In the past, UMSL’s Student Government Association (SGA) had not been on the minds of the students it represented. The student body worked hard behind the scenes but lacked the public-facing presence we’re used to seeing from our politicians. Instead of large campaigns and media-driven debates, our executive board members consistently ran and were elected unopposed.
Last spring, Kaine Koechler, Grace Dsjardins and Remy Xa ran on a single ticket. It was an unopposed race until Luke Hall entered the race for president and won the vote. Dsjardins and Koechler won the vote unopposed for Vice President and Treasurer. With this last-minute change in the political administration and the merging of two political platforms, some conflict was to be expected. But when I spoke to Kaine Koechler during the first month of his term as Treasurer, he told me the opposite was true.
“I will be completely transparent. Whenever our presidential candidate did not win, it was a little bit of a concern because we had run on this platform. And how are we gonna make this work with two-thirds of the people? I’m very happy to say that in working with Luke Hall, I feel like none of the issues that we presented on our slate have been drowned out.”
Such issues are wide-ranging, but aim to be more representative of student concerns and campus-wide complaints. When I spoke with Grace Dsjardins, she emphasized the board’s student-centered focus. Through assemblies, meet-and-greets and the SGA office’s open-door policies, the board has strived to hear student concerns. This year’s first President’s Council Assembly Meeting was held in September. It was free, open to the public and presented a system without the theatrics of mainstream politics.
Luke Hall began the meeting by setting the scene: “I wanted to start off by asking you all to close your eyes.”
Hall then asked us to picture a typical campus committee meeting, heated by a loud debate over replacing a chicken restaurant. This kind of infighting is something we’ve all seen in state senates and PTA meetings. When a consensus has to be reached, debate is inevitable.
The imagery brought to mind a recent hot topic of this academic year, the steep decline in on-campus dining. Specifically, a presentation at last month’s Triton Leadership Experience in which the students’ reactions bore a striking resemblance to Hall’s scenario. When asked if there were any questions, student leaders aired their grievances with heated disrespect. Hall then stated that such disrespect, which we’re so used to seeing in world leaders and governments, has no place in our student government.
“I think we can be better than that. We can show (others) how things should really be done.”
With this opening statement in mind, the meeting continued to reflect a respectful exchange of ideas while voting on a series of amendments to the SGA constitution. Dsjardins walked student officers through certain proposed amendments, all of which passed unopposed. The entire student body will later vote on the passed amendments to enact them.
The first of these amendments involved general housekeeping and reconstruction of the SGA for the new board. Amendments to establish student-led committees that address specific concerns without sponsorship from a faculty member and new officer titles for this administration, both passed unopposed.
The last amendment was a budget allocation to partner with Aunt Flo, a nonprofit that provides menstrual health care products to universities at wholesale prices. Access to menstrual products campus-wide is an essential resource that UMSL has been behind on delivering. As Dsjardins stated, “our bathrooms have not been stocked in a couple of years.” But at this meeting, there was a unanimous vote in favor of the program. If the student body passes it again, we will be the last administration in the University of Missouri system to implement the partnership.
After passing amendments, student leaders had the opportunity to present semester reports on their accomplishments and challenges faced as on-campus organizations. This First President’s Assembly Meeting ran like a well-oiled machine, setting the SGA up for a successful first semester. Our SGA officers ensured the floor was open to all students to speak and participate in the democratic process. As they said, it’s a student-centric approach. Dsjardins closed off our meeting by stating, “You have my complete and utter attention. There is nothing more we want to do than protect and advocate for you.”
Those looking to contribute to our student government can email the SGA board at [email protected] or visit the SGA office in the OSI Penthouse. Upcoming assembly meetings are posted on Triton Connect. Participation is not just welcomed, it’s crucial for the success of a student government.
