Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Big Brothers Big Sisters gives presentation, two student funding requests discussed at SGA meeting

Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Funding requests from two student organizations were discussed along with a presentation from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri at the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Feb. 28.
Photo by Kate Haussman

Members of the Student Government Association (SGA) discussed funding requests from two student organizations and listened to a presentation from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri at the Feb. 28 meeting.

Big Brother Big Sister member Brittney Swicionis spoke about the organization.

The goal of Swicionis’ organization is to match caring adults with the youth in St. Louis and Cape Girardeau Communities.

Big Brother Big Sisters provides extra support to children outside of the home and school environments through their volunteer mentor program. The program matches qualified adults above the age of 18 with children ages 5 to 17.

“Our mission is to build trusting and enduring relationships that encourage and support young people,” Swicionis said. “We’re not looking for saviors, we’re not looking for Santa Claus; we’re looking for people that have an hour each week to invest time into helping these young people.”

Swicionis' presentation detailed how to apply for the position. The organization currently has 582 children waiting for mentors.

The Bangladeshi Student Association requested funding for their upcoming event on March 26. The student organization enables SEMO students from Bangladesh to share their culture with the Southeast community by hosting festivals and events.

The upcoming event is meant to celebrate Bangladeshi culture and will include food, dance and music.

The Funding Board Committee proposed an amount of $1,700 to be allocated to the student organization.

When the organization first brought the funding request to the Funding Board Committee, they requested $3,000, but there was not a direct plan for the money being requested, which caused confusion among the senators. No decision was made at this week’s SGA meeting, and the request was tabled until next week.

The Arrow also requested funding for the Spring 2022 College Media Association Convention in New York City. Editor-in-Chief Nathan Gladden explained why the convention was beneficial.

“This is the first semester since the pandemic that we are able to do it in person,” Gladden said.

The Funding Board Committee proposed an amount of $459 be divided among three SEMO students for the convention registration costs and Metro card passes for transportation.

The funding request for the Arrow was passed for the full $459 proposed.

Sophomore applied mathematics student Gavin Stone and sophomore emergency preparedness student Harry Meyer were both approved as senators in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Watch the full live stream on The Arrow's Facebook page and learn more about SGA on their website.

Comments