Best Student Government (Private Colleges)

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Best Student Government (Private Colleges)
     With a phenomenal dash past the competition to win the coveted number-one spot this year, Rollins College SGA leaders have gone above and beyond to convince Florida Leader they deserve the top slot, after breaking into the top three in 1999 with an Honorable Mention nod.
     After last year’s leaders recharged SGA largely by networking with other private schools by revitalizing the Florida Independent Schools Association, this year’s team, led by President Julia Boguslawski and Vice President Gregory Linton, has focused on issues closer to home. As fall quarter kicked off, students were troubled to learn that dining services was closing campus eateries between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.—a time when many Rollins athletes are finishing practice and hungry for a meal. After several meetings with Rollins staff, SGA leaders were thrilled to announce the reopening of the campus grille with flyers that read "brought to you by SGA." Boguslawski and her team also have worked to improve the variety of menu options for vegetarians and students with religious convictions that affect their diets.
     The Boguslawski administration also fought in the trenches for students’ rights when a new parking garage brought with it harsh restrictions and frequent, hefty tickets for students. But rather than take a confrontational approach, SGA used the power of a collective student voice to shake things up. After passing out cards urging students to e-mail SGA with their complaints, the Rollins leaders took more than 50 printed messages to parking officials to illustrate how widespread the problems had become. "Based on the students’ input, SGA was able to effectively relay these concerns," says President Boguslawski. "This made the officers aware of the situation and just how passionate the students were about it, and as a result, they met with us to think of alternative measures. One of the alternative measures is repaving a backlot. They’re also working on opening up the third floor of the parking garage, which was something that they were grounded on—not letting us have access to that floor."
     Boosting school spirit might seem like an impossible game to win at a small private college with no football team. But SGA scored big by raising Rollins pride with the first-ever women’s football game against nearby rival Stetson University. (see "Best Powder Puff" on page 19.)
     With a large population of affluent students on campus, SGA’s Cultural Action Committee made a commitment to helping Rollins enrollees become more aware and appreciative of diversity. "A Week of Difference" featured the unique program "How Classy Are You?" Each of the 400 participants got a T-shirt imprinted with a number 1, 2, or 3 to designate that student’s "social class" for the day, along with a list of rules on how to behave and treat others. "Ones," the smallest group, got first class treatment, such as jumping to the front of a line. "Threes," on the other hand, were required to either ask for permission to speak or look at the ground until acknowledged. Three’s also could be physically pushed out of the way by an "upper class" peer. SGA Vice President Linton says the event was eye-opening for him as a "Three," when a professor forced him to stand in the corner and called him "stupid" whenever Linton tried to address the class. "I went into that class, and the teacher started harassing me," Linton says. "I felt humiliated and embarrassed. I almost started to think that about myself subconsciously. It’s something I’ll never forget."
     Another Rollins’ feat this year has been increasing involvement in SGA. A first-ever "Senate Retreat" helped newly elected senators and executive committee members learn the ropes through team-builders and mock meetings, boosting meeting attendance beyond quorum for every meeting held since. Opting for a more student-friendly image has been another SGA goal—the team created Blair Witch-style movie-poster ads and parody videos to announce various events and successes of "The SGA Project." Rollins leaders also proved their technological savvy by using Pipeline, a new on-line service being tested at only 25 schools nationally. After they login from any computer with web access, Rollins students can browse a personalized page with links to e-mail, SGA news, an events calendar, and transcript, schedule, and class info.

Runner-Up
     Fueled by the momentum of past winning teams, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Student Government Association led by President Sherry Ortiz has soared even higher this year by responding to student needs and opening up communication channels between the Eagles and their SGA. When 150 oversold parking spaces led to the improper ticketing of students, SGA stopped traffic. After meeting with parking officials, SGA won amnesty and refunds for students and worked with administrators to open two temporary parking lots to ease the overflow.
     With the campus still experiencing growing pains from becoming a residential campus in 1998, ERAU leaders tackled housing issues such as dorm access for non-residents. Phone kiosks installed this semester allow students to gain entry if they forget their keys or need to visit a campus grocery store located inside otherwise off-limits areas. Ortiz and crew also convinced the Housing Department to subsidize the project partially, bringing SGA’s cost to a mere $2,500 of its $400,000 budget.
     Answering the popular student question "What has my SGA done for me lately?" has proven the commitment of ERAU student officials. Because mass e-mail isn’t available for easy transmittal of SGA updates, Advisor Dustin Derby says about eight leaders spend hours sending messages to everyone on campus. Sandwich boards, posted flyers and signs, and articles in The Avion campus newspaper are other ways SGA leaders are keeping students informed, Derby says.
     A focus on student concerns hasn’t distracted the ERAU team from creative programming. Events such as the "Jam Slam Student Shag Fest," a pre-game spirit week, and Oktoberfest ’99, complete with German food, two bands, laser tag, the wall climb, and a velcro obstacle course offered students freebies and on-campus entertainment to break up a semester of study.

Honorable Mention
     Praised for fostering strong relationships with faculty and staff, experienced leader Kelly Mahan, a two-term president now in her fourth year of service to Barry University’s SGA, has made her team more visible through frequent face-to-face chats with students. "They’ve stepped up and are doing a lot of fighting for the students," says Kathleen Bunting, director of student activities. "They’ve been taking a much more active role. They’re on the forefront—that’s probably the big difference in what we’ve seen before."
     Monthly focus groups with free pizza that draw in as many as 50 students allow Barry’s SGA officials to identify hot campus issues. Mahan and her team then use the feedback to form committees to address students’ top concerns. In a further effort to improve communication, leaders restructured SGA by adding class representatives from freshmen to seniors and senators from each school. In addition, a new publicity campaign utilizes word of mouth, bulletin boards, newsletters, and a web site to get the word out.
     SGA also launched what leaders hope will become an annual statewide event by hosting a conference called "Broadening the Scope of Diversity." The event brought in more than 50 students representing four Florida colleges to engage in a dialogue about differences in sexual orientation, cultural heritage, and religious views.
     Barry’s government also is careful to conserve its $20,000 budget. This year funding requests go through two hoops instead of one—first to a Student Organization Council, then to SGA.

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