Kenny Bush
& Jasmine Hicks
jshicks@valdosta.edu

The SGA met on Monday to discuss future plans for two new women’s sport teams and a new sports complex, as well as address future elections.
At the beginning of the meeting, it was announced by Morgan Alexander, comptroller for the SGA, that VSU was in violation of Title IX of the Equal Opportunity in Education Act. Title IX states that the number of women’s sports must be equal to the number of men’s sports available on campus. As of now, VSU stands with a 60: 40 ratio in favor of men’s sports. To correct the difference, the Allocations committee is proposing that a Lady Blazer’s soccer team and golf team be created. The funding of the two new sports teams will be from a $3.00 increase in student fees, which will not be implemented until 2011.
The discussion of sports teams led to talks over the creation of a new sports complex. The SGA plans to begin a petition to have a new sports complex built for VSU. The petition will call for new facility that includes a track and field for outdoor sports. Senators then began to question where the possible complex could be built, pointing out that there was no available space on campus. One solution was that the sports complex could be built off exit 13, but it was debated whether or not students would actually be willing to travel to use the new facility. The SGA decided that they will continue to discuss possible options as they prepare the upcoming petition.
It was also announced that the election for freshmen senators had been pushed back until next Wednesday, due to a misunderstanding with IT. The freshmen were encouraged to use the extra week to campaign and advertise the election.
As for upperclassmen, their election will be held on the 28th of September. At present, the SGA has nominated 22 students to fill the open seats available in the senate. “In order to be elected senator, a student has to be nominated by a current senator,” said Avraye Henry, Secretary for the SGA. “Then they must deliver a 30-second to one-minute speech about why they should be a senator. Then the current senate votes on whether the student becomes a senator or not.”
The SGA invites all students interested to attend their next meeting on Sept. 21. Students can also follow the SGA on Facebook and Twitter at twitter.com/vsu_sga.