WILSON
THE B..LLBOARD
SPRING 2018 ISSUE 3
WILSON COLLEGE
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Signs posted on door to Sarah’s Coffeehouse alerts students to ongoing renovations to the space on Apr. 10.
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018
Photo by Kimberly Maske-Mertz
WCGA a Mystery to Many Students By Kirsten Bilger
As the spring semester comes to an end, Wilson College Government Association (WCGA) will hold elections for student officers for 2018-19. These positions include President, Vice President, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Chief Justice, Academic Affairs Chairperson, Constitution and Bylaws Chair, and Treasurer. Yet, while the election of student representatives is important, many students may not know what exactly WCGA does or how they conduct business. As part of their purpose, members of WCGA are in charge of the apportionments given to the clubs on campus each semester. Together, they review requests made by each club and determine the amount that is given to those clubs. If a club has any
concerns, WCGA invites them to discuss the matter through appeal. This allows club officers to voice their opinions while WCGA helps to ease their concerns—especially those relating to funding. Dean Mary Beth Williams, advisor of WCGA, comments, “The entire Apportionment Process is discussed in executive session and only announced after the money has been allocated. As is the history and policy at Wilson, the decisions on how to use student fee money is portioned out under the direction of the WCGA officers with my advisement.” However, while WCGA works toward fairness in the disbursement clubs receives, some students feel that the process is sometimes difficult and that WCGA should work harder to include students in these decisions.
Molly Lemke ’20, who is President of WAAG and Vice President of Allies, notes, “It’s common knowledge that if you need the WCGA to do something, you should prepare for a long battle and/or wait. No one checks the official email. There is barely any information online on their policies and procedures.” However, as Dean Williams notes, students can attend the bi-weekly General Assembly meetings as a way to voice their concerns, propose ideas, and participate in the decision-making process. “When students and student organizations see a need for an item or an activity on campus, most often they approach a WCGA officer to start the conversation,” Williams explains. “Usually, those conversations with officers lead to agenda items that are covered in bi-
weekly WCGA executive meetings. However, there is always a time for new business on the agenda in the bi-weekly General Assembly meetings when students and student organization representatives can speak to needs and issues of concern as well. Two examples of this were when the WCGA agreed to sponsor Phoenix Fridays in the fall after suggestions from students, and another was when the Spanish Club approached the WCGA asking them to sponsor the Tres Vidas event two years ago.” In addition to providing apportionments to clubs, WCGA works toward replacing and/ or bringing new equipment or experiences on campus for students. One example of this is the new gaming systems and games WCGA helped to provide. Cont. on Page 11