The Student Government Association (SGA) President John Caro spoke about the recent investigations of WCU’s Fraternity and Sorority Life at the SGA meeting on Apr. 14, including his intentions and what he wants to find.
The meeting also featured the passing of the 2015-2016 proposed university budget, the Songwriters Club and the Japanese Club being officially recognized, and the debates for the SGA executive board candidates.
Caro started an open discussion and was asked what the basis of the investigation was.
“There’s been a lot of murky water with their by-laws and instances of their by-laws not agreeing with ours,” Caro said.
Complaints about WCU’s Greek Life started last year with students within those organizations coming forward and voicing their disapproval. These complaints have persisted since then.
When asked what exactly he will be looking for in his investigation, Caro said, “I’m just looking for the facts. I don’t want to point fingers at anyone and I don’t know exactly what has been happening.” He also said that he has no timetable for how long it could take, but he does not want to rush the process. He added that it may last longer than he is in office. The closing question for Caro was what he thinks the end result of the investigation will be. Caro responded, “My end result is getting people the facts.”
Senate members were presented with the proposed WCU budget for the 2015-2016 year.
Regarding the budget and the process of creating it, Treasurer Justin Golden said, “There were no drastic cuts and no drastic raises. The talks went fairly smooth and we pretty much got everything we wanted.”
The budget was passed unanimously.
The Songwriters Club gave a presentation, which featured musical performances from three of its members. They said the club gives people a comfortable, positive setting for people who want to write and share songs. They also offer opportunities for those who wish to perform by discussing upcoming performance events.
The Japanese Club also gave a presentation. They stated that their purpose is to enhance the student body’s knowledge of Japanese culture. The club offers study sessions for Japanese classes, opportunities for museum visits, and demonstrations from experts of Japanese crafts.
Both the Songwriters Club and the Japanese Club received unanimous votes to be officially recognized as WCU clubs.
After the meeting, the debates for the SGA executive board elections were held. All five positions have one person running for them unopposed. Gary Prince is running for president, Ryan Sulzer for vice president, and Amber Hosmi is running for parliamentarian. Justin Golden will be looking to keep his position of treasurer, as will Emily Gianoni of secretary. All five had a focus on bringing awareness and interest to SGA as well as trying to bring the fun atmosphere back to it.
Dylan Messerschmidt is a third-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at DM837837@wcupa.edu.