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The weekly SGA meeting on Oct. 30, 2024 several senators met with the Deans of different departments on campus. Dr. John Jackson, Dean of the STEM department brought up a safety concern in Corley Hall. Dr. Jackson said the elevator in Corley is shaking, and making loud thundering noises. While the elevators are checked annually, Dr. Jackson said it’s a major safety concern.
He also had concerns about scheduling issues in the STEM majors, due to conflict with class meeting times. Since the student body is continually shrinking, there are less blocks available for upper level classes. This had led to students having to rearrange entire schedules to take one class.
The College of Business at ATU is getting re-accredited with AACSB the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Tourism Department at ATU is also the only one in Arkansas to be accredited with COAPRT, the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions.
Dr. Georgeanna Wright has sent a proposal to Dr. Santos the Chief Academic Officer at ATU for the Honors Program to be an official college on campus. The Honors Program has suffered budget cuts in recent years.
The eligibility for the $2,000 stipend has been reduced to students entering as incoming freshman, and the odd transfer student when there’s enough money from donations. The only issue with becoming an official college would be staffing. The staff for the Honors Program now is comprised of professors who teach different classes not specific to the Honors Program.
SGA recognized Senior Senator Haydon Eason as the senator of the month. This decision was made by the Executive board, because of his participation in meetings. SGA passed Bill 109 approving this year’s budget of $8,000, with $4,299.91 left for the rest of the semester.
Dr. Nichols, the Vice President for Student Affairs, mentioned the proposal for students to have the entire week of Thanksgiving off. She said the proposal has not been passed yet, and SGA should send in a recommendation to back it. Dr. Nichols ended the meeting with a joke: Why don’t mummies take time off? They’re afraid to unwind.
