The Spectator The independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University
Written by Kyle Dawson, Photo Editor
VSU interim President Dr. Cecil Staton will be in the hot seat at next week’s Fireside Chat hosted by Student Government Association.
The Fireside Chat will take place on Feb. 18 at 7p.m. in the West Hall Rotunda.
At Monday’s SGA meeting, Vice President Colleen Kavanaugh said that President Staton will be the speaker for the event, which will include giveaways, music and a photo booth.
“It’s a way for people to sit down and listen to the president,” Kavanaugh said.
SGA President David Burdette encouraged all those in attendance to take advantage of the event as a way to build a relationship with the president who has been under fire recently for leading the charge on changing the routine for graduation.
Burdette said he has been working with President Staton on changing the ceremonies back to the way they were, but he says the president won’t budge.
“I’ve tried numerous times to get them to change it back,” Burdette said. “He wanted to bring something new to VSU.”
Burdette said that the president was very understanding of his and other students’ concerns, but because of bookings, there isn’t much that they can do to change it.
“(Staton) already made the decision to get the speaker,” Burdette said, “The speaker has already been paid.”
Burdette said he even suggested keeping the new changes for graduation except putting the convocations on Friday and the ceremony on Saturday, but the president decided to go with his original decision. He then told the senators and others in attendance to be thankful that they are able to graduate and to go voice their concerns at Fireside Chat.
At the next meeting, SGA will vote to make Fireside Chat an annual event where students can voice their concerns about VSU.
Kavanaugh also talked about Student Opinion of Instructors (SOIs) at the meeting. She said that they are in the process of being redone at the Faculty Senate level after a push from SGA.
“(The changes) are really big because it affects all students,” Kavanaugh said.
Also, two new members were elected to SGA’s judicial branch. James Cutts and Alexis Outlaw were elected to the branch whose duties include interpreting the SGA Constitution and By-Laws and settling disputes that students have with SGA. They also have the final say on impeachment, non-compliance and judicial complaint.
The next SGA meeting will be on Monday, Feb. 15, in the Student Union.
To date, Dr. Stanton has basically discounted any concern students have raised about graduation…saying that he can’t address “misinformation”.
How could he have possibly considered moving college-level convocation to Friday if finals are not over until Friday night???
He’s claiming that he cannot change things now because the speaker has been booked and paid, yet…he did not announce the speaker until after such concerns were raised (even if the process may have been in motion beforehand).
Is this guy really so arrogant that he is going to dismiss the concerns of over 1000 students and parents to accommodate one paid speaker?
#Cecil go home