Georgia State’s Student Government Association wasted no time getting the 90th administration underway at the second Atlanta campus meeting of the semester. Thursday’s session included all of the works: swearing in new senators, establishing committees and passing bills. The biggest accomplishment is a donation of $3,000 worth of feminine hygiene products, secured from Planned Parenthood to help bring them to all six campuses, according to Communications Director Evan Malbrough.
Malbrough suggested the “Flower Initiative,” a goal to provide feminine hygiene products to all six campuses, first proposed on the Clarkston campus by Executive Vice President Yasmin Henry. Malbrough is looking forward to developing a university-wide “Garden Week” to raise awareness about issues women face with their menstrual cycles by having a feminine hygiene drive.
At the previous Atlanta campus meeting, EVP Hamza Rahman expressed a desire to connect students with their local government, and the Senate made progress on this goal. A bill was proposed to establish an ad hoc committee for this purpose so that Georgia State and its community could be represented in the local government.
Senator Audrey Abraham introduced the bill to establish the committee, and the senators erupted in arguments over how the committee would be appointed, almost coming to an agreement to table the bill until the next meeting. After the dust had settled, the senators ultimately decided to pass the bill, establishing the committee.
Rahman hopes to close the gap between the Perimeter campuses and the Atlanta campus by having the university-wide committee meet together to discuss legislation regarding Georgia State, such as the Higher Education Act. Rahman also hopes this committee will encourage students to advocate for their campus and for the university to collaborate on different legislative bills.
“This committee has already existed on the Perimeter campuses,” Rahman said. “Now that we have the committee existing on the Atlanta campus, they now can meet university-wide as a forum and close the gap.”
The organization saw the resignation of two-term senator and chair of the Bylaws Committee Danny Mai on Monday. According to Kaelen Thomas, Mai is shifting his focus on taking care of his family and a new position he has taken in the Robinson College of Business Success Academy. While his position is vacant now, Thomas is looking to fill his position with Tobi Olajide or Peter Minetos, two new members on the Senate.
