The SGA website has been going through many changes for the past few weeks; not all of them cosmetic, but all aimed towards making this website better, faster, and stronger.

We are working on cleaning up the navigational interface and maintaining a new “Minutes and Records” page, with a database of all the minutes from the past and present Senate sessions archived in PDF form.  We have also nixed the portion of Legislature page dealing with the House of Representatives, as it was dissolved in 2008.

Please leave your questions, concerns, and comments below!

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL:

All candidates for Executive Council are pending approval by the Honor Council

President:

Derek Banov

Dionna Everett

John Martin Capelle

Vice President:

Joseph “Joey” Confrancesco

Isaiah Nelson

Treasurer:

Elliot Dickerson

Andrew Edahl

Ben Goodson

Sarah Malkin

Claire Voegele

Secretary:

Megan Carr

Brittany Graham

Ross Kressel

——

Sophomore, Class of 2012:

Natalia Bang

Brantley Beckwith

Hunter Boone

Sierra Nicole Butler

Madison Carr

Megan Carr

Caroline Crabbe

Elliot Dickerson*

Tim Drevins

Andrew Edahl*

Ben Genn

Alexander Kirby

Ross Kressel*

Jeff Lucas

Daniel Mackin

Katreena Mitchell

Isaiah Nelson*

Michael Riess

Nicole Trevisan

Bradley Woods

Logan Wright

Junior, Class of 2011

Kimberly Arnold

Devon Bolton

John Martin Capelle*

Sarah Cawood

Catherine Conforti

Brittany Graham*

Kristen McCutcheon

Rachel Nielsen

Meagan Roach

Alexandra Rogers

Charles Weber

Kelly Zander

Senior, Class of 2010

Catherine Barthelme

Paul Gordy Casasco

Shea Diaz

Annie DuPre (pending Honor Council approval)

Dionna Everett*

Brett Fader

Kristin Krawchuk

Noelle London

Sarah Malkin*

Charles “CJ” O’Dell

Hamilton Osborne

Sarah Bella Slagsvol (pending Honor Council approval)

Claire Voegele*

Senior Class Officers:

President: Trent McCord Henry, Sarah Bella Slagsvol

Vice President: Rachel Koch

Secretary: Catherine Barthelme

Treasurer: Vacant

Campaigning begins on Wednesday, March 11th at 12:01am. All candidates shall not actively campaign until that time. Elections will be held on Wednesday March 18th and Thursday March 19th during normal business hours on CougarTrail.

All questions should be directed to the Elections Commission by emailing them at cofcelectioncommission@gmail.com.

Elections will be held for all offices within the Student Government Association, including all Senator seats as well as Executive Council officers of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. To start the process simply download an Election Packet available at the end of this article. All Elections Packets must be returned to the Elections Commission on the third floor of the Stern Student Center by 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 25th.

Mandatory Informational Meetings for students interested in campaigning to be an Executive Member or Senator are required to attend ONE meeting. Those meetings are as follows:

Wednesday, February 18 at 11am, Stern 409

Thursday, February 19 at 5pm, Stern 413

Monday, February 23 at 12pm, Stern 206

Tuesday, February 24 at 3pm, Stern 201

If there are any questions regarding the Elections, please contact the Election Commission at cofcelectioncommission@gmail.com. Please note that campaigning may NOT begin until 12:01am on Wednesday March 11, 2009. It is the responsibility of every candidate to read the Elections By-Laws and understand the consequences of a failure to follow them.

Spring 2009 Election Packet

Election By-Laws Spring 2009

Official By-Laws of the Student Government Association, updated Feb. 17, 2009

Film it. Submit it. Get people to watch it. Win.

The College of Charleston announces a call for entries for the “my College of Charleston” video contest. The contest is open to anyone in the world (over the age of 18) who can show their enthusiasm about the College of Charleston in three minutes or less. www.cofc.edu/mycollege

The five videos with the most pageviews on 12.09.08 will be judged by a panel and played before the men’s basketball game on 1.29.09. The winner of the grand prize 32” LG Flat-Panel LCD HDTV/DVD Combo will be announced at halftime.

“Our students, alumni and fans never cease to amaze me with their creativity,” said Mike Haskins, executive VP for external relations. “This contest provides an outlet to showcase their talent and the College of Charleston, while continuing to embrace new media initiatives. These videos will speak to our Generation Y audience around the world about how exciting and engaging the College can be.”

Full contest details, rules and how to submit a video can be found at www.cofc.edu/mycollege.

Contact:

Melissa Whetzel

News Manager

843.953.7752

whetzelm@cofc.edu 

SGA is proud to announce the introduction of the SOURCE. SOURCE is an interactive discussion board for students at the College of Charleston to post various transportation options. Students are able to post the destination and contact information to find other students who are traveling to the same areas.

The current version of SOURCE is in its Beta stage. As the system develops, the SGA will be able to provide an advanced format for students to post travel options to various destinations. SOURCE was created out of discussions with both new students and parents  to the College of Charleston. It was evident that a forum of this kind was needed to help facilitate travel options for all students.

Visit the SOURCE website at www.cofc.edu/sga/source .

For questions about the SOURCE please email the Student Government at SGA@cofc.edu or visit Stern Center 401.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:  All transportation offered and accepted through the SOURCE is the sole responsibility of the drivers and riders involved.  No screening is done through this posting board, by the College of Charleston or by the Student Government Association (SGA).  The safety of the vehicles, drivers and riders is the responsibility of each individual traveler and is NOT the responsibility of the College or the SGA.  Drivers and riders are encouraged to discuss safety and liability (insurance) issues before making final arrangements for travel.  Please note that the College does not provide insurance coverage for these trips. The College of Charleston and the  SGA assume no responsibility for any other information, claim, statement, comment or endorsement made on or through the SOURCE board.  By participating in this bulletin board you agree to be legally bound by the terms of this disclaimer.

Today, the Elections Commission announced the approved candidates for Freshman elections in Fall 2008. These students have proved to be in good academic and disciplinary standing with the College of Charleston. They maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher and have the support of students in their class. Those candidates are:

Below is the official list of Freshmen running for the position of Senator:

Hunter Boone                Isaiah Nelson

Sierra Nicole Butler Rachel Nielsen

Timothy Drevins Nichole Trevisan

Elliot Dickerson Abby Waters

Susan Guth Logan Wright

Ross Kressel

Cameron McKelrey

Campaigning begins on Wednesday, September 3rd at 12:01am. All candidates shall not actively campaign until that time. Elections will be held on Wednesday September 10th and Thursday September 11th during normal business hours on CougarTrail.

All questions should be directed to the Elections Commission by emailing them at cofcsga@gmail.com or calling 843.953.5722.

Mandatory Informational Meetings for students interested in campaigning to be a Senator will be during the week of August 27. Those meetings are as follows:

Wednesday, August 27th @ 12pm

Thursday, August 28th @ 3:30pm

Friday, August 29th @ 1pm

Monday, September 1st @ 4pm

All meetings will be held in the lobby outside the SGA Office on the 4th floor of Stern.

If there are any questions regarding the Elections, please contact the Election Commission at cofcsga@gmail.com or by calling 843.953.5722. Please note that campaigning may NOT begin until 12:01am on Wednesday September 3, 2008. It is the responsibility of every candidate to read the Elections By-Laws and understand the consequences of a failure to follow them.

Fall 2008 Election Packet

Official By-Laws of the Student Government Association at the College of Charleston

Elections By-Laws 2008-2009

Please turn in this form with an updated Constitution, insurance information (if applicable), and a membership roster by 6pm on Wednesday, September 10.

Any questions can be directed to SGA Secretary William Porter by emailing him at wmporter@edisto.cofc.edu.

On-Going Student Organization Registration Form, 2008-2009

The Election Commission has announced the dates of the Mandatory Information Meetings for students who are interested in campaigning as a Student Senator. All meetings will be held in the lobby area outside of the SGA office on the 4th floor of Stern Center. The dates and times are as follows:Wednesday, August 27th @ 12pmThursday, August 28th @ 3:30pmFriday, August 29th @ 1pmMonday, September 1st @ 4pmPlease be aware that the final meeting will be one hour prior to the time the Election Packet must be submitted. The Packet does contain a petition to campaign that must have fifty (50) currently enrolled student signatures with campus-wide identification number. It is advised that this is completed before the informational meeting.For any questions contact the Election Commission at cofcsga@gmail.com or by calling the SGA office at 843.953.5722.

Friends,

Monday morning, June 9th, the Board of Trustees for the College met to discuss tuition for the upcoming academic year. The Finance Committee proposed increases in tuition for in-state students by 8% and out-of-state students by 9%. This will be a total increase of tuition to $8,400 and $20,418- respectively. That afternoon, the Board approved the proposal for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Each year, the State of South Carolina gives less and less money to higher education. This year alone, there was a 4% reduction in state appropriations, totaling $1.34 million. In the past weeks, Board members were strong advocates for us, asking SC state legislators to overturn the vetoes presented by Governor Mark Sanford that would cut our budget by $4.1 million. The programs that would have been affected in particular were hospitality and tourism, real estate, global trade, and education. Luckily, our legislators fought hard for us and we were able to maintain the $4.1 million in our state-allocated budget. Had they not, you would have seen a significant loss in those programs.

In order to maintain the high-level of education that we do offer, these increases had to be put into place. To attract and maintain quality professors and students, and to continue to update our historic campus into one that continues to be state-of-the-art, the numbers were crunched to what was presented. Also, please note that the second largest increase was directed to student financial aid ($650,000); this includes merit-based, need-based, and a new study-abroad scholarship program.

As a non-voting member of the Board, I am in support of the raise. Being an out-of-state student myself, I understand the stresses that these increases can have on student and family finances. I agree with President Benson, that if this raise had not been put into place, the College would not be able to offer the quality education that we, as students, demand. Let me remind you that there are many people at work to ensure that you can receive funding that you need to attend the College. Our Financial Aid Office is located on the ground floor of Lightsey Center, towards McAlister Hall, and ais always available for your questions. You can browse their website at cofc.edu/finaid. And know that FAFSA, federal student aid, is always available to those who qualify.

If you have any questions about the this year’s tuition please contact me or Mike Robertson, Senior Director of Media Relations, at robertsonm@cofc.edu. I hope you’re enjoying the Summer and I can’t wait to see you back in Charleston in the Fall.

Seaton

M. Seaton Brown
President of the Student Body
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC 29424
e: msbrown@edisto.cofc.edu
c: 912.270.2098