Missouri State, thank you for teaching me valuable skills that will help me for the rest of my life. Thank you for teaching me how to be a servant leader and helping others as much as possible. Thank you for teaching me that no dream is too big. No matter where life takes me, I will always cherish the moments I had here.

Missouri State, thank you for making my dream come true.

Spring Elections

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It is time for you to voice your opinion in the 2020-2021 student body election. There are many things on this year’s ballot and they are all important. The ballot contains the candidates running for Student Body President, Vice President, and Senior Class President, as well as, a new mental health student fee, a Wyrick project, and a senior class gift.

Mental Health Fee

The proposed new student fee of $8 per semester would support hiring more counselors and expand mental health resources to the Counseling Center. Missouri State has experienced a rapid increase in student demands for counseling over the past several years. During the past two academic years, there has been a waiting list, and in fall 2019, it reached 203 students. I encourage you to vote yes to support hiring more counselors and mental health resources for the counseling center.

Wyrick Project

This year’s Wyrick project is to combine the Multicultural Resource Center and the Annex and move it to the, now, Office of Student Engagement space. This would then move the Office of Student Engagement to the level one game center. Currently, the MRC and the Annex are separated. Combining both locations into one and locating it in the PSU right across Starbucks will increase cultural engagement. This project will provide students a place to have a central location among other campus resources, more efficient space utilization within the PSU, and more space with the opportunity for visibility. I encourage you all to vote yes for this project that will enhance the student experience at Missouri State!

Senior Class Gift

Lastly, On this ballot is the Senior Class Gift vote and only Juniors and Seniors can vote for this issue. This year, we are doing a painted bear statue with Campus Recreation. The Bear Statues are the vision of President Smart, and the FRC is one of the most prominent buildings on campus. The Bear will feature a design (being finished now) that encapsulates the perseverance of our class, especially through these current times. I hope you vote in favor, and help leave the Class of 2020 legacy at Missouri State!

Student Body Candidates:

Cole Howerton, President and Chelsey Small, Vice President

First up, we have Cole Howerton running for Student Body President and Chelsey Small running for Vice President! Renee Sinclair is serving as their Campaign Manager. Cole Howerton is a sophomore studying History. He is the current Director of Public Affairs for SGA. Cole wants to make campus inclusive for all students and help improve everyone’s individual campus experience. Chelsey Small is a junior studying Exercise and Movement Science. After being a SOAR Leader and serving as Director of Health and Wellness for SGA, she has learned how to use her voice to make a change in the community. Chelsey wants to help students at MSU feel the power of their voice too.

Together, they will combine their experiences to impact Mental Health, Inclusivity, and Communication at MSU. They want all students to feel confident in their resources and their chances for success. Most importantly, they want to hear your voice and improve Missouri State by your choice. Text 417-319-1257 to anonymously send them your ideas for improving MSU! Follow their social media to learn more about their platform:

Instagram: @yourvoiceyourchoicemsu

Facebook: Your Voice Your Choice Missouri State

Watch their campaign video here: https://youtu.be/ExwS2p8WvL0

Tara Orr, President and Blake Haynes, Vice President

Next up, we have Tara Orr running for Student Body President and Blake Haynes running for Vice President! Apryl Myers is serving as their Campaign Manager. Tara Orr is from Blue Springs, Missouri and is involved in with Student Government Association as the Chief of Staff, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, and other leadership programs. Tara’s involvement throughout the years has motivated her to put her skills to the test and run for student body president. Blake is also from Blue Springs, Missouri. Over time, he created a meaningful relationship with his running partner. He discovered that both of them were first-generation students with the ambition to make an impact during their college experience. Blake has been a part of the Student Government Association since 2017, an active member in Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, a University Ambassador, and on the Greek Week Committee. As his roles became more eminent and his drive flourished, Blake decided the time was right to pour into the campus community like those who have poured into him.

Tara and Blake want to use their past experiences and innovate Missouri State! They want to focus on the importance of Student Success, Diversity and Inclusion, and Student Wellness if elected. Through these main points, they would like to increase opportunities for students to be the best prepared for post-college. They want to better diversity and inclusion efforts and make sure student wellness is at the forefront to better Missouri State.

If you would like further information about Tara Orr and Blake Haynes platform ideas, you can follow them on Instagram: @Innovatemostate, Facebook: Innovate MO State, and Twitter: @innovate_mo

Allison Garrett, Senior Class President

Lastly, Allison Garrett is running for 2020-21 Senior Class President of Missouri State University. She is a junior studying Political Science and Communications and currently serves as Speaker Pro Tempore on Student Government Association. Her previous leadership experience includes Chief Elections Commissioner on SGA, Vice President of Membership Development on the Panhellenic Executive Board, and various positions in her sorority. She also currently works in the Office of Student Affairs as a Student Assistant to Dr. Dee Siscoe. These experiences have instilled in her a love of university traditions and campus unity, which is what Allison wants to bring to the role of Senior Class President.

Her campaign theme is “What’s your Legacy?” The concept of a legacy is central in a student’s last year of undergrad, and Allison wanted to inspire that in the Class of 2021 during her campaign. You can connect with Allison on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @allison4mostate!

I hope all of this was informative for you. You can participate in the election by going to elections.missouristate.edu. Make your voice be heard and be a part of the change that is happening at Missouri State. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at Abdillahi1997@live.missouristate.edu!

Happy March!

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Hello, Bears! Happy March and I hope your midterms have gone well for you. I am excited for the weather to start warming up and I am looking forward to Spring Break next week!

Student Government Association had a great month of February and is excited to continue to impact Missouri State in various ways. SGA invited Dear World to campus on Wednesday, February 26th to help students, faculty, and staff share and celebrate their stories. Dear World is a storytelling project that connects people through their meaningful stories. They have photographed over 125,000 individuals and we are so proud to have them come to Missouri State! Check the pictures that they took here: https://drwrld.com/MissouriStateGallery2020

Last month, we had our Missouri State University Day at the Capitol where students went to Jefferson City and visited the State Capitol. Students spoke with legislators and talked to them about their experience at Missouri State University. Students spoke about why legislators must increase funding for higher educations. Students also advocated on mental health issues and why it is important to provide more resources on college campuses.

Speaking of mental health issues, SGA is looking to put on the Spring ballot a vote that will ask students if they would like to create a new $8 student fee that would go to the counseling center and provide more counselors that students will be able to use. In the fall semester, the Counseling Center faced a long wait time and was forced to create a waiting list that students had to get on to see a counselor. The voting will take place from April 1st to Wednesday, April 8th.

SGA has continued to better diversity and inclusion efforts on campus all year. We have decided to partner with the University and help move the Multicultural Resource Center to the PSU 1st floor where the Office of Student Engagement is located and move the OSE to the level one game center. This move will give the Multicultural Resource Center more space and ways to reach out to students of underrepresented groups right away when they start their collegiate career at Missouri State. We also see this space being a place for all students going into and learning about different cultures, ethnicities, and becoming more of a culturally competent person. Students will be asked to vote on this project as well in the Spring ballot.

Lastly, Allison Heimsath who is a Senior, Hospitality major created a project that is going to impact elementary students in Kansas City, Mo. The project is to get yearbooks for Whittier Elementary School, where every student is on either free or reduced lunch. The school also has City Year employees in the classroom to help with the students, who speak over 13 different languages. Allison believes that Yearbooks means a lot to students and I agree with her. I still have mine! There is a GoFundMe that people can advertise or donate. Each yearbook costs $15 and the goal of the project is $7,500. Here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/zcehv-school-supply-drive?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Abdillahi1997@live.missouristate.edu!

Go Bears!

Happy February!

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Happy February! January seemed like a year to me. I hope you all had a great start to your semester! Take a look at those syllabi and know what you need to get an A in your classes instead of scrambling at the end of the semester.

Student Government Association has been working hard at the start of the semester to continue to Elevate Mo State! SGA passed a resolution to support Chartwells and Missouri State Dining to become a Fair Trade school. Fair Trade ensures fair wages, a safe working environment, and environmental sustainability while also prohibiting forced labor of any kind.

SGA has a few events coming up in February;

  • Monday, February 10th from 1 pm-4 pm: Bear Pantry Open House in PSU Ballroom East. Come have a chance to learn about the Bear Pantry and hear President Smart talk about this awesome service!
  • Tuesday, February 11th at 7:30 pm: Mandatory meeting for those wanting to run for Student Body President, Vice President, and Senior Class President. You must have all of your ticket at the meeting. If you can’t make it or have any questions, email Jessica Olive at Olive1999@live.missouristate.edu
  • Wednesday and Friday, February 12th and 14th: Consent Valentine’s Card event. Stop by the PSU and receive consent Valentine cards and candy!
  • Thursday, February 13th: End It Movement Campaign. Stop by the PSU and get a red X mark on your hand to help start the conversation to end human trafficking.
  • Wednesday, February 26th from 10 am to 6 pm: Dear World will be here on campus and you can share your story! This is a cool event to unite Missouri State and understand that we have so many more similarities than differences. Visit https://dearworld.com to learn more about this event.

On top of these events, we are continuing to work on what you want to see happen at Missouri State. We are pushing for a Multicultural Student Center, adding more counselors in the counseling center, bringing scooters to Springfield and Missouri State, and establishing a rideshare program that would give students free rides to get to places! Stay tuned for my monthly emails and blogs to keep updated with what is going on!

As always, please reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns at Abdillahi1997@live.missouristate.edu.

Fall Semester Recap!

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Welcome to the new decade. It is still a great time to be a Bear! I hope you all had a great break and enjoyed your time with your loved ones. Last semester was a great one for SGA and Missouri State University!

Here are some highlights of what Student Government Association accomplished! We hosted our first health and wellness week educating students on the resources available to them. Remember to take care of yourself this upcoming semester and reach out to the resources available at Missouri State. You matter!

In October, we hosted a national walk with A21 to raise awareness for human trafficking and Missouri State was acknowledged by the organization for being one of 500+ host locations around the world!

Last semester, we pushed diversity and inclusion initiatives and started talks on a potential Multicultural Student Center. There was a survey that asked students’ feedback to gather data about this topic. We will continue to explore this option and would love your feedback. If you have any questions, comments, and want to be a part of the discussion, please email diversitycenterdiscussion@missouristate.edu.

We are excited for this upcoming semester and are focusing on partnering with other public universities in Missouri to advocate on behalf of Missouri students. We will continue to push mental health initiatives. We understand mental health is an issue on college campuses and we want to make sure that here at Missouri State, we have the resources that students need while also ending the stigma on mental health. We are also working on other projects to enhance the student experience. We are excited to continue to improve Missouri State for all students.

As always, please reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns at Abdillahi1997@live.missouristate.edu. I look forward to building on last semester and continue to lead Missouri State Onward and Upward!