The Clarion
www.brevard.edu/clarion
Volume 77, Issue 26 Web Edition SERVING BREVARD COLLEGE SINCE 1935
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April 13, 2012
The lowdown on our SGA
By Patrick G. Veilleux
Managing Editor
The Student Government Association is
a student organization that advocates the
agenda and desires of the Brevard College
student community. Whether people realize
it or not, SGA has been working behind the
scenes throughout the year for the benefit of
the school and the student body.
2011 and the first several months of 2012
were tumultuous for the college with the
changing hierarchy and staff cuts, SGA, like
many organizations on campus, struggled.
SGA’s Vice President Mark Mosely said “A
lot of stuff was just on hold, nobody could get
anything done. Committees and organizations
within the administration couldn’t get things
done; there was kind of a hiatus.”
During the controversy that came with
Susan Martin being let go during the Fall
semester, SGA hosted a forum for students
to voice their concerns, criticisms, sadness,
and anger. For the senior officers of SGA, it
was a wonderful event, Mosely said “SGA
hosted that forum with our interim president,
Charlie Teague, and we got a lot of turn out.
We had alumni and professors come in, and
as an SGA event it was a success.”
The forum did have a high level of
participation from the community, and it
was also important for SGA because students
wanted to be involved and take a stand. A
lot of students applied to be senators and
help represent their respective classes’
interests, and SGA meetings as a whole
were seeing more participants. It also helped
to accomplish one of SGA’s primary and
necessary concerns, information gathering.
SGA representative Elise Labus said
“We utilized Fall semester for information
gathering. ‘What do students want?’ Also,
‘what do they need and what can we do?’ As
soon as the new president came in, the entire
executive board sat down with him and he
said ‘I want a list of what this student body
wants, and what we can begin. ’ That is among
our top priorities, and we have to prioritize
what we want done.”
Labus and Mosely agree that while they were
not satisfied with the quantity of information
gathered, they had assembled a great deal. To
gather information beyond the forum, surveys
were sent out about what students wanted in a
cafeteria, Mosely himself worked up a list of
questions for students including “What does it
take for you to be a successful student?” BCE
411 classes gathered information for SGA as
well, sometimes members of the organization
would just ask a student face to face what they
might want from the institution.
See 'SGA,' page 12
BC hosts Earth Day
activities Aprii 16-21
STILL LOOKING FOR ARTISTS AND GRAFTERS!
Brevard College will celebrate Earth Day,
April 16-21, with a week of earth-friendly
events, including a faculty lecture, a drum
circle, Contra Dance and the College’s annual
Earth Fest.
All events are open to the community and
are free of charge.
Brevard College’s Earth Day activities will
kick off at 8 p.m. Monday, April 16 with a
drum circle and jam session in the College’s
Residential Quad.
A 1 p.m. creek clean up and 4 p.m. garden
work day will be held on campus on Tuesday,
April 17.
A presentation, “Living Off the Grid,”
will be given by Professor of Ecology and
Environmental Science and Executive
Director of the Appalachian Center for
Environmental Education Jennifer Frick-
Ruppert at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 29
in room 102 of the College’s Moore Science
Building.
A Contra Dance will be held from 8 p.m. to
10 p.m. on Friday, April 20 in the College’s
Dunham Auditorium.
The College’s annual Earth Fest celebration
will be held from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on
Saturday, April 21 at the amphitheatre next to
the Porter Center for Performing Arts.
The schedule of fun family-friendly events
includes environmental activities; outdoor
bands; a local craft/art sale; a kids craft area;
games; informational booths; locally prepared
cuisine; and more.
A special Kid’s Village will offer children a
chance to make crafts from recycled materials
as well as meet animals from Earthshine
Nature Center.
A new addition to this year’s celebration
is a Kid’s Art Sale showcasing the creative
works of area children.
Kids of all ages are encouraged to set up a
free booth from noon to 2 p.m. Items sold will
be homemade and priced under $5.
Local bands the Zach Douglas Trio, The
‘XO’ Band, Serious Clark and Common
Foundation will also perform throughout
the day.
Earthfest and Earth Week events are
organized by the Earthfest Planning
Committee and sponsored by the Brevard
College Campus Life Division, BC Greens,
the Brevard College Division of Science and
Mathematics and Gaia Herbs.
In addition to the activities planned on
campus, Brevard College students, faculty
and staff will visit local elementary schools
as part of the College’s Environmental
Education Endeavor.
This is the tenth year the College has taught
environmental education to local elementary
students.
For more information, visit www.brevard.
edu/Earthfest.
Local artisans and environmentally-oriented
organizations interested in participating in
Earthfest should contact Beth Suttles Banks
at beth.banks@brevard.edu.