What's in a Name?

What’s in a name? Well SAGA feels like they are quite a bit associated with a name. Earlier this week the General Assembly voted 20-5 in favor of allowing the student body to decide whether or not the title of Speaker of the General Assembly should be changed to President. While I commend the GA for putting the issue to the CUA community I have concerns as to the reasons given for calling this vote. According to the reasons presented on Wednesday night the change is designed to legitimize the executive role within SAGA, make it easier for people to understand what the General Assembly is, and to give additional weight to the initiatives undertaken by SAGA. While noble goals in themselves I can’t quite see how altering a title can accomplish these goals. The only true way to legitimize and prove SAGA’s worth to the University community is to simply improve the quality of the student experience here at CUA. It’s as simple as that. Creating a consistent record of achievement is not only a means to better the organizations reputation but the very end for which it was founded in the first place.
Furthermore, changing the name of the Speaker to President will serve to confuse, rather than clarify the role this office holds. In reality the Speaker is not a President, he is a Delegate for either the Junior or Senior classes who is chosen to lead the body for a current term and to carry out the initiatives of the body. However, that does not mean the Speaker is an ineffective office. In reality quite the opposite is true, the role of the Speaker allows for an incredible amount of growth. If the General Assembly wished to expand the authority of the executive I encourage them to do it within the framework of the Office of the Speaker. For example the Speaker could consolidate authority of his office by addressing the student body once a year (as is currently mandated), issue a holistic agenda, and create stronger lines of communication between the body and the student population.
The largest pitfall SAGA faces as it heads into its third year is the belief that Delegates are more concerned with hollow changes to governing documents than making things better for their classmates. I encourage the current members of the General Assembly to strive to innovate new means of improving student life and academics on campus. Similarly I encourage students to vote against changing the title of Speaker to President when they cast their ballots for next year’s members of SAGA, SFAB, and Program Board.

Official Resignation from SAGA

Speaker Christopher Pierno and Delegates of the Second General Assembly,

Effective immediately following the close of the 8th Meeting of the 2nd Student Association General Assembly I formally resign as Delegate to the General Assembly representing the Class of 2011. I will be studying abroad next semester in the United Kingdom and therefore I will be unable to adequately fulfill the duties of SAGA Delegate.

The decision to study abroad was not arrived at easily. As a member of the General Assembly since its inception in 2008 this body is dear to me both because of its incredible potential and because its mission is to cultivate a dedicated student voice within the CUA community. I have the utmost confidence in the leadership of this body as well as in each Delegate to build upon the successes we have achieved this year. However the challenge before you is not simply to continue what you already do well, but to find new ways to better the student

Develop new and innovative means of representing your classes, give voice to every student concern no matter how small, and finally understand the incredible role you have in shaping student representation here at Catholic. In just a year and a half SAGA has improved greatly, but its continued betterment is contingent upon your diligence and dedication to leaving CUA better than when we arrived. Understand that each vote, speech, and bill is setting precedents that will be followed in years to come. Be worthy stewards of that role, make SAGA, and CUA something we all can be proud of.

It has been a distinct pleasure to work and get to know each of you. Thank you for stepping up to represent your representative classes and I wish you the best of luck next semester. I will be following SAGA intently from abroad. Thank you again.

Sincerely,



Ryan D. Winn

Show Me The Money- SFAB Allocations as of 10/26/09

To date a total of $295,863.63 has been allocated from the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee. Details about these allocations are available online at sfab.cua.edu.

Coming Soon- TV's to the Kaine Fitness Center?

Earlier today the General Assembly met in a special session to vote on a proposed piece of legislation enabling the General Assembly to apply for funding for TV's for the Eugene I Kaine Student Health and Fitness Center. The bill enables the General Assembly to apply for $3,500 for the purchase and installation of TV's in the fitness center. This funding is contingent upon the Director of the Fitness Center getting University Approval for the instillation of the TV's, the cable, and the assumption of all future costs for the TV's.

This bill was passed by a vote of 18-2 and I voted in favor of this piece of legislation. It is my opinion that this is crucial improvement that will increase usage of the Fitness Center and improve each students experience at the Student Health and Fitness Center. The ball is largely in the Mrs. Marie Kennedy and the University's court at this point. The General Assembly has taken all necessary steps to apply for these funds as soon as the University presents us with a letter of intent to allow the instillation.

Should this intent be provided by the University I encourage SFAB to approve this funding as soon as possible so that work can commence immediately. The only reservations I bear towards this bill is that it may be mistakenly seen as a precedent for the use of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the purchase and renovation of University equipment. This is simply not the case, and I ensure the Student Body that I will be a vocal critic of any SAGA member who intends to use the trust invested in them by their class to inappropriately use the money that is expressly designated for Student Activities and Club Sports.

New Legislation- SFAB Transparency and By-Law Amendments

It gives me great pleasure to announce the passage of two new pieces of legislation upon which I served as a primary sponsor. The first deals with the perpetually contentious issue of transparency in the allocation of YOUR Student Activity and Club Sports Fee. Last year I worked to ensure that allocations would be posted online for general consumption and now I am proud to announce that we have opened up the allocation process even further. From this point forth SFAB is required to record the vote of each member on every allocation request. Then, the number of SFAB members voting for and against each allocation will be posted online along with the information about the request on sfab.cua.edu. Furthermore Student Organization Executives (in most cases a President) now have the authority to request a list of those members who voted in favor, against, and abstained from voting on the allocations for which their organization is a direct sponsor or cosponsor.

This new process will better allow organization leaders to improve their skills in requesting funding from SFAB as well as facilitate a conversation between Organizations and the SFAB membership that funds them. It is also my distinct hope that this will encourage students to take an even greater interest in the Student Representation process here at CUA and help ensure fiscal responsibility on SFAB, as well as protecting the interests of our Student Orgs.

The second piece of legislation was an overhaul of the Student Association bylaws reflecting name changes in liaison offices, authorizing the inclusion of SFAB's by-laws, and correcting minor inconveniences.

If you have questions regarding either bill or the operation of the General Assembly please contact me at 60winn@cardinalmail.cua.edu

Show Me the Money- SFAB Allocations as of 10/6/09

So the question I field most frequently from students and student organizations is where does my money go? I encourage everyone to stay up to date on the activities of SFAB on sfab.cua.edu (under the allocations tab).

To date $183,660.56 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165

Please keep in mind that each semester SFAB only has about $202,000 to allocate for student programs and activites. As we move closer to the final amount for this semester I will be keeping an extremely close watch on any spending that is out of the ordinary or inapropriate. Should any discrepancies be located I will bring a motion in the General Assembly to suspend this funding immediately.

SFAB Allocation Update 9/25/09

At the end of last year quite a bit of attention was focused on where money was allocated by SFAB over the course of the year to our Student Organizations. In an attempt to increase both student involvement and fiscal responsibility the General Assembly mandated that all SFAB allocations be posted online for the student population to see. Furthermore this resource will ensure that SAGA can vote down any unsound allocations, within the constitutionally mandated one week period of course.

These allocations can be reviewed until September 18th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.

To date $178,370.56 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165

I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.