2008 Woodie Awards
SGA postpones speaker, cites poor voter turnout
Lack of funds also contributes to delay
Cait Lemon
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
By Cait Lemon
staff reporter
Because of poor voter turnout and a lack of funds, plans for a campus speaker have been postponed by the SGA.
A student vote for a speaker was presented on the 2006-07 SGA ballot.
According to the SGA minutes of the Aug. 29 meeting, only 160 students voted for what speaker they would like to see.
According to Bill Stanley, vice president of SGA, the winner was Martin Luther King III by a small margin, but the SGA didn't go ahead with the speaker based on such a small percentage of responses.
He added that he doesn't feel comfortable going with the results until they, "can get a better understanding of what the student body wants."
According to Staley, the university also did not get a large general speaking budget like they did last year.
"We want students to vote," Staley said. "We really want them to come out because it's not just for elections for candidates like me, it's for other things that really affect them."
Students have their own suggestions about a campus speaker.
"Maybe Bill Mahr would be good to bring on campus," Jesse Williams, a Chattanooga senior, said.
She believes Bill Mahr would bring out more conversation among the students.
Annie York, a Franlin, Tenn., senior, named poet Nikki Giovanni as who she'd like to see.
"I think that she brings a lot of hope and inspiration in her writing, and in this world we live in, I think we need that now more than ever," she said.
staff reporter
Because of poor voter turnout and a lack of funds, plans for a campus speaker have been postponed by the SGA.
A student vote for a speaker was presented on the 2006-07 SGA ballot.
According to the SGA minutes of the Aug. 29 meeting, only 160 students voted for what speaker they would like to see.
According to Bill Stanley, vice president of SGA, the winner was Martin Luther King III by a small margin, but the SGA didn't go ahead with the speaker based on such a small percentage of responses.
He added that he doesn't feel comfortable going with the results until they, "can get a better understanding of what the student body wants."
According to Staley, the university also did not get a large general speaking budget like they did last year.
"We want students to vote," Staley said. "We really want them to come out because it's not just for elections for candidates like me, it's for other things that really affect them."
Students have their own suggestions about a campus speaker.
"Maybe Bill Mahr would be good to bring on campus," Jesse Williams, a Chattanooga senior, said.
She believes Bill Mahr would bring out more conversation among the students.
Annie York, a Franlin, Tenn., senior, named poet Nikki Giovanni as who she'd like to see.
"I think that she brings a lot of hope and inspiration in her writing, and in this world we live in, I think we need that now more than ever," she said.
