The average student on The University of Memphis campus would be hard-pressed to name one tangible thing that the Student Government Association has accomplished.
According to Vice-President Laura Pevahouse, blame for not getting results is often pushed onto the SGA, but student government’s problems are more complex than that.
When asked what factors hinder the passing of bills — whether it was because of apathetic students, inefficiency inside the SGA or the administration — Pevahouse had a definitive answer. “I can tell you right now, it’s all three,” said Pevahouse.
SGA senator Don Johnson described the difficulties of passing initiatives as a bad cycle.
“If students don’t get involved, show leadership themselves for what they want, there is not enough input and it cycles through to SGA and we feel there is nothing to do, and then the administration feels there is no interest in anything,” said Johnson.
According to Speaker of the House Lisa Vescovo, lack of student support is the largest hindrance to making things change around campus.
“The students need to let us know what they want,” said Vescovo. “They need to take this more seriously.”
Gene Bastnagel, a 1998 SGA senator, said that the circulation of senators helps combat the discouragement that is inherent in the continual rejection of bills.
Keith Ellis, a SGA senator for four years, admits that the position has been discouraging, but says he has not lost hope.
“It’s discouraging to write good legislature and see it go nowhere,” said Ellis, but added that persistence year after year could bring change.
Vescovo pointed out that the SGA has a lot of involvement around campus that students most likely don’t realize. SGA funds Frosh Camp and Project Unite, a unity week at The U of M.
Currently, the SGA is looking into a bill to put an additional ATM machine in the Tiger Den.
“The SGA’s worked a lot harder this year to get our name out,” said Vescovo.
The senators are unpaid, and must man the SGA office desk for one hour a week. Because there are 26 senators and 30 open office hours, the office is often understaffed or closed.
According to Ellis, each senator is required to sponsor one bill per semester, in addition to handling travel funds and parking appeals.
Besides travel funds and appeals, the last thing at The U of M campus that has actually changed due to a SGA bill was the extension of The University Center’s Market Place from 7:30 am to 2 p.m. to 7:30 am to 3 p.m. — a difference of one hour. The extension — the only concrete accomplishment due to a SGA bill — was passed two years ago, according to Joy Hall, floor supervisor for dining services.
Johnson sponsored a bill, that was passed, to extend the open hours of Tigerweb and Stripes so that students could register 24 hours a day, seven days a week — but the bill never came to fruition.
A completed bill is sent to the faculty member or administrator who supervises the area that the bill affects, and it is left for the administration to pick up or let it die, according to Vescovo.
Johnson’s 24/7 bill was sent to The U of M’s information systems department, and Johnson said to his knowledge, the bill was implemented.
According to Steve Terry of Information Systems, not only is Tigerweb not open 24 hours a day, the current software can never be made to allow registration 24 hours a day.
The current, TBR-mandated software has to do a batch process at night, said Terry, meaning that the system must have down hours in which to update information.
“I wish we had the software available to make (24-hour availability) a reality,” said Terry.
According to Vescovo, if a bill is allowed to die by the administration, the senate can rewrite it — but the ultimate authority lies in the hands of the administration.
According to Johnson, there has been a conscious effort to see that bills are followed up with the newly-created follow-up committee.
Cindy Fong has been elected as head of the committee for this year — the head of last year’s follow-up committee, Andrew McGarrity, left for an internship at the White House.
“We are the voice of the campus, but it’s only our suggestion,” said Vescovo.
“It bottlenecks when we reach a point when we need some administrative backing. It’s not that the administration says no. It’s that they don’t say anything,” said Johnson. “We’re the voice, but we’re often not listened to.”
