A Word of Advice

The transition from high school to college can be intimidating, but SGA has your back! Here are a few words of advice from our members:

• “It’s not uncommon to feel small and unimportant the first couple weeks on a big campus like JMU, and that’s how I felt initially. However, the best thing you can do is to join things– whether it be student government, a dance team, theater, you name it! Even if you don’t like it, you’ll still end up meeting amazing people. The more you get involved, the easier it is to find your niche and start making your mark on Madison and really begin to ‘Be the Change.’” – Julie Hirschhorn, ‘15
• “Be friendly to those who live near you. Remember, they are with you for an entire year!” – McKenzie Quinn, ‘15
• “Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.” – Shevy Chaganti, ‘14
• “Eat at every dining facility on campus. We do have the third best food in the country! So yummy.” – Rachel Francis, ‘14
• “Remember to hold the door open! It’s a JMU tradition! And don’t forget to smile, be kind and have as much fun as possible.” – Kenya Pennington, ‘15
• “Follow every JMU related twitter account.” – Matt Klein, ‘13
• “Break bad habits and start good ones, especially time management. Join something – anything! Keep an eye out for the freshman 15, it’s sneaky. Don’t be afraid to talk to people, whether it’s your hallmates, teachers, or random people that look friendly. Actually, don’t be afraid of anything. Be really open-minded and try new things!” – Rachel Fisher, ‘15
• “Try things you never would have tried before. Be open to other people and ideas. We have some of the most amazing food in the country, but balance it with exercise, and stay healthy. Take a class in a subject you know absolutely nothing about!!” – Lauren Holder, ‘15
• “Know that college is what you make it. You have a total clean slate from what occurred in your past and that you are able to move forward. Also know the choices you make now can set how the next four years to go, so make decisions that will build your life up, for it will build your Madison Experience as well.” – Jacob Mosser, ‘14
• “If there was one thing I wish I had come into JMU with, it would have been the knowledge life takes its own path and to be game for the ride. Try not to have a preconceived notion of what your Madison experience will be. Everything may not happen perfectly, but it is all a great learning experience. In the end you will find friends to last a lifetime and will have more chances than ever before to get involved with something you are passionate about. Also, try to infuse your dorm room with your personality. It is best to make it feel like a little piece of home!” – Taylor Vollman, ‘15

We can’t wait to see you in August!

 

At-Lare Senators & Representative Applications Available

There are still positions available within Student Government. Applications have come out for At-Large Senator (not representing a specific college) and Representatives. Both positions have varying responsibilities and are necessary parts of the organization. For more information read below:

• At-Large Senator: A voting member of the Student body Senate. This member shall be part of one of the committees: Finance, Community and Traditions, Student Services, Academic and Legislative Action. Must attend a weekly Student Body Senate meeting.
• Representative: Non-voting members of the Student Body Senate. This member shall be part of one of the committees: Finance, Community and Traditions, Student Services, Academic and Legislative Action. Must attend 4 of the Student Body Senate meetings. (if you are a first time applicant, this is a great way to work your way into the organization)

Applications can be found here and are DUE to Taylor 203 Friday April 20th by 5pm. Both positions can be found on the application. Question? Email Kelly Johnson at Johns2ke@dukes.jmu.edu,

Announcing: Minor Elections WINNERS

The counts are in, and people have accepted their positions for Class Councils and College Area senators.  Listed below are the positions that will be YOUR voice for the next academic year.  Be on the look out for At-Large applications soon as well.

Senior Class Council:

 President–Meredith Wood

Vice President–Nadia Masroor

Treasurer–Annamarie Frost

Secretary–Caitlin Phillips

Junior Class Council:

President–Griffith Ridgway

Vice President–Justin Tarbell

Secretary –Amberlee Taylor

Sophomore Class Council:

President–Lauren Holder

Vice President–Kaitlin Thomas

Secretary–Rachel Francis

Treasurer–Rachel Fisher

Academic College Senators

 College of Arts and Letters

 Aaron Brown

Chris Hook

Jessica Morris

David Scala

Ben Copper

Rahath Alam

 College of Education

Megan Willis

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Laura Wilkins

 College of Integrated Science and Technologies

Tyler LedDuke

Adnan Al-Karagholi

Cameron Young

John Smith

Allie Herold

College of Business

Nick Maggio

Nora Linkous

Kyle Prestel

Garret Hansen

College of Science and Math

Rania Sheikh

At-Large

Jeff Blevins

Courtney Herb

Campbell Keyser

Kenya Pennington

McKenzie Quinn

Announcing: Staff Positions Available

With our newly elected excutive council in place, the time has come to hire the staff to help with the day-to-day tasks of running the organization.  Below, you will find each available postion and a link to the application. Completed applications should be brought to Taylor 203.

We are still accepting applications for Director of Information Technology, Executive Assistant, and Parliamentarian. Check out their position descriptions and application.

Chief of Staff: This position is newly created and accepted into our constitution!  The purpose of the chief of staff is to facilitate the mission of the Executive Council through the Executive Staff. This position works closely with the Student Body President. He/She shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Council and act as a liaison to the Executive Council for the Executive Staff. He/She shall delegate all Executive Staff responsibilities equally and appropriately among the Executive Staff.

**Director of Information Technology:  The Director of Information Technology (DIT) is responsible for developing and updating the SGA website.  The DIT, who is a member of the SGA Executive Staff, must attend executive council meetings. Additionally, he/she is responsible for the management and upkeep of all SGA-owned technology, i.e. computers, printers, tvs and iPads.  The DIT also advises the organization on recommended technology purchases and assists the organization with technology acquisition and implementation.  He/She will ensure the Student Senate meeting minutes and attendance are posted on the website.  The DIT position must hold three office hours per week.**

Director of Membership Development: The purpose of the DMD is to educate the first-year senators and representatives and provide leadership opportunities for all members of SGA. The DMD has the responsibility to work collaboratively with members of the Executive Council to plan retreats and organize meetings. The DMD has the responsibility to bring in guest speakers, provide leadership activities and bonding opportunities for senate.  As DMD, it is your responsibility to create these leadership & bonding opportunities and to serve as a role model to the first year members.

Director of Public Relations: The Director of Public Relations serves as the press secretary for the organization.  He/She shall be responsible for forming relationships with all media outlets that provide coverage for the JMU Student Government, i.e. The Breeze, student publications, The Daily News Record, etc.  The DPR will control all of the Student Government Association social media pages and accounts, i.e Facebook, Twitter, the SGA Blog and Website.  They will also coordinate content with the JMU Office of Public Affairs.

**Executive Assistant: The Executive Assistant of the Student Government Association serves as the secretary of the organization, and is in fact “the organization behind the organization.” He/She is responsible, but not limited to serving as the office manager and organizer, taking minutes in Executive Council and Senate meetings, creating the databases, will be nuts and bolts certified, responsible for a large number of the room reservations with Events & Conferences, making and updating records binders, maintaining blackboard, sending out inter-organizational emails and updating the office calendars.**

**Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian is in charge of making the final ruling on all issues of constitutionality that arise during SGA meetings. He/She is not a member of Senate or the Executive Council, but is required to attend all senate meetings. The Parliamentarian is the consultant to both bodies on issues pertaining to the SGA Constitution and Bylaws, in addition to Robert’s Rules of Order. The Parliamentarian must hold a Parliamentary Procedure Workshop for all new and returning senators and representatives.**

That’s all of them! Remember, applications need to be in to Taylor 203 by 5pm.  You also need to be available on Thursday April 12th from 6pm-10pm for interviews. Make sure you dress to impress!

Questions, concerns? Email Kelly Johnson at Johns2ke@dukes.jmu.edu and she can help you out. Good luck!

Announcing: Minor Elections Candidates

With major elections over and done, we move on to electing each class council position as well as the college senator seats.  Class Council positions are president, vice president, treasurer and secretary for the rising sophomore to the rising senior class (freshman are elected in the Fall).  Their jobs include planning educational and entertaining events for not only their class, but the entire university.  They interact directly with the Executive Vice President to perform their job tasks.  They also have a voting voice in the Senate.

College senators are the acting voice for their constituents.  They are the voting members of the Senate and are the ones who keep YOU in mind when they make decisions.  Senators also serve on specialized committees internally that are assigned by the Speaker of the Senate at the beginning of the Fall semester.  Each college has a varied number of seats that need to be filled and each year senators must be re-elected in their respective colleges. In order to be elected, senators must receive votes from THEIR college. For example, someone running for an Arts and Letters seat, cannot receive a vote from an ISAT major.

• College of Arts and Letters: 6 seats
• College of Business: 5 seats
• College of Integrated Science and Technology: 8 seats
• College of Science and Mathematics: 3 seats
• College of Visual and Performing Arts: 2 seats
• College of Education/IDLS: 1 seat
• Graduate Seats: 2 seats

As of right now, these are the individuals who are OFFICIALLY CAMPAIGNING for their position through the elections commission. Others may be doing a write-in campaign and have the same chance of being elected.

 Class Council:

-Meredith Wood Senior Class President

-Nadia Masroor Senior Class Vice President

-Annamarie Frost Senior Class Treasurer

-Caitlin Phillips Senior Class Secretary

-Lauren Holder Sophomore Class President

-Kaitlin Thomas Sophomore Class Vice President

-Rachel Francis Sophomore Class Secretary

Senators:

-Daniel Baker CAL Senator

-Rahath Alam CAL Senator

-Aaron Brown CAL Senator

-Chris Hook CAL Senator

-Jessica Morris CAL Senator

-David Scala CAL Senator

-Robert Benjamin Copper CAL Senator

-Megan Willis COE Senator

Make sure you VOTE  on Wednesday (April 4) beginning at 7am until Thursday (April 5) at 7pm. 

Senior Goings On–Rheanna Martino

Dear Seniors,

Much as we don’t like to admit it, the sudden arrival of spring means more than sunny days spent on the Quad, nights spent enjoying rooftop restaurants and the soon to be summer weather bringing on vacations and beach days. This year, the arrival of spring means the fast approaching culmination of our years of hard work here at JMU. That’s right: graduation is coming. (To lessen the pain, let’s just call it the “G” word, okay?)

 Trust me—I hate saying it more than you hate hearing it. There is nothing fun about counting down the days until we part ways with our home of four years. But look at it this way: if we’re only here for a short time, we better make it a good time, right?

There are a lot of important (and fun!) things coming up in the next few weeks to not only prepare us for the big day but also to help celebrate the time we have left.  Below you will find details on some of these events as well as resources where you can find out even more.

April 2^nd-6^th: Bookstore Grad Fair

The annual Grad Fair is your one stop shop for all things related to the “G” word.  While it may not sound appealing, this is a vital week for all seniors. During this week you can order your cap, gown, hood, tassel and all other important things for the big day. Worried you don’t know what you need? Thankfully there will be an experienced team available to ensure that you select the correct regalia to be perfectly dressed come May 5^th. If you go to the bookstore during this week, you are guaranteed to leave with everything you need; no need to wait or order, it’s all guaranteed to be there (if you go after this week, there is no definite on how long it will take to get everything).

For those who are unsure, let me clarify once and for all: all caps and gowns this year, despite popular belief, are purple. 100% JMU purple. Did you order on-line and think you ordered a black one? Don’t worry; the website uses the black outfit for its display on the page (it’s easier than specifying for each school). It’s also okay if you ordered online; you’ll get the same outfit as the rest of us.

Aside from caps and gowns and all, there will be other senior-related things available, too. You will be able to look at the official JMU Class of 2012 Rings and place an order if you never had the chance before, check out diploma frames and get a sneak peek at some of the Alumni apparel (there’s that dreaded ‘A’ word…) that will be on sale for those of us who will soon be crossing into the post-grad world. As scary as it sounds, remember that you’re one of approximately 4,000 who are going through this all. Make a new friend or bring the ones you’ve cherished since your first days here. Either way, embrace this rite of passage that comes with being a Duke.

Graduation’s no fun. What kind of fun things are going on for the Senior Class?!

There are a lot of events lined up in the next few weeks that will allow us to celebrate the end of this chapter of our lives. Ranging from countdown nights to sporting events, there are tons of opportunities for enjoyment such as final study breaks, focus groups sponsored by the Duke Club, the Senior Picnic and the Candle Lighting ceremony.  

For more details on these events and more, check out the Senior Class Events schedule on the Alumni Office’s Website. Or, for daily updates you can follow @SGAjmu2012 and @SGAjmu on Twitter.

 You can also continue to purchase senior shirts. The last day to place an order will be Monday April 16^th. You can come by Taylor 203 anytime between now and then (daily from 10am-4pm) to place your order.

These next few weeks will be bittersweet ones for sure. There is no denying that we will miss this place, but it’s only natural to feel the excitement and hope of starting a new chapter of our lives, much like we did when we were on our way to start our JMU careers. Rather than spend our days longing sadly for more time, let’s celebrate all that we have left. Remember—we’re not here for a long time, so let’s make it a good time.

Best wishes in your last weeks here. And Go Dukes!

-Rheanna Martino

Class of 2012 President

P.s. Have a question, comment or concern? Email Rheanna at Marti2rk@dukes.jmu.edu.

How To Vote for Major Elections

For those of you who have never been on BeInvolved, the task of creating a “profile” might be a little daunting. Well, have no fear, not only is the process quick and easy, outlined below are the steps you need to take. So sit back, open a second window, and register on BeInvolved:

1. Go to the homepage of BeInvolved
2. Click the “log-in” button
   
3. Enter your e-id and password
4. (Don’t worry this screen is normal)
5. You’re done!

NOW IT’S TIME TO VOTE

Class of 2014 Ring SALES!

We have finally unveiled the Sophomore class ring. As an event, ring premier went amazingly and we are so thankful for all of you that came out to enjoy the night with us. Now for the fun part, actually ordering your ring!

If you didn’t get a chance to come out and celebrate with us, head to the SGA office in Taylor 203 to pick up your bag with a FREE t-shirt as well as the brochure with pricing options.

Balfour representatives will be available from March 24-26 (10am-4pm) and again from March 29-April 2 (10am-4pm) right outside post office in Warren Hall. They will have the ability to size you as well as show you in person examples of the ring styles.

If you have any questions, you can post in the Facebook event as members of the committee will be checking it frequently. For updates, follow @SGAjmu, @SGAjmu2014 on Twitter and “Like” the Student Government Association page on Facebook.

Class of 2014 RING PREMIERE– by Kasey Gray

Attention JMU Sophomores:
-Your Ring Premiere Committee, made up of 12 Sophomore class representatives, invites you to join us in celebrating the reveal of our class ring. We have been working hard in preparation for this event since early Fall semester.  Currently we are putting the final touches on the event including extending an invitation to you for the Class of 2014 Ring Premiere. We are so excited to see you all Tuesday March 20^th at 6:00 p.m. in the Festival Ballroom.

Our theme for this year is “Capture the Madison Experience.” We chose this because we believe that the Madison experience is something that needs to be experienced to be understood. Early Fall semester, the committee came together and designed the ring to best represent the Madison Experience. We are proud of both the class and university side of the ring since we think they best embody JMU and our Sophomore Class.

At premiere, we not only will reveal our amazing class ring, but also provide food, drinks, prizes, entertainment, and best of all FREE T-SHIRTS. Among the food provided will be macaroni and cheese bites, artichoke dip, barbeque and veggie platters. For entertainment, we have performances by two of JMU’s talented a capella groups, Noteriety and Exit 245 as well as a featured dance showcase by Breakdance.

For prizes we have a plethora available for any sophomore to win. The prizes given away at premiere include iTunes gift cards, gas cards, certificates to put towards paying for your ring, JMU parking passes, and two Flip Mino Digital Camcorders.

 We also have a new surprise tradition to announce at the event. You will not want to miss being part of our special plans!

Sound like something you want to attend? We think so! Don’t worry about a dress code, just come as you are.  You will be also be able to place an order for a ring the night of premier, so bring your checkbooks!

There are a few things you can do prior to the event:
– Join our Facebook event where we will be giving away $25 gift certificates to the bookstore when the event reaches 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 attendees. Therefore you should help us, and yourself, by clicking “attending” on the Facebook event and encourage your sophomore friends to do the same.

– Come by the Commons everyday leading up to the event for a chance to meet some of the committee members as well as grabbing some free Class of 2014 sunglasses. Perfect for this beautiful weather!

 

We have put so much effort and time into planning into this years Ring Premiere and cannot wait to share the evening with you! Look forward to a night full of fun and get excited to see the ring we have created just for you!

See you Tuesday March 20 at 6p in Festival!

Sincerely,
Class of 2014 Ring Premiere Committee

*For more information please email us at jmuclassof2014@gmail.com and follow us on twitter at @SGAjmu2014.

 

What Chick-fil-a and Bacon Have in Common

This past semester, members of the JMU community were a little upset when Burger Junction decided to start charging for bacon on their burgers. Therefore, the Student Services committee within SGA decided to tackle the issue and came up with a logical solution with the help of JMU dining..FREE BACON FRIDAY!

Friday February 24 the Burger Studio in both Festival and Market One will be offering free bacon for those who ask for it.

This is the first time, and potentially the only time this is happening, so take advantage of the opportunity. Bacon lovers unite! Spread the word, make countdowns, do whatever you need to do to let everyone know this is happening. The better the response, the easier it will be for us to tell dining about. Not a bacon fan? Not to worry, Chick-fil-a comes into play right about now…

In order to kick off the newest way to raise money for your organization, Chick-fil-a is having SGA members serve patrons on campus this Friday, February 24, from 2-5pm. Organizations can apply for the chance to work a “Spirit Night” the same way in which they would for a concessions night.  Since SGA is front end budgeted, we cannot take any proceeds so Chick-fil-a has agreed to donate to the Blue Ridge Food Bank instead. These nights will occur once a month, and is a great opportunity to fundraise for your organization.

So regardless of if you are an avid bacon lover, of if you are trying to “Eat mor chikin,” this Friday has something for you. Brought to you by the members of Student Services! Want more updates on what they are doing around on campus? Follow them on twitter: @JMUStuds