The Rowan Student Government Association (SGA) met remotely on Monday, Oct. 26 for their bi-weekly senate meeting.

According to Assistant Vice President of Public Relations and Special Events Camryn Hadley, students should be on the lookout for upcoming events and social media giveaways. Students can follow @RowanUSGA on Instagram and @RowanSGA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The winners of the Remote/HyFlex Feedback Survey, out of 453 responses, were announced as Chiara Piatti, Robert Rodolico and Logan Johnson.

AVP of Student Affairs Jason Brooks discussed the parking committee and is hopeful to share ideas on making parking more manageable in the coming years. He is also working with gourmet dining to update the on-campus features on GrubHub to include nutritional facts, so students can see for themselves what is in their food. 

Finally, Brooks discussed a wellness update of COVID-19 on campus and a drop in current case numbers, and reiterated the importance of student due-diligence to wear masks, wash hands and keep social distancing so that the student body can be as safe as possible from infection.

AVP of University Advancement Joe Frascella announced “Can the Van” will be held on Nov. 10. “Can the Van” is a philanthropic event to raise donations for Rowan’s on-campus food pantry and resource center, The SHOP. Each item donated is worth 10 minutes of service. Students can donate on campus; there will be a drive-thru collection on Nov. 10, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., between the Rowan Boulevard Apartments and the parking garage.

Chief Commissioner Santino D’Agostino talked about any issues students may face with the 2020 presidential election and gave a brief presentation on how, where and when to vote.

SGA also discussed two new clubs: The Black Student Union and the Red Cross Club.

The Rowan University Red Cross Club was presented to senators by the club’s president, Benjamin Pham, to provide a direct link between Rowan University students and the American Red Cross in its entirety.

As direct affiliates of the American Red Cross, the club will help provide humanitarian services to hopefully reduce and alleviate some human suffering through preparedness and health and safety services, biomedical services, disaster services, international services and services to the armed forces. The club is open to all students, and those involved will have free CPR training opportunities.

General member meetings for the Rowan University Red Cross Club are currently being held remotely over Zoom every other Friday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. SGA passed the club.

The Black Student Union was unable to present and was therefore tabled for the next SGA Senate meeting.

Finally, SGA discussed a resolution passed last senate meeting concerning student strife over the requirement to have cameras on during class Zoom calls. The resolution champions the students’ belief that not everyone has access to a quiet working environment, and validates the students who feel that the camera requirement is unfair to those without a proper working space.

The purpose of this resolution is to help administrative faculty hear student voices; students are currently still required to turn on their cameras at the behest of professors. The SGA Senate passed the resolution.

SGA Scholarship Applications opened on Sunday, Nov. 1, and close on Sunday, Nov. 29. The application can be found here.

SGA’s first newsletter released on Oct. 27. Any clubs who wish to feature themselves in future newsletter publications who didn’t get to during the meeting can email SGA Secretary Sarah McClure at SGASecretary@rowan.edu. 

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