DeKALB – The Student Government Association (SGA) approved its annual funding budget for  student organizations and passed several other bills and resolutions at Friday’s meeting.

RESOLUTION TO APPROVE SGA ANNUAL FUNDING BUDGET FOR ORGANIZATIONS

The SGA passed a resolution to approve the annual funding budget of $134,880 for organizations, which is disbursed based on a tier system. Organizations can request up to a certain amount in annual funding based on their tier:

• Tier one consists of councils, sports and recreation and allows for a request of up to $5,000
• Tier two consists of organizations that hold at least three competitive events per year and allows for a request of up to $5,000.
• Tier three consists of department sponsored organizations and allows for a request of up to $2,500.
• Tier four consists of existing non-affiliated student organizations and allows for a request of up to $1,000.
• Tier five consists of new non-affiliated student organizations and allows for a request of up to $500.

There are currently 56 organizations in tier four, 23 in tier three, four in tier two and four in tier one.

The resolution passed with a vote count of 10-0-1.

RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH TASK FORCE DEDICATED TO FOOD AWARENESS

The SGA passed a resolution to establish a student-led task force dedicated to promoting healthier eating habits among NIU students and for educating the student body on the detrimental effects of processed foods on cognitive function and physical health.

“There are a lot of students who don’t know what they’re having, what they’re bringing to their body, which is being provided in the dining halls, which is mostly fried food,” Senator Uday Kirian Chigurupati said, who authored the resolution alongside Chairperson Ashley Crawford.

Chigurupati discussed the declining health of Americans and how although life expectancy is increasing, this can be attributed to medical advancements rather than healthy eating habits.

“Just prolonging your life doesn’t mean you are living a healthy life. Even though you’re living until 60 or 70, you’re bedridden and need help. You’re miserable,” Chigurupati said regarding the average American.

Chigurupati highlighted the importance of healthy eating coupled with exercise during a person’s younger years.

“I want to live until 80 and I want to live a healthy life,” Chigurupati said. “That’s only possible through whatever you put through your mouth.”

The resolution passed with a vote count of 11-0-0.

RESOLUTION REQUIRING ALL EXECUTIVE CLUBS/ORGANIZATIONS TO ATTEND MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR

The SGA passed a resolution that requires all executive clubs and organizations to attend a mental health seminar or event provided by NIU.

“This particular bill will not just be a seminar,” Chigurupati said, who co-authored the bill with Crawford. “I need it to evolve into something else rather than just a speech.”

Chigurupati explained that the mental health seminar should be mandatory because it could help people that do not realize they need it or are reluctant to get help.

“I understand that a lot of resources are available on campus which students can access, but I also see that not a lot of students are coming forward to get that,” Chigurupati said.

The resolution passed with a vote count of 5-3-3.

BILL TO UPDATE BYLAWS WITH JUDICIAL BRANCH ARTICLE

The SGA passed a bill to update the bylaws with further definition of the responsibilities of the judicial branch to give more guidance to future supreme court benches.

The bill passed with a vote of 11-0-0.

BILL TO REVISE RESPONSIBILITIES AND STRUCTURE OF THE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER

The SGA passed a bill to update the bylaws to include a definition of the Office of the Speaker, as it is mentioned in the SGA constitution, but there is no formal definition of what it does.

The Office of the Speaker currently consists of Speaker of the Senate Manny Corpuz and his appointed staff, Parliamentarian Eddie Guerrero, Deputy Speaker Nathan Gonzalez and Senate Clerk Cameron Sawyer.

The bill passed with a vote count of 11-0-0.

BILL TO READJUST STUDENT ORGANIZATION RECOGNITION PROCEDURES 

The SGA passed a bill to readjust recognition procedures for student organizations by giving the Organizational Oversight Committee (OOC) the power to fully recognize student organizations rather than recommend them to be confirmed by the senate.

Previously, temporary recognition would be given to student organizations by the OOC, meaning that organizations could reserve rooms via Huskie Hub but could not yet request funding from the SGA until the senate confirmed, which could be a long bureaucratic process.

The bill passed with a vote count of 10-1-0.

The next SGA senate meeting will be 4 p.m. Friday in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.