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Senate

Student Government Association

Advocating for you.

 

Your student senate is the student government branch responsible for advocating for students’ rights and interests, allocating funding to student organizations for events and programs, chartering new student organizations, confirming presidential nominations, and more. The senate is made up of senators representing either their individual colleges or the student body at-large. Membership in the senate is a great way to serve your fellow students while gaining valuable experience in public speaking, debate, developing policy, handling budgets and funding requests, and working with diverse stakeholders. 

If you are interested in joining, you should contact the vice president of legislation, or visit the Student Government Association office in Walb Student Union, Room 225.

How to Join

Want to become a senator?

Are you interested in joining the senate? We could use your help and ideas. To learn more, visit the Student Government Association in Walb Student Union, Room 225, or contact the vice president of legislation.

Students listen to the senate meeting on campus.
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Members

Taking the initiative.

  • Maleah Boyd, President of the Senate
  • TBD, President Pro Tempore
  • TBD, Chair of the Legislative Affairs Committee
  • TBD, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee
  • TBD, Chair of the Public Relations Committee
  • TBD, Senate Clerk

Senators

2024-2025 Senators TBD

Meeting Schedule

Attend a meeting. 

If you want to be heard, attend a meeting. You can also contact the vice president of legislation to have your issue included on the senate agenda. Meetings are on Mondays at noon in the Helmke Library IDEASpace (first floor), unless otherwise noted.

Fall 2024

September 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

October 7th, 14th, 28th (Fall Break Oct. 21-22)

November 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th

December 2nd, 9th (Finals Dec. 16-20)

Spring 2025

January 13th, 27th (MLK Jr Day Jan. 20)

February 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th

March 3rd, 17th, 24th, 31st (Spring Break March 10-14)

April 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

Committees

Here to serve you.

The student senate committees play a pivotal role in the daily business of the Student Government Association. They are responsible for much of the behind-the-scenes work, including reviewing constitutions and amendments, crafting the language of proposed legislation, and putting feet to pavement to connect with student constituents. 

All committee meetings are open to the public, and students are encouraged to attend and bring ideas to their senators. If you have questions regarding committees, or want to join one, contact their respective chairs or the vice president of legislation.

The Legislative Affairs Committee reviews all internal binding documents of the student senate and Student Government Association, offering amendments and recommendations to the student senate to keep the documents relevant to the needs of the changing student body, and adapted to reflect the policies of the university. Any student may submit amendments to Student Government Association binding documents for consideration. Legislative affairs is also responsible for reviewing the charters of proposed student organizations, and amendments to the constitutions of existing organizations.

The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for reviewing funding requests submitted to the student senate. During their meetings, the Ways and Means Committee uses the Financial Guidelines and Student Activities Fee Manual to ensure that all requests for funding meet all necessary criteria, including their relevance and value to the student body.

The Public Relations Committee is responsible for promoting the student senate and engaging students on a more personal level to better understand how the student senate can serve their needs. The committee can post open student senate seats, hold meet-and-greet events where students can meet their senators, and engage in philanthropic and service activities on behalf of the student senate.

Funding

Fund your event or travel. 

If you want to request funding from the student senate for your group, please read Section 5 of the SGA Financial Guidelines. This document explains what types of requests can be funded. We judge requests based on their relevance and value to Purdue Fort Wayne students, whether they support the mission and values of the Student Government Association, and whether the sponsoring student organization has done other fundraising to support their program.

New student organizations will have the opportunity to receive $300 in start-up funds. Funds may be used for things such as promotional items, kickoff meetings, and organization member apparel. Funds are available to student organizations that have chartered within the current academic year, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. 

In order to receive funding, organizations must complete the Start-up Fund Checklist and return it to the student government office in Walb 225. For more information on start-up funds, please refer to the SGA Financial Guidelines, Section 5.C, or contact the vice president for legislation.

Your recognized university student organization may request funding from the student senate to host events and programs that benefit the student body and/or support the mission and values of student government. 

Here are the basic requirements for event funding: 

  • You must submit your funding request to the Student Government Association no later than 21 days before the event. 
  • Your event must be open to the entire student body. 
  • You cannot use funding for regular organizational operations, such as normal business meetings. 
  • Your request must contain detailed and specific breakdowns of exactly what the funding will be used for. 
  • You must use the student government logo for all promotional materials for events funded in whole or in part by the student senate. 
  • Your receipts of expenditures from senate-funded events must be turned in to the vice president of finance no more than 10 business days after the event. 

Please read through the SGA Financial Guidelines for the rest of the details and rules. You may submit your funding request using the Senate Funding Request Form, found on the forms page. If you have questions, contact the vice president of legislation.

You or your recognized university student organizations may request funding from the student travel fund to travel outside Allen County. Student organizations seeking funding for conferences or off-campus activities inside Allen County may petition the student senate using the Senate Funding Request Form. All requests for travel outside Allen County must be made to the Student Travel Fund Committee. Go to the Student Travel Fund page for more information.

For more information contact Student Life at [email protected] or 260-481-6609.

The student senate has compiled this list of helpful information that you should read before submitting any request for funding. Please take a moment to review this information: 

Required 

  • Submit your request at least 21 days before the funds are needed. Checks take four to six weeks from the time of approval to be processed. 
  • Only a student organization officer may make a request. 
  • Include a detailed budget of anticipated expenses, including how much is being requested from the student senate and how much will be covered by fundraising or other sources of funding. 
  • Include information on your organization’s contributions, such as fundraising, donations, and/or out-of-pocket expenses. 

Recommended 

  • Attend at least one student senate meeting prior to your presentation to familiarize yourself with the process. 
  • Make your presentation in business-casual attire and come prepared to answer questions about your request. 
  • Invite your organizational advisors to support your presentation. 
  • Refer to Section 5 of the SGA Financial Guidelines for additional details and rules. 

Questions or concerns? Contact the vice president of legislation.