Following two weeks of postponement, the Student Government Association hosted its first town hall on Thursday night to open conversations between the SGA and other student organizations, but no groups sent representatives. 

Plans for a town hall were established during a Senate meeting on Jan. 21 and were set to begin on Feb. 4. The event was later rescheduled for Feb. 18 and took place via Zoom, but ended after no participants showed up. 

The SGA plans to host another Town Hall on March 5. To sign up, organizations should email the Secretary of the Senate Ellie Schulman ([email protected]) by noon on Wednesday prior to the town hall. Organizations can send up to two representatives. 

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The Senate met following the event and approved a resolution that would require a virtual introductory class for all online courses to be completed during syllabus week. The approved resolution, which was the only item on the docket, will now be sent to upper administrators for review.

The proposal said students had requested an introductory class following the transition from traditional in-person classes to other formats, like online, hybrid and interactive audio/video. 

Senator Luci Allen, the author of the resolution, said the proposed requirement would alleviate the many notifications professors send to students every semester about expectations and elements of the online class. 

She said it would allow students to meet their professor and familiarize themselves with the course material, content and structure. 

“SGA wrote this resolution to benefit not only our students but also faculty, staff and their respective departments,” said Allen. “By offering a virtual introductory online class, students will have the opportunity to meet their professor, allowing them to gain a clearer understanding of what is expected of them in their academic course.” 

The SGA will discuss with the departments of all 13 colleges on campus to decide whether training for professors is needed for the introductory courses or if professors will follow a general outline. 

Press Secretary Jackson Fuentes said that SGA is looking forward to implementing this resolution and has fully listened to the concerns of students to help develop this legislature. 

“Students continue to work hard in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and we look forward to partnering with each respective school and college across campus to provide additional opportunities for student success,” Fuentes said.