By: Taymara Tait

This week the SGA meeting focused on the events of Homecoming, the upcoming safety summit and the Kel Mitchell appearance. Homecoming week, which runs from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24 and continues throughout the weekend, was the focal point of the meeting.

Tyler Barker, SGA president, addressed the Homecoming plans in detail.

Oct. 20, the senators are scheduled to do a T-shirt exchange. SGA members can bring Auburn University shirts and University of Georgia shirts to a table at Odum Library from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. and receive a free VSU shirt. Later in the evening, SGA will host a carnival from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Oct. 21 is Costume Day, and another T-shirt exchange will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the library. Also, organizations across campus will compete in mini-track racing, sheet signing and sidewalk competitions at 6 p.m. by the pedestrian mall.

Oct. 22 will be the annual “Terror in the Wild” event at Wild Adventures from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. On this night, admission will be free to VSU students with a valid ID. Buses will be provided to students who do not have vehicles. The first pick-up will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Oak Street parking lot and the last pick-up will be at 9 p.m.

Oct. 23 is White Out Day/VSU Organizational Roll Call. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a cook-out located next to VSU’s tennis courts. President William McKinney and his wife will both be in attendance.

Later in the evening, a pep rally and lip-sync competition will be held in the PE Complex at 7 p.m. Different organizations will come together to perform a song of their choosing.

Oct. 24 is Red Hat/Red Shoes day. Also, an event called “Blazing Downtown Throw-down” will start at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Valdosta.

VSU’s Homecoming parade will begin at 11 a.m. Oct. 25. The SGA plans to have a float represented in the parade this year and wants to make up for last year’s loss of no float by decorating their very own.

Taylor Malone, SGA secretary, presented the idea for the SGA float, which will embody a flame. To execute this, Malone suggested using orange soda cans in the shape of a flame.

The Homecoming football game against Shorter University at 3 p.m. at the Bazemore-Hyder Stadium is the last event of Homecoming week.

Among the discussion of Homecoming, the SGA voted to endorse one of its own, Senator Quinesha Claibourne, for Homecoming queen.

Following the detailed discussion of the SGA’s involvement in Homecoming, the upcoming safety summit was discussed. On Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in Jennett Hall, the SGA and the Campus Safety Committee will go over the plans of the tobacco-free policy and crime prevention across campus. The panel consists of the IT department and VSU’s police department.

SGA also went over plans regarding the meet-and-greet event with celebrity Kel Mitchell. The ‘90s-themed event has been replaced with trivia questions instead and will take place Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Jennett Hall.