At the Monday night SGA senate meeting, a bill was proposed by COSAM Senator Cara Herring to change some of the language in the Miss Auburn and Miss Homecoming candidacy requirements.
The bill, if passed, at the next senate meeting on Feb. 6 would change the enrollment standards for Miss Auburn. Candidates would be required to finish four semesters, excluding summer terms, with two of those semesters being completed at Auburn before being considered eligible.
Currently, candidates for Miss Auburn must earn 60 credit hours, with at least 24 being completed at Auburn University.
Proposed changes to the Miss Homecoming standards fall along a similar line. The bill seeks to change the 90-credit hour requirement to six semesters and the obligation to complete 48 credit hours to four semesters.
Both changes seek to clarify the requirements for future Miss Auburn and Miss Homecoming candidates and to make the nomination process more equitable. The resolution advanced unopposed.
In a bill proposed later in the evening, At-Large Senator Madeline Dodd proposed a bill urging the Office of Information Technology to consolidate tutoring services, academic resources and advising into a single tab on AU Access.
The bill also included research conducted by Oregon State University in 2018, which found students attend tutoring sessions 7% more often when universities advertise their resources. Also, the SGA found that five of the 12 undergraduate colleges at Auburn do not list tutoring services on their official websites.
The proposed bill also advanced unopposed, but unlike the changes to Miss Auburn and Miss Homecoming, it will not facilitate an immediate campus-wide change. However, as a bill, it will be the official stance of the SGA that OIT should create a consolidated platform for academic resources.
Finally, with elections right around the corner, the current candidates for SGA president, vice president, treasurer and Miss Auburn used the open forum to pitch their platforms. Members of their staff and key supporters joined each candidate and gave testimony on their behalf.
Monday night's meeting was the last meeting before the Feb. 3 election and the penultimate meeting of the current senate. Kickoff for the elections begin on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with voting lasting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3. Callouts will be at 10 p.m. on Cater Lawn that night.
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Ethan Flynn, sophomore in journalism and finance, is the campus editor at The Auburn Plainsman. He has been with The Plainsman since Fall, 2022.
