2013-2014 elected Executive Officers.

Congratulations to all new SGA members! Keyana Boka has been elected the SGA student body president and student regent, Mark Reeves has been elected for executive vice-president, and Nicki Seay is the new administrative vice-president. The WKU Student Government Association looks forward to an upcoming year full of opportunity.

Join us Tuesdays at 5pm for our weekly Senate meeting in Cravens Room 111, where student interest is our priority.

Click below to read more about the election results:

http://wkuherald.com/news/article_f9b67f4c-9cf3-11e2-8605-001a4bcf6878.html

http://wkuherald.com/news/article_551ac6e2-9da1-11e2-903a-001a4bcf6878.html

SGA Executive Officer Debate – Win an iPad Mini!

The Executive Cabinet of the 2012-2013 Student Government Association at WKU invites you to attend the upcoming Executive Officers Debate on Wednesday, March 27 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Gary A. Ransdell Hall.

This opportunity will inform you about the candidates for President, Executive Vice President and Administrative Vice President, the three officers of the administration who are elected by the WKU student community. Each candidate will present their platform and be asked relevant policy questions by Dr. David Lee, dean of Potter College of Arts and Letters, and Monica Spees, editor-in-chief of the College Heights Herald.  An iPad Mini will be awarded to one lucky attendee, so make every effort to attend.

Students who are elected to these positions hold varying levels of influence on campus and throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, therefore it is very important to be informed about what each candidate will do for the university and its students.

If you cannot join us in person, please find us online at www.wku.edu/sga/debate to watch the debate and chat about the proceedings.

Tweet your questions to us at @WKUSGA. We will be reading them during the debate.

With any questions, please email them to sga@wku.edu.

WKU to host Selection Show viewing party

Western Kentucky University will host a Selection Show viewing party at E.A. Diddle Arena on March 17. At the event, fans will learn of the pairings for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

The Hilltopper basketball team captured its second-straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship on Monday in Hot Springs, Ark. This year’s contest will mark the 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament for WKU, including the fourth in the last six years. WKU has four wins in the tournament in its last three appearances with at least one win in each of the last three appearances.

Doors open at 4 p.m. CT for the event. The NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show begins at 5 p.m. CT and ends at 6 p.m. CT. The CBS broadcast will be televised on the video boards inside the arena.

Game coverage for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will begin March 19-20 with the First Four on truTV, and the tournament concludes with the national championship game on April 8, on CBS.

The WKU Ticket Office is now accepting reservations for NCAA Tournament tickets. To place a reservation, click here. Leading up to the announcement of the pairings on Sunday, fans can place a $10.00 reservation and list the number of tickets they anticipate using.

Upon the announcement, fans who placed a deposit will be contacted by a member of the WKU Athletic Department to determine if they are still interested in tickets. If so, the $10.00 deposit will be credited to the price of the tickets. If not, the $10.00 deposit will be refunded completely.

Contact: WKU Athletic Department, (270) 745-6562

SGA Sets Election Dates

The WKU Student Government Association is set to host the organization’s general election in April.

On April 2-3, students will be able to vote on TopNet to select their next Student Senators and elected executives. The student body will be able to vote for the next Administrative Vice President, Executive Vice President and SGA President.

Applications will be released on Feb. 25. The forms are due March 19 to the SGA office in room 013 of Cravens Library.

SGA President Cory Dodds will serve as the Student Regent until June. The next SGA President will succeed Dodds as the student representative on the Board of Regents.

Contact: WKU Student Government Association, (270) 745-4354.

SGA Endorses Evaluations of Teaching Assistants

On February 5, 2013, the Student Senate at Western Kentucky University officially endorsed a draft policy that has been circulating through the University community.

Resolution 2-13-S, entitled ‘Resolution to Endorse Draft Policy 1.3070 “Evaluations of Student Teaching Assistants”’ was passed unanimously by the Student Senate and later approved by the Executive Cabinet.  The policy creates a uniform procedure for the evaluation of undergraduate and graduate students with a role in the classroom.

“There has been a growing need for this policy for some time now,” Cory Dodds, SGA president, said. “We’ve all heard the horror stories when a student signs up for a class only to be taught by a less than effective teaching assistant.”

Dodds stressed that this is not intended as an attack on graduate students.

“This policy ensures that students on both sides of lectern are getting a fair shake.  Our teaching assistants are likely pursuing a career in education or academia, and this policy simply ensures that they are encourage to grow as an instructor.”

Dodds and the SGA Executive Cabinet worked with Gordon Emslie, provost and vice president for academic affairs, in drafting the policy.  It has been distributed to the academic deans and department heads for comments.  It is on track to be presented to the University Senate in March.

Click here to read R2-13-S – Evaluations of Student Teaching Assistants.

About SGA: Led by President and Student Regent Cory Dodds, the Student Government Association of Western Kentucky University is an organization committed to the advocacy of every student that enters and subsequently exits WKU.  SGA believes that each student has a vital opinion and voice, and the organization is fully committed to serving these students.

 

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Jeff Johnson to deliver Black History Month address

Jeff Johnson, an award-winning activist journalist and motivational speaker, will deliver Western Kentucky University’s 2013 Black History Month address on Feb. 26.

The WKU Campus Activities Board and the WKU Black History Celebration & Cultural Preservation Committee are sponsoring the event. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in DUC Auditorium. This is a free swipeable event.

Johnson is also a BET host and political commentator on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. His book, Everything I’m Not Made Me Made Me Everything I Am, was released in 2009.

Contact: Campus Activities Board, (270) 745-2459.

 

American Idol winner Phillip Phillips to perform at WKU

The winner of American Idol’s eleventh season will perform at Western Kentucky University’s Van Meter Auditorium on Monday, April 8.

Tickets for the Phillip Phillips concert go on sale at 8 a.m. Feb. 4. The WKU Ticket Office is located in E.A. Diddle Arena. Tickets will also be available online at ticketmaster.com.

The event is sponsored by “Van Meter Events Presents.” The artist released his first album, “The World from the Side of the Moon,” in November 2012. The release features “Home” and “Gone, Gone, Gone.”

Phillips is a singer-songwriter from Leesburg, GA. The concert will begin at 7 p.m.

Floor seats will be available for $25 and balcony seats are $20.

Contact: Campus and Community Events, (270) 745-2497.

SGA official attends national political meeting

Individuals from across the United States convened in New York on Jan. 14. The goal of the conference was to encourage decision makers to stop fighting and start fixing.

In the past year, No Labels has released two action plans with reforms to free Washington from gridlock: Make Congress Work! and Make the Presidency Work!

No Labels aims to increase governmental efficiency and productivity through policy reforms. In the past, the group has called for reforming the filibuster and encouraging Congress to have five-day work weeks.

SGA Administrative Vice President Cain Alvey attended the Meeting to America Work at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.

The agenda for the meeting included several guest speakers from the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Jonathan Miller, Kentucky’s former state treasurer, is a co-founder of No Labels. Other co-founders include Lisa Borders, Nancy Jacobson, Mark McKinnon, John Avlon, Bill Galston, Kiki McLean, David Walker, Ron Shaich and Clarine Nardi Riddle. Former Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin are the new national leaders of No Labels and the movement.

Contact: No Labels, (202) 588-1990.

SGA hosts Dine with Decision Makers

WKU’s Student Government Association invited federal, state and local leaders to Bowling Green to meet with students at the annual Dine with Decision Makers on Dec. 5. The keynote speaker was WKU student Sarah Brazier.

WKU’s Student Government Association hosted Dine with Decision Makers on Dec. 5. SGA Administrative Vice President Cain Alvey called on guests to stand up to be recognized for their achievements.

The Student Government Association created the event in 2009 to foster discussion between college students and elected officials.

The 2012 edition marked the first time the dinner was held at the Kentucky Museum. It was previously held in Downing University Center. After the dinner, guests were invited to E.A. Diddle Arena to watch the Hilltopper basketball game against Southern Illinois.

The following decision makers were guests at the event:

• WKU President Gary Ransdell
• WKU Vice President for Student Affairs Howard Bailey
• WKU Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations Kathryn Costello
• WKU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Gordon Emslie
• WKU Vice President for Public Affairs Robbin Taylor
• WKU Faculty Regent Patricia Minter
• WKU Director of Student Activities Charley Pride
• WKU Director of Government & Accountability Jennifer Smith
• Bowling Green City Commissioner Bill Waltrip
• Radcliff Mayor J.J. Duvall
• Elizabethtown Mayor Tim Walker
• Barren County Judge-Executive Davie Greer
• Daviess County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly
• Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon
• Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer
• Kentucky Department of Agriculture official Fred Nesler
• State Sen. David Givens
• State Sen. Mike Wilson
• State Rep. Jim DeCesare
• State Rep. C.B. Embry
• State Rep. Jody Richards
• State Rep. Arnold Simpson
• State Rep. Wilson Stone
• State Rep. Tommy Thompson
• State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach
• Field Representative Holly Lewis (Office of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell)

SGA President Cory Dodds welcomed guests to the Kentucky Museum.

Contact: WKU Student Government Association, (270) 745-4354.

SGA donates three cameras to TRC

The WKU Student Government Association recently donated three cameras to WKU’s digital media facility, the Technology Resource Center.

The TRC offers specialized equipment and software. The facility also provides resources to develop multimedia projects for course work.

The Student Senate initially started discussing a donation in November. The three Nikon Coolpix L26 digital cameras were donated to the facility on Dec. 10.

The TRC is located in Room 257 of Mass Media & Technology Hall. The facility offers several services including multimedia conversion, video editing, scanning, duplication services, file transcoding and equipment consultation.

Students can rent items from the TRC including cameras, projectors, tripods and sound equipment. An online reservation system is available.

For information, visit http://www.wku.edu/it/trc/index.php

Contact: WKU Student Government Association, (270) 745-4354.