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Student Government Association Blog

Your Student Body. Your Student Voice. SGA.

Interpersonal Violence Prevention Events for Spring 2025

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Welcome back to school, Bears! My name is J Torres, and I am the Chief Interpersonal Violence Prevention (IVP) Commissioner in SGA. The SGA IVP Commission is a group of students who work on projects to prevent and bring awareness to interpersonal crimes. As the spring semester begins, I want to take a moment to share some notable events in the upcoming months to educate the student body about preventing interpersonal violence incidents and provide resources for survivors to utilize. 

January is Stalking Awareness Month, and on Thursday, January 30th – 6:00 PM in (PSU 400 – Union Club), we are thrilled to have Criminology professor, Paula Rector, talk to students about the serious crime of stalking. Young adults from ages 18-24 experience the highest rates of stalking, yet it is not talked about enough on college campuses. With the rise of newer technology and the use of social media, it is crucial that we properly address the dangers of stalking and ensure resources are available. Ms. Rector is involved in the local community, serving on the Greene County Domestic Violence Task Force, and contributing her time to a domestic violence shelter. She has also played a key role in the development of a local family justice center, and she is instrumental in organizing the exceedingly popular Stop the Violence conference held on the Missouri State campus. 

In February, we hope you’ll participate in our events for Healthy Relationships Week. This takes place around Valentine’s Day in February and aims to promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. On Wednesday, February 12th – 4:30 PM  join us for “Mocktails & Memories” where we’ll have mocktail drinks and card-making to promote healthy relationships among your peers, and on Thursday, February 13th – 4:30 pm, through a short film, students can learn how to identify warning signs of an unhealthy relationship, help a friend experiencing abuse, and promote healthy relationship behaviors. Locations for these events will be announced on the SGA Instagram (mostatesga) closer to their event date. 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and to recognize this month, SGA’s IVP commission will be hosting three events to provide an opportunity to connect with resources available across campus. On Monday, April 7th – 6 pm (PSU 314), we will be collaborating with different organizations across campus to host a discussion on sexual assault awareness and how we can build a stronger community for students during their time at Missouri State University. On Tuesday, April 8th – 7 pm, meet us at the plaza in front of Magers Health & Wellness. We will be taking a walk on campus to unite students and raise awareness of sexual violence as a concern for public health, safety, and social justice. The Counseling Center will be joining this event to host a relaxing activity after and provide an opportunity for students to speak to counselors if needed. Lastly, we ask that you wear denim this month to support victims of sexual assault. On Wednesday, April 9, 4:30 pm, we will host Denim Day, which highlights misconceptions about sexual violence. A location for this event will also be announced closer to the event date.  

The IVP Commission hopes that by planning and hosting these events, we can build a safer campus for students. There are many resources available on and off campus if you or somebody you know is going through a challenging time. SGA is committed to maintaining an environment that is safe and free from sexual violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault including domestic or dating violence, and stalking. Take care of yourselves and your peers this semester. Below you will find a link to Missouri State Title IX Office which you can look into for resources.  

https://www.missouristate.edu/TitleIX/default.htm

2025 Elections Season Information

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The 2025 Student Body Election season is officially underway! Here’s everything you need to know to stay informed this semester. 

Each spring, we elect a new Student Body President and Vice President, who also serve as the President and Vice President of the Student Government Association (SGA). Additionally, we elect a Senior Class President, a key role in engaging and supporting the senior class throughout their final year at Missouri State University. Each ticket also includes a campaign manager to support their campaign process.  

Candidates for these positions will begin their campaigns soon, so keep an eye out for their announcements. To appear on the ballot, those running for Student Body President and Vice President must collect 500 signatures from MSU students. Senior Class President candidates must gather 200 signatures. You may be approached to sign a candidate’s petition—this simply allows their ticket to appear on the ballot for the election. 

Once the candidates qualify, campaigning will begin. There will be many opportunities to hear the candidates’ platforms and decide who you believe will best serve Missouri State. Candidates will launch their social media accounts, and a debate will take place on March 11th at 7:00 PM in Plaster Student Union Room 313. “Blitz Week,” starting on March 28th, will provide a dedicated time for candidates to actively promote their tickets across campus. During this week, they can engage with students, hang banners, chalk sidewalks, and more. 

Voting will take place from April 7th at 8:00 AM to April 11th at 5:00 PM via My.MissouriState.com. Along with casting your vote for candidates, you’ll also have the chance to approve updates to the SGA Constitution—the governing document for the organization. The ballot will also include Wyrick Proposals, which are construction projects aimed at improving our campus. 

Election results and the outcomes of the proposals will be announced on the evening of April 11th. 

Make your voice heard this election season and help shape the future of Missouri State University! 

Forward with Purpose to Brighter Horizons

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Hey Bears! My name is Tamia Schiele, and I am the 2024-2025 Student Body President of Missouri State. In this role, I am President of the Student Government Association (SGA). Some of my daily tasks include meeting with campus Administrations, reviewing proposals, leading meetings, and meeting with students. I work alongside an amazing group of people we call the “SGA Leadership Team.” This team include Collin Chastain, Sam Wang and Emma Vytlacil.   

Collin Chastain is the 2024-2025 Student Body Vice President, and also serves as the SGA Vice President. In this role Collin is the head of SGA’s Legislative branch where he leads our weekly Senate meetings, which are held at 5:30pm in PSU 313. These meetings are open to any Missouri State Student, so feel free to stop by! Sam Wang is SGA’s Chief of Staff, and during the campaigning season served as Collin and I’s Campaign manager. Sam works to plan fun events for our members and ensure our Cabinet members are organized.  

Emma Vytlacil is the 2024-2025 Senior Class President. Emma ran her own campaign on the theme of Brighter Horizons in the Spring of 2024. The goal of this platform is to promote resources for seniors across campus and emphasize the importance of the Senior Class President by having a strong relationship with the senior class. This year she hopes to intentionally engage with the senior class through outreach tactics such as tabling, surveying, and newsletters. This way seniors can be involved in-person and digitally. Her day-to-day tasks consist of working with the Alumni Association to help execute her presidential initiatives while preparing the senior-class gift, Winter Grad Finale/Grad Bash, and other senior-class events. 

Forward with Purpose: Your Voice, Our Vision

Now we will be talking about the platform that Sam, Collin and I collaboratively created. The Forward with Purpose campaign has three central themes: Student Advocacy, Intentional Engagement and Internal Reform.  

Student Advocacy  

For student advocacy, we will ensure that our SGA is representative of student experiences and opinions here at MSU. We want students to feel that SGA is a viable way to have their concerns heard and met. Below are some ideas of how we will make this happen.  

  • Utilize student petitioning rights 
  • Create a form for students to report various issues 
  • Be transparent about Student Government spending 
  • Register with a national interpersonal violence prevention organization  
  • Give out free blue books and scantrons during midterm and finals week 
  • Give out monthly student vouchers for the Union Club 
  • Remind students about parking lot closures 

Intentional Engagement  

Under intentional engagement, we will be sure to stay connected to the students at Missouri State. We also want to maintain and develop our relationships with student organizations on campus. Here is how we plan to stay engaged with students.  

  • Educate students about the Student Initiative and Wyrick funds 
  • Hold consistent meetings with student organizations 
  • Redesign the Student Government Association website 
  • Increase collaboration with the Office of Student Engagement 
  • Incorporate culturally competent foods in the Bear Pantry  
  • Develop a student tuition breakdown 

Internal Reform 

Within internal reform we want improve how SGA works internally to make sure we are serving the student body as best as we can. Below are some ways we plan to enhance our internal practice.  

  • Register as an official student government 
  • Prioritize legislation over event planning 
  • Improve Parliamentary Procedure training  
  • Provide quarterly budget updates for the student body  
  • Utilize open forums to better explain projects 
  • Create a guide for the Elections Code 

 

Together Tamia, Emma, Collin and Sam want to take SGA and the MSU student body Forward with Purpose to Brighter Horizons! Thanks for reading along and feel free to reach out to me at StudentBodyPresident@missouristate.edu or feel free to drop by my office in PSU 313. Thank you and GO BEARS! 

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!