Our platform focuses on the key areas of services, advocacy, and outreach. Please take a moment to consider our vision for what EKU can be, and give us your feedback.
Services
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Using a portion of the nearly $20,000 SGA budget surplus, in addition to other funding sources, the Fifer/Jager administration will expand the services of Student Government into new areas, and use SGA resources to improve existing ones. Chief among these initiatives are:
A student legal aid service - We will establish a student legal aid service, whereby students may receive professional legal advice from a credentialed attorney, funded by the Student Government Association. Students often find themselves facing legal questions during their college careers, from disputes with their landlords, to alcohol charges, to traffic tickets. As an administration focused on serving the best interests of the student body, we will ensure that you receive the advice you need when you need it the most.
Notary services - We will certify and train the SGA office associate as a Kentucky Notary Public, making this position available to certify official documents, verify identities, and administer oaths. Students applying for scholarships, complying with administrative and legal requirements, and taking leadership positions, often need such services.
An improved shuttle system - Having each served on the University Parking and Transportation Committee for two years, we are intimately familiar with one of the greatest challenges facing Eastern today. Drawing on our expertise regarding the parking issue and University affairs, we will use the leverage of Student Government to begin replacing the existing fleet of school buses with “airport style” shuttle buses, and establish a third route dedicated to serving commuter lots and each side of the bypass. With specific plans to generate funds to be earmarked for this purpose, students will enjoy a new and improved shuttle system.
Advocacy
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Throughout our careers, effective advocacy has been our number one priority. Having both served as chairmen of the Senate Student Rights Committee, during which time we coordinated the Senate response to several complex policy initiatives, our skill in protecting the best interests of students while finding ways to compromise with University administrators is tried and true. We will further heighten the effectiveness of SGA's historic mission of advocacy in the following ways:
A strong voice in campus affairs - With a successful track record of accomplishing major projects across campus, and solid relationships with administrators, faculty, and staff members throughout the University, we will ensure that the needs of the student body take center stage as new policies are drawn up and Eastern charts its future. From the Board of Regents to the various University committees and on every level in between, your issues are our priority.
Better communication between Senators and the student body - Student Senators make critical decisions on nearly every issue affecting the student body. As members of the branch responsible for the dispersal of student fees, Senators also control the purse-strings on more than $100,000 of organizational and technology funding money. As veteran leaders of Student Senate, we recognize that to be a truly effective representative requires more than a minimum of commitment. As Executive Vice President and Chair of the Student Senate, Ben Jager will work with the leadership of that branch to develop requirements for Senators to visit at least three different Registered Student Organizations every semester, so that they can build stronger relationships with the students they represent.
The establishment of Graduate and Non-Traditional Student Councils - While traditional undergraduate representation in SGA has always been high, graduate and non-traditional students are often overlooked despite their large numbers. These students, who make up a combined 40% of the student body, deserve more equitable inclusion. We will create a Graduate Student Council and a Non-Traditional Student Council, which will have University Committee status and whose chairpersons will advise the Student Body President on the unique issues facing the students they specifically represent.
Outreach
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Within the community:
The experience of being an Eastern student is not limited to the boundaries of the University. Rather, students are as much citizens of Madison County as they are members of the campus community. Despite the fact that the majority of the student body lives, works, pays taxes, and buys goods and services in Richmond, many feel like visitors here rather than valued members of a vibrant city. We want to bridge the gap between Eastern and Richmond, continuing the work David Fifer started with outgoing president Kyle Moon. This includes:
The Police Ride Along Program - Started this year by Fifer and Moon, we will continue the innovative partnership of placing Eastern students in Richmond patrol cars to give students and officers a chance to discuss the challenges and issues each other faces. An unprecedented partnership, this program presents a crucial opportunity to ease the tension that has historically existed between the Richmond Police Department and many Eastern students.
Student representation on city commissions - Also for the first time in Eastern history, Fifer successfully negotiated with the Office of the Mayor for next year's Student Body President to appoint Eastern students to Richmond city committees and commissions. As president, Fifer will ensure that the perspective of the student body is heard by the leaders of the Richmond community by placing students on policy making bodies.
A safety foot path - Already in discussions with administrators and city officials, we will begin the establishment of a designated footpath between campus and the downtown area. Well-marked, well-lit, and well-patrolled, this path will offer students a safe way to leave their car keys at home and enjoy downtown nightlife. In a frustrating conflict between the best intentions of the law and the realities of college, students can legally drink downtown, but violate public intoxication laws as they attempt to make it home safely on foot. With mutual respect and an understanding that both the police and the student body have responsibilities to fulfill, students who are “staying between the lines” of this foot path will be able to enjoy responsible adult behavior and make it home without being arrested.
On campus:
SGA simply must reach out to the student body more effectively. Eastern can be whatever we wish it to be, but progress is only achieved through open lines of communication and the spreading of ideas. This is your Student Government, and our efforts should be directed at meeting your needs as you express them to us. To that end, we will establish the following programs:
The Diversity Grant Fund - Using surplus funds and eventual absorption into the permanent SGA budget, we will establish a grant program to promote diverse initiatives on campus. Open to anybody who wishes to apply, and following the same scrupulous process as current organizational funding, this resource will be committed to furthering the ideas that truly enrich our lives.
One stop web services - Much like Eastern's own website, the SGA homepage will become your “one stop shop” for all of the services and resources of the Student Government Association. From grant applications, to information on your representatives, to comments and complaints, the SGA website will include all the information you need to get the most of your Student Government. Our doors will always be open, but the convenience of the internet will allow us to serve you better, faster, and more professionally.
Executive Roundtables and SGA Forums - Recognizing the value of meeting face to face with the people we serve, we will hold regular Executive Roundtable, inviting the leaders of various campus groups to come give us a piece of their minds. We will also hold regular SGA Forums to discuss the most important issues facing the student body, making sure that ideas are being exchanged, knowledge is being spread, and your voice is being heard.