Student Government Association Blog

Your Student Body. Your Student Voice. SGA.

Campus Garden Experiences Successful First Season

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In a move to promote local produce and sustainability, dedicated green space at Missouri State University was set aside to be used as a campus garden beginning last spring. The garden experienced a great deal of success in its first season, with moderate crop growth and several local vendors eager to purchase locally grown produce.

Produce from the garden is currently sold to Down to Earth Foods, Homegrown Foods, and both Mama Jean’s locations. The garden is also hoping to soon see produce from the garden incorporated into the menu at Carrie’s Restaurant, the student-operated restaurant inside the Professional Building.

To date, produce sales have yielded enough money to cover the expenses related to purchasing seeds and compost in the spring of 2011. The garden hopes to one day be entirely self-sufficient, and plans to treat the funding they have received thus far as a small business loan which will be repaid.

The garden lies adjacent to the commuter parking lot on Grand Street and is funded through Student Government Association’s Sustainability Commission. The campus garden sponsors biweekly events, and anyone interested in volunteering or learning more is encouraged to join the group’s Facebook group “MO State Campus Garden.”

Bike Rental Program Takes Off at MSU

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After several years of planning, a program allowing students to rent bicycles has taken off at Missouri State University. The Green Bike Program, developed by the Residence Hall Association and funded partially by Student Government Association’s Sustainability Commission, was officially launched at Missouri State University in the spring of 2011. The program allows students living on campus to rent bikes for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a bike.

The program encourages students to reduce their carbon footprint by offering an environmentally friendly way to travel to off-campus destinations, such as nearby groceries stores or downtown attractions. The program also hopes to soon become self-sufficient, using the funds from bike rentals to cover the expenses related to upkeep and maintenance.

The Green Bike Program fleet currently consists of 31 bikes, with an average cost per bike of ten to fifteen dollars each semester. Bike rentals for the fall 2011 semester are currently slated to take place September 14th and 15th, from 9 am to 5 pm on the Bear Paw. While bikes are currently only offered to students living on-campus, the program hopes to have nearly 70 bikes next semester and go campus-wide in the spring of 2012.

Three SGA Commissions Seeking Members

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Three Student Government Association Commissions are still seeking members for this year. Please see the information below and contact sga@missouristate.edu for more information regarding these positions. Serving on a commission is a great way to get involved on campus, and freshmen are more than welcome to apply!

Elections Commission: needs four commissioners and are needed by October 1st.
Sustainability Commission: needs four commissioners and are needed by September 15th.
Wyrick Commision: needs four commissioners and are needed by September 14th.


Again, if interested please contact sga@missouristate.edu.

Sustainability Commission Passes Four Proposals

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On Friday, April 29th, the Sustainability Commission of the Student Government Association, chaired by Commissioner Madison Wilson, passed four Sustainability Proposals.  The first will implement water conservation kits into all university residence halls.  The second will provide the Office of Student Engagement with a binding machine to be available to all students and organizations to check out for use, free of charge.  The third will install new water fountains that promote an environmentally sustainable, efficient, and sanitary way to fill one’s water bottle in major academic and athletic buildings, and the fourth will ensure continuing success of the small scale educational organic garden on the Missouri State University Springfield campus.

 

The purpose of the Sustainability Fund is to provide the means to implement student-initiated projects on the Missouri State University-Springfield campus that focus on sustainability initiatives that lessen the negative environmental impact of the University.  The Fund is supported by the Student Sustainability Fee.

 

A more in-depth description of these proposals is attached.

 

For more information, please contact Kinsley Stocum, Director of Communications, at kinsley17@missouristate.edu.

 

Amendments to Sustainability Guidelines Approved

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On Tuesday, April 26th, the Student Government Association Senate approved proposed amendments to the Sustainability Commission Guidelines, which consisted of such changes as the clarification of what “letters of support” should include, a change in the student composition of the commission, and the establishment of procedures for what occurs when a non-student member is an advisor for a proposal (i.e. they are to appoint a designee while the proposal is discussed and voted on).  All pertinent changes are detailed below.

 

For more information, please contact Kinsley Stocum, Director of Communications, at kinsley17@missouristate.edu.