The Student Government Association (SGA) convened for its fourth meeting of the semester on Feb. 13. They began with a three minute moderated caucus to consider whether they had sufficient turnout to begin voting, as only 26 of 47 members were present. Since turnout was over 50%, it was decided that a quorum was present. SGA then initiated voting producers on the position of chief advisor, which was discussed in the last meeting. Through paper ballot voting, the motion was rejected by a vote of 13 against, 10 for and one abstaining.
SGA then moved on to cabinet reports. President Ryan Chou announced that a new Teams channel was created for upcoming speaker events. Vice President Jackson Morris also spoke on opportunities for Hopkins students to meet members of the Maryland State Legislature in conjunction with the Committee on Civic Engagement.
After, members were encouraged to volunteer for SGA’s Valentine’s Day Tabling event and to register for the Major Fair on Friday, Feb. 16. By the end of the meeting, 301 people had registered in total.
SGA played a video by Student Services. In the video, students around campus were asked about their opinions on SGA and how they handle student concerns. Common concerns among students in the video included inaccessibility to mental health services. Director Connie Weng then led a discussion on suggestions for updates to the SGA website. Members recommended ideas such as updating the website’s front page and including a brief description of SGA’s functions.
Finally, SGA initiated a first reading of the Spring 2024 Bylaws Update Bill. Discussions centered on amending the role of the SGA Vice President to increase clarity and distinguish the roles of the SGA President and Vice President. SGA also began the first reading on a second bill, the SGA Closet Organization Funding Bill Spring 2024. The bill will be voted on next week.
