Big changes are happening to Viterbo thanks to the Student Government Association (SGA). Right now, a referendum is being voted on to increase the student activity fee amount from $125 to $150. The referendum closes on Nov. 7, and an announcement with the results will be made on Nov. 10. This fee covers more than just clubs here on campus; the fee covers resources like the Mathy Center, Campus Ministry, Counseling Services, Health Services, Crew Service Saturdays, and student publications, like the Lumen. SGA has planned many projects to focus on this year as well.
As mentioned earlier, this referendum will decide how much students will pay each semester for a club fee. The SGA would like people to know that this is not an increase in tuition, but an increase in money that goes towards student life on campus. In an interview with Connor Martin, the president of SGA, he said, “Actually, even as the SGA president, [I was] surprised to learn many of the different programs and services that this fee covers.” The referendum ran from Nov. 3 to Nov. 7 in which students could simply enter their ID number and then cast their vote in the referendum. Results will be announced on Nov. 10.
While talking to Martin, the referendum was not the only project that was discussed. SGA has set their sights on other issues they feel are prevalent to campus life. Projects they are exploring include adding a flashing crosswalk on Market Street, among other campus-related issues. Martin expressed his concern for students who often take that travel path if they live in Laverna and Tracey, or if they stop by the local coffee truck, Bee’s Knees. “We see our friends at Western and UW-La Crosse have these around their campuses. Why don’t we?” Martin questioned.
SGA did, in fact, try to take initiative on this issue in the past. “The SGA actually tried to go to the city and propose this, and they turned it down. So we are not giving up. If that says anything, we are bringing it back this year, putting it back in conversation, and we are determined to implement this, hopefully soon, on our campus to ensure student safety,” Martin said.
The SGA has other plans for the school year, such as updating parts of educational buildings for tours, adding more signage of Viterbo’s core values of contemplation, hospitality, integrity, stewardship, and service, and freshening up paint jobs on some of the classroom walls to update the buildings.
The SGA wants all to know that they have created a newsletter of their own called The Monthly. This newsletter will provide monthly SGA updates as well as list resources for students on campus, such as phone numbers and contact information for Counseling Services, Campus Security, etc.
The SGA wants students to know that everyone is invited to meetings, and that at each meeting, a special amount of time is dedicated to hear and engage with student voices. The meetings are held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every other Sunday in the the Fine Arts Center Kwik Trip Hospitality Suite. The SGA encourages students to attend and voice how they feel about things happening on campus.
