Connor Everright
ceverright@lc.edu
Student Governments are elected by the students for the students.
The Student Government Association (SGA) at Lewis and Clark has a big role at the school. L&C Student Trustee Robyn Scott the SGA trustee believes the biggest hurdle for the SGA is the “lack of transition from one year to another with the Student Government.”
With Lewis and Clark being a two year school, it becomes a challenge to properly transition between the years Scott explained. It is why the student government allows the next year of the SGA to sit in on meetings and shadow the current SGA council members.
Scott has put her love and appreciation toward Lewis and Clark by meeting with the House committee for Higher Education in Springfield Illinois.
“I testified for Community Colleges to have the right to provide a bachelors degree to nursing students because they are now expecting nursing students to provide a four year degree which Community Colleges simply cannot do,” Scott said.
According to the Illinois News Network at www.ilnews.org, Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) was co-sponsoring Senate Bill 888, which would have allowed community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing. The bill did not pass, however.
Scott said the role for the Student Government is to be the voice of the student bodies, contribute to the student perspective and vote on school issues with the board of trustees, which is the governing body of Lewis and Clark.
“I do not let my personal beliefs get in the way with the policies the school tries to put in place,” Scott said.
With this 2018-2019 school year, Scott said that she is most excited for “the collaboration happening on campus this year.”
For example, she said the Veterans Club is great for the local community.
“The Veterans Club helps students register to vote and deliver leftover food to local food pantries,” Scott said.
Jen Baker is the SGA Treasurer. She has two associate degrees – one in petroleum refining and the other in biochemical processing. Baker believes that the the biggest challenge for the SGA is getting “each club to attend monthly meetings” to discuss different events that will happen for the student body.
There are many clubs at Lewis and Clark and each club has something else to offer as seen at the Fall Fest, which was orchestrated by the SGA.
Baker believes that the role of the student government is to “provide a voice for the student body.”
Baker said the best way to make your voice heard as a student attending Lewis And Clark Community College is to attend SGA meetings on the first and third Wednesday of each month starting at 1 p.m. The group talks about issues with the student body as well as activities coming up on the schedule.
With the 2018-2019 school year, Baker is most excited for going to Chicago to learn how to better run the SGA. Baker believes the SGA will be able to run much smoother after this trip.
Vanessa Perkison is the Vice President of the SGA who is going to Lewis and Clark for an Associates in Arts and will graduate in May of 2019. She tries to take the stance of what’s best for the campus and the student body she exclaimed.
Perkison believes the hardest part for the student government is its goals.
“Things just take time,” Perkison said. “And, the goals that we have in place for us are big.”
One of the goals for the SGA is to get better opportunities for the College for Life students. Such opportunities are jobs after Lewis and Clark and helping them find their majors.
Perkison said the the role of the SGA is to “work to organize clubs on campus.”
“We work for improving student life on campus,” Perkison said.
Lewis and Clark clubs officers are required attend the SGA meeting once a month.
To learn more about the clubs at L&C, visit lc.edu/Activities_Clubs.
