Course Project Data Observation #3
Data: 03-28-01
Site: ASU-Newport SGA Meeting
(North-end, Student Center, noon)
I entered the room in which the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting was to take place. Students were sitting at tables and standing around the room talking of different topics. Several were talking about a contest that was being held in a different building. One girl said that they needed to hurry with the meeting so that they could go to this other function. Tables were set up in a "U" shape with chairs around them. The president sat in the middle seat at the front of the room. Students were spread out in chairs to either side of him. I sat at the end of one of the tables.
The president called the meeting to order and made an announcement. He said that the SGA meeting would not last as long as was typical because at the same time there was another function occurring. This function was being held in another building and was a contest in which students designed entries and submitted them into the Arkansas Quarter contest. This was a contest that was open to all Arkansans and consisted of developing a design for the new Arkansas Quarter. Several SGA members had entered the contest and the president said that it would be good if the other SGA members could be present as the winners were announced. The president then said that there were a couple items that needed to be discussed an that they would adjourn the meeting following a discussion of those items.
The president reminded everyone that at the last meeting they had wanted to vote on getting a scrapbook for the SGA Historian. This scrapbook was needed in order for the historian to function adequately in his job duties. There had not been enough students present at the last meeting for a legal vote. Therefore, the president said that he wanted to vote on it at the present meeting. After a brief discussion the president called for a vote in which everyone participated in. Everyone voted to purchase the scrapbook. There was none who opposed the purchase.
The president then said he was interested in getting the SGA involved in a project in which they would adopt a street near the campus and be responsible for keeping it clean. He said that he was going to get with another instructor to discuss what has to be done in order for the SGA to adopt a portion of highway for keeping clean. He said that the instructor he would talk to about it had been involved with this project for several years and would probably be able to provide information to the SGA on how to begin this project.
The president then announced that he had spoken with one of the sponsors about the participation of the SGA in a walk-a-thon. The sponsor had been investigating this walk-a thon and the possibility of taking a group of SGA members to Searcy, where the walk-a-thon would be held, to participate as a team.
The president then reminded everyone about the workshop that would take place instead of the meeting next week. This was a workshop in which the SGA members would be taught how to use FrontPage 2000 to write and publish to the World Wide Web (WWW). He reminded everyone that they would meet in the computer lab next week for the workshop. A sponsor asked if he had a way of getting in touch with students who were not at the meeting. Several students who usually attended the meetings were not present. This was probably due to the fact that another function was occurring at the same time. The president said that the head sponsor had a list of those who usually attended and that someone would get in touch with them before next weeks workshop.
The president then asked if anyone had anything else. No one said anything. It seemed that everyone was anxious to get out of the meeting. Most of these students were probably planning to attend the other function in which the quarter entries were being judged. This speculation was supported by a comment a girl then made. She said that they should go ahead and adjourn. The meeting was then adjourned and everyone left quickly. There was very little talking and the students left the room promptly. This meeting lasted only about thirty minutes rather than the typical 40-50 minutes.
I then left the room and was the last to leave.