FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
Q: What is the difference between an SGA executive officer and a class officer?
A: Class officers are elected by the members of their class, whereas SGA executive officers are elected by the entire student body.
Class officers help their class by leading their classmates in campus involvement and foster class camaraderie by hosting class socials. Their main projects are fundraiser such as car washes, talent shows, bake sales, t-shirt sales, etc. The junior class uses the funds they have raised since their freshman year to sponsor the Spring Formal. The senior class uses its funds to give a Senior Gift to the college. Funds are also used for memorials, donations, and other worthy causes that the class wishes to sponsor.
SGA Executive Officers are charged with the vast responsibility of representing the student body to the college administration, faculty, and staff. They perform or coordinate the many services that SGA offers. All five SGA officers are paid twenty hours a week (although their positions often require many extra unpaid hours!). The Student Government Association also has an office that is staffed and run entirely by the SGA executive officers.
Q: Who are the current SGA executive and class officers? How may I contact them?
A: You can meet the SGA executive officers on our Officer Biographies page; contact information is provided as well. The class officers are listed on the Class Officer page along with information on how to contact the president of each class.
Q: Do SGA officers get paid?
A: Student Government Association executive officers are paid for up to twenty hours a week: fifteen set office hours per week and up to five hours per week for meetings outside of the office. All the officers earn student supervisor pay. SGA officers are not paid for the overtime that they work or for attending Berry College functions.
Q: What do SGA officers do?
A: Official duties of the Student Government Association Executive Committee are outlined in Bylaw One, Section A-E of the SGA Constitution. Other activities carried out by the Executive Officers include the maintenance of office files and suggestions and being available and approachable for all members of the Berry College community, including students, faculty, and staff. The primary obligation and commitment of the Executive Committee are to understand ideas and concerns of the student population, represent those ideas and concerns to the College administration, and to serve all Berry students in anyway possible. For more information on the duties of a specific officer, please click on the link to the SGA Constitution above.
Q: Who is eligible to become an officer? How do I become an officer?
A: Please refer to the Elections page for a complete explanation of the positions available, the requirements and activities of office, dates of elections, and campaigning guidelines.
REPRESENTATION
Q: How does SGA represent me?
A: The Berry College Student Government Association is constantly striving to better represent the needs and views of the students at Berry. Every Tuesday night at 7:00 representatives from campus organizations, residence halls, and other "At Large" representatives meet to discuss current campus issues and events. These meetings are open to all Berry students and serve as a forum for student concerns and announcements.
The SGA has the ability to write letters, pass resolutions, request meetings, and perform other actions on behalf of the student body. Because the SGA is an official part of the system here at Berry, the united voice of the representatives is heeded more often than individual complaints or less organized petitions. SGA does its best to bring to the attention of the administration individual's concerns in private meetings that are held regularly and by appointment between the SGA officers and officials of the administration, including the president.
Q: I don't feel that I have a voice or that anyone is listening to me. How can SGA help me?
A: If you have a problem with the way something at Berry is being done and you'd like to have the help of your fellow students to get something done, please bring it to the attention of either the entire SGA assembly at our meeting every Tuesday at 7, or contact the SGA officers at the SGA office. We can be reached by phone at 706 236-2288, by email at SGA@berry.edu, by postal service at PO Box 490093 Mount Berry, GA 30149, or in person at our office in Krannert Center 327.
Q: I'm not involved in organizations and I don't associate with my hall or I live off campus. How do I get a voice in the Student Government?
A: If you feel that your representatives are not representing your concerns well enough, or if you don't have anyone who represents you (i.e. you are a commuter student and not part of a student organization), or if you just want to be part of SGA yourself, remember that there are voting positions available for At Large Representatives and At Large Commuter Representatives. At Large representatives are voting members of the Student Government Association who do not represent any organization or residence other than themselves. The number of At Large Representatives are determined each year by a ratio between residents and resident representatives vs. total students, and the number of At Large Commuter Representatives are determined by a ratio of residents and representatives vs. commuter students. Elections for these positions are held at the beginning of the academic year. However, because these positions are not always completely filled, there are sometimes open positions throughout the year.
SGA MEMBERSHIP AND REPRESENTATIVES
Q: Where and when does SGA meet?
A: SGA currently meets in the Krannert Ballroom.
Q: Who can be involved in SGA?
A: Every student can be involved. One of the most important things about SGA is our commitment to representation. We feel that it is very important that everyone understand that just because you do not possess a voting right that does not mean that your voice will not be heard. There is a time in each weekly SGA meeting to address the concerns of the student body.
Q: Who has voting rights?
A: According to SGA Constitution, anyone representing a club or organization, hall, commuters, or the campus at large will have a vote in SGA; class officers also have a voting right, as do the SGA executive officers, with the exception of the president (unless a tie occurs). You are also entitled to a vote if you are appointed by SGA to serve on any College or SGA committee, council, or panel. SGA executive officers are allowed to vote up until the end of the year, even after the new administration takes office in the spring. To retain voting rights, representatives must maintain good standing.