Student Government Association Blog

Your Student Body. Your Student Voice. SGA.

SGA Gathers Support for Sustainability Minor

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Missouri State’s Student Government Association has recently adopted a resolution in support of adding a minor in Sustainability to current course offerings.

Support for the minor comes at a time when sustainability-related careers are considered to be a high-growth area, and the addition of a sustainability minor would allow Missouri State to remain competitive with many other universities with similar offerings.

If adopted, the minor would be accessible to students of all majors, and would be made up of different tracks that students could pursue. All students would finish their requirements with a capstone course relating to sustainability.

For more information, please contact Paige Oxendine, Chief Communications Officer, at Oxendine100@live.missouristate.edu.

SGA Unanimously Suggests Abolishment of Plus/Minus Grading

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After months of research on behalf of Student Government Association members, a resolution asking for the abolishment of the Plus/Minus grading system was passed with unanimous consent during the February 28, 2012 senate meeting.

Drafted by the Academic Affairs Committee, the resolution draws upon data gathered by Missouri State University in addition to the results of a student poll hosted by SGA. Over 1500 students responded to SGA’s Plus/Minus poll, with the overwhelming majority of students stating that they would favor the removal of the Plus/Minus grading system.

Introduced in the fall of 2009, the Plus/Minus system was aimed primarily at reducing grade inflation. However, data from Office of Institutional Research indicates that implementing the system led to the largest instance of year-to-year inflation of mean undergraduate cumulative GPA in 10 years.

Student Government Association members approved the strongly worded resolution unanimously in hopes of indicating to faculty how strongly the majority of the student body feels in regards to the current system.

The next step for SGA is to present the resolution to Missouri State’s Faculty Senate, where faculty members will have the opportunity to hear from student representatives and provide feedback on the resolution.

For more information, please contact Paige Oxendine, Chief Communications Officer, at Oxendine100@live.missouristate.edu

SGA Completes Busy Semester

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Missouri State’s Student Government Association has recently wrapped up a busy fall semester, which included the passage of over a dozen resolutions pertaining to the student body.

A few highlights of SGA’s work this past semester include the placement of a printer for student use in the lower level of the Plaster Student Union, the allocation of funds for nine additional bike racks on campus, and the adoption of the Civility Movement at Missouri State. The Student Government Association also recommended the MSU Bookstore begin carrying Fair Trade BearWear, asked professors to make course syllabi available to students prior to registration, expressed support for universal design across campus, and suggested changes to the student seating policy in JQH Arena.

Next semester will be just as busy for the organization, with many projects already underway. SGA plans to carry on with work done this semester relating to the plus/minus system currently in place on campus, possibly asking administrators to repeal the policy. The organization also plans to continue working with University officials to implement an additional BearLine route that would run from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am on Friday and Saturday nights. A third project to be completed next semester involves the lack of proper lighting on Madison Street, where many students walk to and from class. SGA approached City Utilities about the issue, who has now pledged to install at least one additional streetlight in the area.

Student Government Association will also be hosting their annual Jefferson City Showcase this spring, in which SGA members spend the day at the Capitol speaking to legislators and informing them of SGA’s work on campus.
For more information, please contact Paige Oxendine, Chief Communications Officer, at Oxendine100@live.missouristate.edu.

Civility Project Adopted on Campus

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The Student Government Association of Missouri State University recently moved to support The Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ Good Community Committee by adopting a resolution that promotes the Foundation’s Civility Project on campus. The project is founded on 10 tenets of civility, which focus on issues such as attentiveness, inclusiveness, respect, compassion, and accountability.

Recognizing that public discourse is a cornerstone of democracy, the Springfield-Greene County Civility Project was launched on April 13, 2011 and aims to increase civic engagement and foster a welcoming and respectful environment for all opinions.

On September 27, 2011 Student Government Association passed GB Fall 2011-03, which supports the Springfield-Greene County Civility Project and the inclusion of its 10 tenets across campus. SGA is encouraging all student organizations and student leaders to incorporate the tenets into their actions and dialogue.

For a complete list of the Springfield-Greene County Civility Project’s 10 tenets, please see: http://sga.missouristate.edu/documents/ and “Support of the Springfield-Greene County Civility Project.”

For more information, please contact Paige Oxendine, Chief Communications Officer, at Oxendine100@live.missouristate.edu.