It is the responsibility of Berea’s Student Government to ensure that Berea’s students are informed and educated about the issues facing the City Council and our local government, and these efforts must be extended in election years, such as this one, where a wide variety of candidates are running on varying platforms for eight positions within City Council.

Register to Vote!

If you are not yet registered to vote, or are already registered in another county/state but want to be registered in Berea, you can register to vote by October 9 and vote in the November 6 local, state, and national elections. Voter registration cards can be found in the SGA Office (located in Woods-Penniman right next to the Crossroads Café), and every night this week at the following times you can stop in the SGA Office, fill out your voter registration card in less than five minutes, and let us do the rest:

Monday (October 1): 7:00-11:00pm

Tuesday (October 2): 7:00-11:00pm

Wednesday (October 3): 7:00-11:00pm

Thursday (October 4): 7:00-11:00pm

Voter Registration Cards can also be filled out any time at the Info Desk in Alumni Building.

SGA Presents: City Council Candidates Forum in Berea College

With SGA’s efforts to give students the opportunity to make an informed vote in local elections, SGA is proud to announce a City Council Forum in Baird Lounge (Alumni Building) on Tuesday, October 30, from 7:00-9:00pm, with a reception following. This is an unparalleled opportunity for students to educate themselves, get involved, and influence local elections for the better.

SGA Shuttles on Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 6 – 6:00am-6:00pm

SGA will have two shuttles running from 6:00am-6:00pm, the opening and closing of the voting booths, on Tuesday, November 6, to the two voting districts within Berea. Shuttles will rotate through Alumni Circle all day as SGA officers work to transport every registered student to the voting booth on Election Day.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. SGA is pleased to be working in conjunction with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Berea College Democrats, Berea College Republicans, and the newly-formed SGA Political Awareness Committee to ensure every student has the opportunity to become a registered voter, meet and question their local City Council candidates, and make it to the voting booths on November 6.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to let me know. On behalf of SGA, I am looking forward to the coming days as we register students to vote, meet our local candidates, and cast our vote in November.

Best,

David Kretzmann
SGA President

As you all well know it has been a busy semester thus far, and SGA is up and running full gear. Just as President Roelofs is settling into his new role as College President, we are thrilled to be in this position to serve and represent students throughout the coming year. Below is a summary of our work in the month of September and our upcoming events and goals.

Fall 2012 SGA Elections

- For the first time, House Council elections were coordinated across campus and held on the same day for each residence hall. We worked closely with Berea’s dedicated Hall Coordinators and Collegium members to see through a much more efficient, publicized, and thorough House Council debates, campaigns, and elections.

- Very entertaining and informative Senate debates were moderated by SGA Public Relations Secretary, Ethan Hamblin, on Tuesday, August 30, in Baird Lounge.

- 2012-13 SGA Officers can be found on the SGA website (www.berea.edu/SGA).

- Charla Hamilton was nominated Chair of the Board of Residents, and Priscilla Easterling was nominated Speaker of the Senate.

 SGA Retreat

- David’s pay cut of $650 will fully cover all expenses related to the SGA Retreat. David’s salary as SGA President this year will total $2716, which means he will receive a salary equivalent to a Level 3-4 pay position (as opposed to the typical “Unclassified” amount allotted to the SGA President).

- The SGA Retreat was held on campus in its entirety. We spent approximately $500 on this year’s retreat, a level never before reached in recent memory, as compared to the $2000 of SGA’s budget spent on last year’s retreat.

- Rather than purchase a Friday night dinner for the 40+ members in SGA on the students’ dime, we asked each SGA member to bring a dish to have a dinner potluck. This prevented stress on SGA’s budget and allowed SGA members to directly engage in the mentality of service.

- In an effort to bridge the gap between administration and faculty, we invited numerous faculty, staff, and administration leaders to join us for a two-hour lunch discussion. Vice President Gail Wolford, Public Safety Director Lavoyed Hudgins, and Dr. Michelle Tooley were just a few of the individuals who shared their feedback and suggestions for SGA.

- Members of the SGA Executive Council, Senate, and Board of Residents completed and signed a mission statement for their respective body’s goals for this academic year. All students are invited to come into the SGA Office to observe these mission statements and provide feedback to the specific goals and methods agreed upon by SGA’s bodies.

Working with President Roelofs

- There is little doubt that students are as eager to hear from President Roelofs as the President is eager to hear from students. We have worked with the President to set up two scheduled forums for students this semester: a forum centering on student organizations and how the College can better support organizations, and a forum focusing on educating and informing students about the important role of faculty committees. We want to be sure that students have opportunities to meet and interact with the President in a productive manner, cultivating the institutional enthusiasm surrounding our new President to build community, transparency, and address students’ needs.

- If you have suggestions for an event SGA can hold with the President, please let us know!

 SGA Initiatives

- Talk-Back Tuesdays: Have a question about SGA? Want to meet your representatives? Come talk with us directly on Tuesdays, every week, from 7:00-9:00pm in the SGA Office. Bring up your concerns directly with SGA officers, give us your suggestions and criticisms, and let us know what you want from us as your representatives.

- SGA announced bi-monthly shuttles to Happy Meadow Natural Foods, Berea’s own local health food store offering allergy-friendly, locally-grown, and health-oriented foods. Shuttle times and details can be found on the SGA website.

- Berea City Council Elections: SGA is helping students register to vote, hosting a Berea City Council Candidates Debate in Baird Lounge on October 30, and offering shuttles all day on Election Day (Tuesday, November 6, 6:00am-6:00pm). Click here for more local election information.

- Janice attended the Latinos in Appalachia conference, hosted by the Appalachian College Association, in Johnson City, Tennessee, with Curtis Sandberg, Michelle Tooley, Chris Lakes and Carl Thomas. This conference focused on intentionally recruiting and retaining more Latino students, including undocumented students, in higher education institutions.

- “DREAMers,” individuals walking across the country to raise awareness for cause of undocumented students, made the SGA Office their first stop upon arriving at Berea College.We were grateful to have the opportunity to meet these committed individuals and hear their stories, insights, and suggestions for the discussion of undocumented students in Berea.

- Reformingthe Elections Committee: Any student who has been at Berea College knows that the annual process of selecting the SGA Elections Committee can be perfected. David is heading up the efforts of a newly formed Constitutional Review Committee (including Charla Hamilton, Priscilla Easterling, Jacob Burdette, Dalton Brennan, Sabrina Barnes, and Saad Al-Obaidi), which is currently looking at delegating the bulk of SGA election responsibilities to the Student Judiciary (SGA’s Judicial Branch). The Elections Committee should not be a politicized entity, but rather a neutral and fair body with clear goals and concise procedures.

Upcoming Events

- Athletics-SGA Forum: Tuesday, October 2, 7:30-9:00pm; Commons. A forum focusing on the unique issues facing student-athletes and the Athletics Department surrounding faculty attendance policy, SGA’s athletics initiatives, and the possibility of the College entering into NCAA Division 3. This forum will be a precursor for a Faculty Attendance Policy and Student Life Forum to be held in October or early November.

- Student Organization Forum with President Roelofs: Wednesday, October 3, 4:00-6:00pm; Commons. A forum open to all students, and particularly student organization representatives, to address the underlying question: What can SGA and the College do to better support student organizations?

- Berea College Goods Exchange Fair: Saturday, October 13, 1:00-6:00pm; Quad. This will be an opportunity for students to get rid of the extra clutter in their room, participate in a student organization fair, listen to student musicians, and partake in an overall student-oriented fair on the Quad.

- SGA collaborating with HEAL for “Food Week” - October 22nd-26th. We will be partnering with Kelly Kusomoto and HEAL during Food Week in October.

We look forward to a productive, engaging, and a transformative year for the student body of Berea College. If you ever have any questions, comments, criticisms, concerns, or suggestions, please let us know.

Best,

David Kretzmann, SGA President
Janice D’souza, SGA Vice President

Just 24 days ago my dear father, Tim Kretzmann, passed away on August 6 at the age of 61 years old, after less than a year of experiencing the symptoms and being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

This obviously brings profound and deep-seated changes for my family and me. This is not one of those easier “new beginnings,” but it gives me strength to attempt to better embody the qualities my father shared so naturally: befriending all those he would meet, radiating a joyful spirit, and consciously cherishing and embracing every moment. He was and continues to be a true spiritual inspiration for me.

New beginnings also occur on an institutional level. Only nine individuals have served as President of Berea College since the college was founded by John G. Fee in 1855. We, as students, are lucky enough to be here in one of these rare but exciting times of presidential transition at Berea.

Already, Dr. Lyle Roelofs and Mrs. Roelofs (with the help of their dog, Ms. Molly Roelofs) have impacted the daily routine of hundreds of students, me included, with the President’s Running and Walking Club that meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

It is important that we as students, and those within Student Government, utilize and cultivate this renewed institutional enthusiasm toward productive and engaging activities, discussion, and initiatives.

I am not blind to the follies of Student Government over the past several years. For too long the Student Government has been misguided and misunderstood; often getting needlessly caught up in emotional attachments to petty bureaucratic entanglements – rather than selfless and practical leadership for the betterment of the student body.

This year, Student Government is also experiencing a new beginning and a revived vision; a new focus on building collaboration and community among all members and organizations within the college. I sincerely believe the most effective method to represent and serve students is through practical service and committed leadership. We can certainly maintain the end goals of modifying certain college policies and practices for the benefit of students, but as we work toward those goals we must take small steps and initiate simple improvements along the way that benefit students immediately.

Indeed, our goal in Student Government this year is nothing less than to create a living example of student leaders who embody and personify the very calling of John G. Fee who, on May 21, 1859, said:

“A thorough education will give you power and control in all deliberate assemblies—whether for political, educational or religious purposes. The man, the woman of thorough education will, as a general truth, come to the front; mould the sentiment and guide the assembly. We should not seek position for ambitious purposes; but every man and every woman ought to seek position as a means by which to do the greatest possible good.”

It is in this spirit and with these ambitions for the coming year that I am so very humbled to be the first Student Government President to introduce Dr. Roelofs, the ninth President of Berea College, to the first of what is sure to be many convocation speeches. As we start our new beginning together, please welcome Dr. Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College.

Written and delivered by 2012-13 SGA President, David Kretzmann.