There's a new SGA board in town

by Nick Luchko and Janice Funk

SGA president and vice president

Hey, Cabrini students! First, if you don't know already, we are the newly-elected president(Nick) and vice president (Janice) of the Student Government Association Executive Board, and we're writing this commentary to introduce ourselves and our board. This is the first of many articles from SGA to keep you updated on what is going on, not' only with the Executive Board but also with Cabrini College.

This past Monday night, we had a meeting with other members of the new SGA Executive Board to see what they felt were major concerns within the colJege. The other members of the Executive Board are seniors Trish Amold,CAP Board chair, Liz Kyle, treasurer, Meg Merkel.recording secretary, Jenna Mancini, Academic Board chair, and Azeen Karamati, parliamentarian. Junior Carolyn Ashton will serve as corresponding secretary. One question that we discussed is what our role should be on campus for the following year, and what do students need from us. We reached the consensus that the one aspect that has not really been seen in the SGA for the past couple of years is consistency.

We hope to be consistent in the way we approach issues and publicize campaigns for students concerning these issues. And we hope that the administration, in its tum, will deal consistently with our issues.

One issue that has been the subject of much controversy is housing. As residents of Cabrini for two or three years, we have seen a number of housing systems come and go. Each year, a student's housing situation becomes more stressful than even the hardest class. We want to alleviate housing problems by working to establish a system for acquiring resident status and choosing housing that will be fair to all students. More importantly, we want to create a system that will be used for years to come, so as to get rid of the questions and confusion that abound on campus each year in the spring.

As a beginning to the resolution of such problems, we are offering a Resident Hall and Commuter Council. We feel that each part of campus should be represented by a certain group of students who would like to be a part of this council. They would oversee the student side of what happens in the resident hall and commuter life, so that the students have a voice and opinion when dealing with the Resident Life program.

We have also noticed inconsistencies in the administration of punishments, especially those which relate to alcohol violations. We feel as though disciplinary action has been doled out arbitrarily, without firm rules and regulations. Working with students and administration, we would like to find a system that is both just and quick. The administration of alcohol policies and violations is especially a concern in regard to our present "Zero Tolerance" system.

Another issue that arose in our meeting was the safety on campus. We feel that there has to be better lighting on campus. Have you ever walked from the mansion to the apartment complex at night? Enough said! Again, let's act before something bad happens.

Also,we will look into reinstating the Conduct Review board next year. The Conduct Review board will allow students, when found in violation of a school code, to bring their case before a jury of their peers. We feel that this board has proven both just and beneficial to students in the past. We are also concerned about the issue of out-sourcing counseling services. The counselors who currently work with students in the CARE Center should not be dismissed. We feel that more counselors who are dedicated to Cabrini should be hired rather then a "health system." For example, if you are a student who is currently seeing one of the counselors, and then all of the sudden they are gone, how are you going to feel after sharing so much with that person? Any trust formed and progress made will be lost or diminished. This commentary is an invitation not only to the students of Cabrini, but to the administration and cabinet of this college as well. We understand that there are many things to take care of when it comes to an institution like this school.

We are asking you to invite SGA to your meetings and hearings when student concerns are on the table. We, the SGA Exec Board, are aware of the responsibility placed upon us by the students. And we take our responsibility seriously. Students may sometimes feel as though we "ride in the administration's pocket." And the administration may sometimes feels as though we do not cooperate with them on a professional level. Due to this we are looking to put our past dealings with you to the side and work with you towards better times not only for the benefit of the student body but for the staff, faculty and all members of the Cabrini community. Cabrini College has laid beneath a cloud of mistrust and apathy. Our board pledges too remain positive next year when it comes to issues on campus. We, along with the students, need to put things that happened in the past behind us and grow towards future endeavors. We need to stick side by side, as we did earlier in the year at the housing meeting in Xavier Hall. We need to show the administration that we are not "spoiled little brats," rather we are the students that they recruited all those years ago. Most of all we need to find that spirit of love at Cabrini College that we had as freshmen that has turned into mistrust in most of not only the students of Cabrini but also some of the staff and faculty.

Now you are probably wondering how are we going to do this. Well we cannot do it without you. That's right we are asking you, the students, to come to our meetings, offer input and develop plans for the upcoming year. We want to invite everyone next year to come to our meetings which will be held every week in the SGA office on the first floor of the Widener Center. At these meetings, you can bring any and all concerns, and we will address them to the proper offices and people.

Remember, next year there will be a new vice president of student development, who is going to be looking for students to interact and have opinions on various issues. Let's not leave our new dean out on a limb; it is time for us all to be proactive, rather than retroactive. That is, we need to act before a problem arises, so that we can avoid that same problem in the future.