SGA discuss diversity, new senators sworn in

On Monday, 11 new senate candidates were presented for appointment. Each candidate was given the floor to introduce themselves. After sharing their name, major, year and reasons for wanting to join SGA, the candidates were also given the opportunity to share any ideas that they want to implement upon their acceptance. 

Ideas included a focus on helping international students feel welcomed at NKU, which could be put into action by creating a buddy system that helps international students adjust to college life at NKU. 

Candidates also shared a desire to implement eco-friendly practices, reward involvement on campus, increase collaboration between service-oriented organizations, fix the SOTA stage in the Corbett Theatre, promote participation in the democratic process by closing school on election days and promote NKU to high school students.

Diversity of Senator Candidates

“How do you all plan to make sure that the diversity in our student body is represented?” senator Hannah Miller said.

The candidates answered that they wanted to seek out viewpoints and communicate with others.

Upon deliberation in the executive session, Justice Lauren Goodwin described hearing the calls for more diversity as “kind of like a slap in the face to me, almost as if I didn’t do my job when we spent a lot of time combing through these.” 

“This was a really hard thing for all of us sitting in there to do and we were very proud of the eleven people that we put before you all,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said that the candidates represent commuter and residential students, some SOTA students, arts and science students, STEM majors, business students, persons of color, non-Greek  students—of which there are only three in SGA—first-generation students and model UN students.

“I just want to encourage all of us so that when we have seats open up to really push those applications to different people because we are the voice that it comes from,” Vice President Shelby Sanford said. “I wanted to thank them for saying that, but also validate the concerns of the lack of diversity with race and gender, because I do think those are valid concerns.”

All candidates were approved and sworn in.

Upcoming Events

SGA will host “Unwind with SGA” on Feb. 27 with coloring sheets and stress balls.

NKU All Card will have the National Suicide Hotline and another number on the card, most likely NKU Police.

The 2020 Victor’s Vision Retreat will take place on Feb. 28 at 11:00 a.m. through Feb. 29 at 4:00 p.m.

2020 Breaking Ground Retreat April 3 through April 5.

Spring 2020 applications for Presidential Ambassadors are open until Feb. 7.