In its final meeting of the 2016-17 school year, Rowan’s Student Government Association (SGA) approved a change to Article III of the organization’s constitution.
The main point of the article change was standardizing the GPA requirement to serve on the executive board. Previously, the students running for the positions of president, vice president, chief financial officer and student trustee needed at least a GPA of 2.75 while other positions on the executive board only needed a 2.5 GPA. Under the new rules, every position will require a 2.5 GPA.
Outgoing SGA president Daniel Cardona said that the move came in response to what the current executive board felt was an issue that put some prospective candidates at a disadvantage.
“We lowered it so everyone is on an equal playing field,” Cardona said. “We’re not holding people to a higher standard than others. We wanted to look at the opportunity for students to get more involved with SGA.”
The other major change made to Article III involved striking from the article the need to have previously served on the SGA executive board or in the general senate beforehand. The move comes as a chance to open up elections to students in other groups who had previously been unable to run, as they didn’t have any prior time in SGA.
Incoming SGA president Lauren Bitzer said the decision was the result of multiple ideas that had been kicked around by the board.
“We felt that it gave more opportunity for the students,” Bitzer said. “Opening more doors so that you don’t have to necessarily be elected as a class senator, or as an academic senator in order to find more ways to get involved in student government.”
Cardona agreed, contending the new policy would also help strengthen other key groups on campus, including the Peer Referral and Orientation Staff (PROS) and student workers.
“There’s many, many leaders on this campus, not just in SGA senate,” he said. “So opening these doors to leaders and opportunities around campus that about two hours ago [before the meeting started] would not be allowed to apply, will make SGA and the student population stronger.”
Outside of the change to Article III, other business included voting on the SGA’s financial budget for the upcoming fiscal period from 2017-2018, which was approved.
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Good decision on the adjusting the GPA to a similar rule set. The extra .25 does it really make a difference? Does it really bring in someone with a better motivation to volunteer, give up personal time and service to the students they would represent? I say not.
As long as the GPA is at a level of allowing graduation. Grades aren’t always a factor in determining someone’s abilities, passion for learning and improving themselves for their future and employment endeavors. Getting students to participate in leadership roles is difficult to being with but adding an arbitrary barrier is not necessary. BTW, most employers want to know that you’ve graduated period and not overly concerned with a GPA.
— “JC” Class of 1990; former BOSP (Publications) lead