The Student Government Association (SGA) met Nov. 19 at 8 a.m. for their weekly Senate meeting, where current senators and presidents presented six resolutions in partnership with various faculty, staff and administrators to address student and campus needs.
The meeting adjourned with the passing of five out of six resolutions; one was tabled.
“They’re [senators] advocating that SGA supports this [advocacy resolutions] and we’re going to take the next steps with administration,” senior H.L. McCullough, SGA president and former Graphic staff member, said. “We’re just going to take it further now that we have Senate approval.”
Resolution #01-F25: Nature’s Bon Appétit New Snacks Advocacy Resolution
SGA and the Dining Services Committee chair put forth the first resolution to respond to some of the student body’s criticism of the available snacks in Nature’s Edge and other campus locations, advocating for new snacks to be added.
In communicating with Bon Appétit and the Business Services department, it was made clear they would love to partner up with SGA to discuss ways to improve the snack selection, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda. The action plan includes sending out a campus-wide survey to the student body to collect data to put together a list of six to eight new snacks to be considered for addition.
SGA passed the resolution.
Resolution #02-F25: Restorative and Relaxing Spaces at Pepperdine
SGA and SGA Health and Wellness Committee recognized a need for restorative spaces around campus targeting mental health and wellness, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda.
Ideas such as mediation rooms, relaxation pods, nature-oriented study areas and stress reduction events are all under consideration. By collecting student input and data through surveys, SGA would determine which types of relaxation spaces would best meet the needs of the student body, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda.
Through communicating with Amanda Knight, coordinator of fitness and wellbeing, and Robb Bolton, director of Campus Recreation, there were discussions for potential amenities for the Mountain, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda. Installing accessible sleeping pods and meditation rooms are all feasibly up for consideration, as costs for amenities need to be accounted for with sleeping pods ranging up from $5,000.
SGA advocates for active collaboration with the Pepperdine administration to create designated relaxation spaces in location, design features and installation funds.
SGA passed the resolution.
Resolution #03-F25: Meal Point Accessibility – Flex Fund
The Flex Fund resolution was created to combat against the inability to use meal points across different campus events and vendors that has led to frustration and inconvenience across the student body, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda.
The Flex Fund system would be a distinct subclass of funds — separate from meal points — which students could use at approved campus vendors, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda. It would be a flexible add-on option within existing meal plans that would potentially allow students to use it at Pepperdine’s Waves Market to support local vendors or the bookstore.
However, the implementation of such a system would require complex planning and collaboration with the administration and Bon Appétit because they manage all the money from meal plans, said Danielle Minke, director of Student Activities, who advises SGA.
“SGA, for many years, has tried to pass something like this and it has not worked,” Minke said. “So, if there was something like this, the Flex Fund, the question would be, ‘Who is managing it? How are they distributing the funding? Is there infrastructure that needs to be in place so that people can use their meal points off campus?'”
Yet, student feedback showed something like a Flex Fund system would greatly improve quality of life, accessibility to events and campus engagement, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda.
SGA passed the resolution.
Resolution #04-F25: Mullin Mountain Trash Can Resolution
SGA and the SGA Student Life Committee acknowledged the lack of trash cans at the Mountain at Mullin Park Parking Structure has led to an abundance of trash and plastic waste left on the floor by students and construction crew.
SGA said additional trash cans at the parking structure would greatly reduce trash and have a positive impact on the environment. The trash cans would be placed in various levels of the structure and next to stairwells, areas where trash commonly accumulates.
After a discussion with Marilyn Koziatek, director of Facilities Services, SGA determined it was determined to reduce the number of trash cans from eight to six, as the addition of each trash can would have an estimated cost of $1,500. Each trash can is a pair that includes landfill and recycling with a specific cover that is required, McCullough said.
SGA passed the resolution.
Resolution #05-F25: Advocacy For Student Led Ministries
The Spiritual Life Committee addressed the student body’s need for spiritual support through student-led ministries (SLMs). Tim Spivey, vice president for spiritual life, identified the main issues for students are feeling absent within the spiritual community and the lack of a greater spiritual network.
To combat the lack of connection within the student body and SLMs, the Spiritual Life Committee proposed to operate as a bridge point between students and ministries to be in collaboration with Nicole Son, the student ministry program specialist at the Hub for Spiritual Life, and SLMs to support the financing and marketing of large-scale events, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda.
The advocacy resolution is intended to help improve the expansion of SLMs and improve spiritual formation for students in their journey of faith, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda.
SGA passed the resolution.
General Fund Request #06-F25: AKA-MLK Day
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) requested funding from SGA to host an event in honor of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 16, which would be open to all undergraduates. As there has never been an established MLK Day event at Pepperdine, it would be promoted to the Black Student Association and other Intercultural Affairs clubs.
The event would showcase the legacy of MLK and his impact on the African American community, according to the Senate meeting resolutions agenda. Activities would include scrapbooking to build community and food sourced from a local Black-owned bakery. AKA hopes the event would reach a diverse group of students to educate about the significance of the holiday.
Upon further discussion, the resolution was voted to be tabled by SGA as the resolution would be better supported through the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Student Engagement fund, allowing for more flexibility and financing support, McCullough said.
SGA provides public records and files of each meeting, which can be found through their public records drive.
For the passed advocacy resolutions, SGA senators will continue to work in the spring semester to implement the necessary steps listed in the agenda meeting.
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Contact Christine Park via email: christine.park@pepperdine.edu
