The final meeting for Central Michigan University Student Government Association's fall 2018 semester was spent highlighting projects implemented this year, as well as previewing what is yet to come.

An "SGA Showcase" took place at the Dec. 3 general board meeting, during which members of SGA outlined what was accomplished this semester.

"We’ve made a lot of progress on campus this year," President Jake Hendricks said to open the meeting. "We really demonstrated that SGA can be the voice of students here on campus."

A big project implemented by Hendricks was the United Student Governments Conference, which took place Nov. 10, and hosted 57 student representatives from 10 peer institutions to discuss topics important for students in Michigan.

The first SGA meeting of the spring 2019 semester will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14 in the Bovee University Center Auditorium.

He also spent the semester working to improve partnerships with CMU administration and Mount Pleasant City Commission, and said he hopes to see that relationship continue next year.

Hendricks emphasized that he looks forward to continuing student body outreach in following semesters.

"We're always making sure we're communicating with students the best we can," he said. "We're looking for more ways to reach out to students on campus and gauge what they're looking for."

A big project for Vice President Lyndi Rose this semester has been the Menstrual Hygiene Product Initiative, which she said is "still going really well." There is still no update on the missing tampon dispenser that was taken from a Park Library restroom.

She also has been working on creating Fall Break legislation, which was passed by both SGA and Academic Senate last month and will potentially implement a newly-created fall break. Rose will meet with the CMU Faculty Association Thursday, Nov. 6 to continue discussion on the legislation.

SGA Treasurer Chase Delor said SGA's budget is doing well after an event-filled semester.

"Judging by our spending patterns, I don’t foresee us going into any budgetary issues," he said. "I think we will be able to put on just as many events next semester."

SGA's big events for the semester included the Golden Gala, CMU's first ever student body ball on Dec. 1 that attracted more than 450 students. SGA also hosted a Student Body Town Hall that took place Nov. 29, which invited the student body to voice opinions to SGA executive board members.

"SGA pushed a lot more projects and events than legislation this semester, which is why you'll see a lot more legislation coming out next year," Rose said.

More legislation to come

SGA plans on putting out more than 10 pieces of legislation within the first two months of the spring 2019 semester, Rose said.

One piece of legislation currently in the works is being spearheaded by Senator Gabrielle Mason, who is working to change CMU's name-changing process.

Mason is working closely with Chief Diversity Officer A.T. Miller to create SGA legislation in support of a name changing process, and is also working to make all Registered Student Organizations on campus include a statement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in their bylaws.

Senator Benjamin Herbert hopes to soon announce legislation in support of the creation of a probationary period for merit-based scholarships.

"The goal is to give students a probationary semester after their GPA falls under the required amount for their scholarship, so they can get their scholarships back," he explained.

Herbert is also working under the Academic Affairs Committee to create "waitlist transparency" legislation, which would allow students to find out which number they are on a waiting list when they are enrolling for classes.

Senator Noah Christopher is creating legislation to improve the residential hall roommate matching system so students can find more well-suited roommates. He will be meeting with Residence Life and presenting legislation early next semester.

Despite having a large number of brand new senators this year, Senate Leader Caroline Murray said she is proud of the work put in by senators this semester.

"It’s not an easy job," she said. "It’s very difficult to dive into a role where you’re suddenly expected to represent the student body and put on a campus-wide project. The fact that we can develop these student leaders who have the confidence to dream big can lead to wonderful things."