The Campus Conservative

(Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler Facebook) The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT-Tyler met for its weekly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10. Here are some of the highlights from the meeting. Tidwell Absent UT-Tyler President Michael Tidwell did not attend SGA this week after cancelling last week due to an emergency. SGA President Savannah Seely said he spoke with him briefly this week at a campus event and hopes to nail down a new date for him to address SGA this week. After mounting effort by SGA members to pass a formal resolution confronting the University administration over what they deemed as “inadequate student input” with rebranding efforts, Tidwell had been scheduled to speak at last week's meeting, but cancelled at last minute. Draft Resolution Postponed Again As a result of Tidwell’s absence, Sean Coplen, Chairman of the Student Affairs Committee, the committee in charge of drafting the resolution that lists complaints about s...

Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph University of Texas at Tyler Police (UTTPD) arrested non-student John Arellano, 21, on Sept. 9 with charges of driving while intoxicated. According to the police report, UTTPD observed Arellano's vehicle at approximately 4:24 a.m. cross into the center turn lane while traveling southbound on Old Omen Road near UT Tyler Parking Lot 16. Source: Smith County Jail After traffic stop and evaluation, police charged Arellano with Driving While Intoxicated, a misdemeanor in Texas, and booked him into Smith County Jail with a $1,000 Surety Bond. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY Arellano's arrest comes during a time of growing conversation about pedestrian safety at UT-Tyler after a motorist struck student athlete Justin Bartie while he was walking on Old Omen Road on Oct. 22, 2017. Moreover, UT-Tyler student government recently took action to prepare to lobby City of Tyler for possibly millions of dollars in new city sidewalks. Twitter: @jhesco...

(Source: Flickr) This week, the Student Government Association’s (SGA’s) Executive Board announced that only senators who are at least six weeks into their term are eligible to fill the vacant Secretary officer seat which SGA Officer Braelynn Seely vacated after she replaced Katie Hicken this week as Vice President. But I believe the Executive Board is incorrect. After a review of SGA’s governing documents, rather than limiting officer roles to some senators, I believe every sitting senator is eligible to run for the vacant Secretary seat under the SGA Constitution. In the following, I will attempt to show from the SGA Constitution how I arrive at my conclusion that vacant officer positions are open to all senators and how there is no limitation to senators with six weeks’ tenure. If my interpretation is the correct one, then SGA is out of order and postpone its election until it can execute them within constitutional bounds. So let’s look at the text. THE TEXT SGA’s Co...

(Source: Student Government Association At UT-Tyler Facebook.) The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT-Tyler met for its weekly meeting on Oct.3. Here are some highlights from this meeting. Tidwell Cancelled UT-Tyler President Michael Tidwell cancelled his previously scheduled appointment to speak to SGA about rebranding, Swoop and the strategic plan shortly before the meeting started due to an emergency, SGA President Savannah Seely told the assembly. Tidwell sent a member of his president’s cabinet, Provost Amir Mirmiran, who gave SGA an update on the strategic plan instead. SGA did not announce when and if Tidwell will speak in the future. Based on the enthusiasm Mirmiran said Tidwell has for student input, it seems Tidwell will reschedule his visit to SGA. Student Input Resolution Postponed As a result of Tidwell's absence, the Student Affairs Committee did not present is draft resolution that would confront administration over what the assembly last ...

(Image used with permission.)  The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT-Tyler took formal action Wednesday to confront university administration over what it described as "inadequate student input" during the institution's rebranding process. The assembly unanimously passed a motion to "draft a resolution regarding inadequate student input concerning rebranding and [to] also provide a standard for future student input." According to SGA Treasurer Jacob Mcleod who made the motion, he and other members of the SGA Executive Board "have concerns regarding whether or not [administration] took our concerns into consideration" during the rebranding process. Mcleod did not give specifics, but Parliamentarian Sean Coplen, also an executive board member, spoke up to underline this point to the assembly. "It seems like people have been noticing it, not just in student government but all around campus, how things happen," he said. ...

(Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler's Facebook.) The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT-Tyler met Wednesday for its weekly meeting. Here are the highlights. STUDENT VETERANS SEEK HELP Josh Kasino from the Student Veterans Organization (SVO) at UT-Tyler spoke to SGA and asked the body to do something about university restrictions on on-campus fundraising. Kasino said it is difficult for SVO's UT-Tyler chapter to raise funds to send its members to a veterans career fair because university rules prohibit student organizations from raising funds on-campus for anything or anyone other than a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The SVO representative said it is too hard for a student organization to obtain the 501(c)(3) status and so raise money for themselves. Sen. Robert Camarillo (Soules College of Business), a member of Greek fraternity Delta Sigma Phi, told Kasino that partnering with businesses like Chipotle and Panada Express has helped...

(Source: DVIDSHUB via Flickr) The Student Veterans Organization (SVO) at UT-Tyler approached student government Wednesday to "open a discussion" on how student organizations can do more fundraising on campus. "Just as far as student groups being able to raise funds, I think it is something we should looking into," SVO representative Jack Kasino told the assembly. Kasino said his chapter would like to send as many student veterans as possible to his organization’s national conference in Orlando, FL on Jan. 3-5. Kasino said the total cost to attendees is roughly $1,500 and university limitations regarding on-campus fundraising make it difficult for student organizations to fundraise on-campus. Currently, a university rule prohibits registered student organizations from fundraising for any organization is not a recognized 501(c)(3) entity. Many student organizations do not have tax-exempt status and therefore cannot raise funds for themselves on UT-Tyle...