Summary of SGA Retreat on September 8, 2007

Members Present: Brandon Pennington, Haley Wolford, Kelly Smith, Jennifer Reynolds, Tucker Davis, Kristen Meade, Whitney Miller, Justin Fuller, Stephanie Seymore, Jonathan Miller, Matthew VanDyke

Advisors Present: Amanda Bohon and Mark Wildman

The retreat began promptly at ten o’clock and adjourned at four o’clock. The purpose of the retreat was to establish comradely and cohesiveness among the group and identify goals and objectives for the 2007-08 academic year.

SGA Goals 2007-2008

Halloween Costume Contest:
Members agreed to continue the annual Halloween Costume and Office Decorating Contest that has taken place every year the week of Halloween.

Bonfire:
The SGA Senators came up with the idea of having a Bonfire Night sometime in the  early fall.

Lounge Improvements:
Two years ago, improvement began on the student lounge located in Buchanan Hall.  Although improvements have been made, SGA would like to continue improving the functionality and student appeal of this space.

Publicity:
One of SGA’s goals this year is to promote and encourage involvement during the sports seasons. There needs to be more publicity done so students will utilize the house phones on campus.  Also, SGA would like to better inform our students about other important activities and events that are on our campus.

Student Discount Card:
Using their student ID’s, students are allowed to go around to local businesses and restaurants, present their ID, and receive discounts. SGA experienced some success with this last year, but would like to improve the discount cards for students this year. SGA wants to look into adding new businesses to help with the discount cards.  SGA hopes to get more businesses involved and to get the students more aware of the discount cards to continue to make this a success.

End of the Year Bash:
After the success of this year’s Back to School Bash and last year’s End of the year Bash, it seemed only appropriate to host another “Bash” to end the Spring Semester. Again SGA will provide free lunch to all students.

Alternative Spring Break:
SGA decided once again to join with other VCCS colleges to provide a service exchange for our students. The local community colleges will get together and each host a day so they can serve the community and those less fortunate.

SGA End of the Year Reflection:
It was decided at the retreat by the SGA members to have a meeting to reflect on the year and what has been accomplished and what still needs to be accomplished for the following year.

Valentine’s Day:
Valentine’s Day activities could include a version of the “Newlyweds Game” and giving out Valentine’s candy to students. 

Adopt Troops:
Because many of the service men and women are of college age, the SGA would like to adopt a few troops to send care packages to.

SGA Objectives 2007-2008

Cafeteria “face-lift”:
Since the cafeteria is the primary place that students relax, the SGA would like to see this space get a “face-lift”.  SGA feels the walls could have more current decorations and artwork.  With the help of the art club, SGA would like to see more modern murals in this area.

Buchanan Hall Lobby “face-lift”:
SGA feels there is a lack of student space on campus and that the lobby in Buchanan Hall could be better utilized.  SGA would like to see this area decorated so that it is more student-friendly. 

Community Yard Sale: 
As a potential fund raiser for a club or a way for students to make some extra cash, SGA feels a community yard sale would benefit the SwVCC student body. 

Drama Program:
SGA wants to try to establish and promote a new drama program on campus. Hopefully students will show enough interest in the new organization to have a successful club that will perform for our student’s enjoyment.

Benches for Boy’s Bathrooms:
It came to SGA’s attention at the retreat that the females have benches in their bathrooms for various reasons the boys do not. The boys have nowhere to put their books or book bags while using the bathroom, so SGA wants to put benches in the bathrooms so that they can have a place to put their belongings.

Pep Club: 
To increase the awareness and support of sports at SwVCC, SGA would like to see the creation of a pep club.

Signage for the Lounge:
To increase the visibility and usage of the student lounge, the SGA hopes to have signage put in and around the lounge.

Field Day:
As a spring student activity, SGA would like to have a field day quite similar to the field days that occur during elementary school.  This day would give students a chance to relax and enjoy college life through good, clean fun. 

Wireless Internet:
SGA wants to look into establishing wireless Internet across the campus. In this day of technology, wireless internet is a must on a college camps.  SGA wants to ensure wireless internet is available all over campus to better help our students.

College News Station: 
With assistance from the multimedia club, SGA would like to see the college have its own news station.