The Student Government Association is geared for greatness, at least according to President Ryan Baerwalde.
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During the first meeting of the year Monday night Baerwalde explained that other SGA across Georgia look up to VSU’s.

 “I met with (the other SGA presidents) earlier this summer, and spoke with a lot of SGA presidents, and told them what we’ve been doing for the past two years, how we’ve been growing and developing, and becoming more professional, and they look up to us now,” Baerwalde said. “They have been asking me to send them examples of legislation we’ve passed, examples of how we run things, so there are other schools that look up to us as an SGA, and I want to let you know of how big of a deal this is.”

 Baerwalde said that the SGA was on the “edge of greatness” of being an “elite SGA, as a prime example across the state.”

 “You know, this year, we could tiptoe across that line of greatness, and kind of barely step into it, but I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I want us to go running full speed and blast past that line, and show up UGA, show up Georgia Tech, let them know that VSU is here, and we know what we’re doing with our SGA.”
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Baerwalde also has other hopes for the year. After seeing an old picture from a basketball game featuring thousands of excited fans, Baerwalde hopes to bring that kind of school pride back.

 “I don’t see why we can’t bring that back,” Baerwalde said. “[The] pride in the school, and that’s something, if we work together, both the legislature and executive board, we can make that happen, see that pride return.”

 Baerwalde said, however, that the biggest problem with that is the lack of communication between the SGA and students.

 “Apathy among college students is not a problem we need at VSU, and I have spoken with literally dozens of SGA presidents across the state of Georgia, and the biggest complaint is that students just don’t care, so we have to make them care, kind of let them know that we are here for them, and they can voice their opinions to us.”

 Baerwalde also went on to say without proper communication between the legislature and the executive board, “this entire organization fails.”

 “I will not let that happen,” Baerwalde said.

 Also discussed was the third branch of the Student Government, the judicial branch, interviews conducted with hopeful justices, and the powers these justices hold.

 “They are in charge of student conduct, and they hold a lot of power in the sense that they can get students expelled and kicked off campus, so it is a very important duty to have,” Baerwalde said.

Baerwalde, as well as members of the judicial council, are interviewing prospective candidates for the role of justice, who will face the legislature in the next two weeks.

 The SGA meets every Monday night at 8 p.m. throughout the school year.

 Also discussed in the meeting were a total of 20 seats that are currently vacant in some form of another, with ten at-large seats open, and another ten seats available for freshmen.

 “We want you guys to start telling any freshmen you know that freshmen elections are coming,” new Vice President Amber Worthy said. “They’re going to be in the next two weeks, and we’re getting the election packet ready for our next meeting, and we’ll have that packet ready for you.”

 Furthermore, the ten open seats for non-freshmen was also mentioned. Prospective senators are required to attend two consecutive meetings, and can be nominated for the third meeting, and required to speak for one minute in the fourth meeting, before being voted on in that meeting.