During Monday night’s meeting in Powell Hall, SGA covered funding approvals, several committee reports from the senate, the annual blood drive and the organization’s representation on faculty senate committees.

In new business, both the Honors Student Association and the Film and Video Society were approved to receive funding for sponsoring events.

According to SGA Comptroller John McCall junior health and physical education major, the budget funds available for SGA as of October totaled $27,892.91.

“The funds that were allocated were $350 to go to video production group at VSU to pay for the flight of a director from Hollywood to come and speak to the University,” he said.

“The other funds in the amount of $294.63 were to help the Honors Society for the purchase of supplies for their annual haunted house.”

The funding to the VSU Film and Video Society will help pay airfare for Craig Huston, a Hollywood movie producer, to visit VSU with the purpose of speaking to students. The grant was proposed to the senate finance committee by assistant mass media professor Dennis P. Conway.

“What we envision is that Mr. Huston will make a presentation to our field production students who write and direct their own films, and then in the evening he can give a presentation open to the public,” Conway said.

Conway believes Huston’s visit will be beneficial.

“I attended a presentation by Mr. Huston at the UFVA (University Film and Video Association) conference in Boston in August and found his information to be very valuable,” Conway said. “We look forward to publicizing this visit in spring.”

Senator and senior mass media major Helen Burkett presented a powerpoint outlining her idea of funding specific supplies for The Honors College for its annual haunted house.

“The haunted house raises money for the Honors Student Association and a portion of the total funds will be donated to Harvest of Hope,” she said.

Burkett reassured that the money put toward the supplies would be put to good-lasting use.

“It’s not like it would be money wasted for a year or two,” Burkett said. “It is props and things they can keep using for many years to come.”

President and junior political science major Graham Davis believes that funding these two events will yield good results.

“As far as I know, SGA will receive some level of credit for helping to fund these two events,” he said.

SGA also had several reports from their senate committees.

Senator and junior early childhood and special education major Kieya Smith announced SGA’s decision to have town hall meetings twice a semester to ensure better results.

“This way students can come to the senators and Executive Council to discuss issues they are having whether it’s parking, campus dining or lighting on campus,” she said.

“At our last town hall meeting, we only had five students show up; however they did come with great questions and problems.”

Smith also stressed the importance of public relations with VSU students.

“For our next town hall meeting in November, we are trying to have at least 100 students come out and meet SGA and tell us their problems,” she said.

“We want to be the voice of the students but in order to be the voice we need the students to tell us what’s going on.”

Senator and senior, political science major Nigel Richardson reminded the SGA of Sleep Out for the Homeless, an event held by the men of Phi Beta Sigma in Drexel Park with the purpose of bringing awareness to the adversities of homelessness.

In other news, Vice President and senior, psychology major Derika Powers informed the SGA the need for SGA representation on faculty senate committees.

Powers said she would notify the faculty senate committee of the student representation at a later date.

Powers felt the meeting was constructive.

“I enjoy productive meetings because it gives the senators of SGA to think on their feet and provide for the students more than if we were to have an uneventful meeting,” Powers said.