The Student Government Association kicked off the academic year with its first senate meeting at Pfleeger Concert Hall on Monday. The meeting gathered representatives from clubs and organizations across campus to discuss upcoming events, university public safety and elect new officers for the e-board.

The meeting was officially called to order by SGA president, Dan Cardona.

After Cardona went over the SGA president’s report, Student Activities staff members Melissa Ulmer and Carly Samuels took the stage to discuss Rowan’s Homecoming and to recruit help for its events. Ulmer also mentioned this year’s theme for Homecoming is “PROFlympics” and that this would be the first year that the annual Lip Sync Competition would be held in Pfleeger Hall and not the Student Center.

Michael Kantner, Rowan’s Assistant Vice President of Public Safety, also appeared at the meeting to talk to students about recent acts of vandalism on campus.

“You can see that the world we live in is serious,” Kantner said. “You guys are the eyes and ears that keep this university a safe environment.”

Kantner went on to answer questions from student senators about local crime, saying there will be more security cameras set up in parking lots on campus. He confirmed that Public Safety had received funding for the cameras and there would be more of them placed in lots across campus, but he did not specify as to where exactly they would be installed.

Later, Cardona said there were open positions for the Associate Vice President of Facilities and Operations and Associate Vice President of Student Affairs on the SGA and that elections would be held for the positions that evening.

Beth Armstrong, a junior accounting major, won the first, while Naveen Kahn, a dual major in Early Childhood Education and Liberal Studies, won the second of the two positions.

At the end of the meeting, Vice President for Student Life Richard Jones spoke to address the recent vandalism on campus and thanking the student body for reporting suspicious activity that led to the apprehension of the vandal.

“We received an anonymous tip that led to the [apprehension] of the perpetrator,” Jones said. “We are not going to let anyone divide us.”

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