Welcome back! The SGA members are excited for a great semester, and look forward to working with many of you.

Leading the association this year are President Jessica Malskis and Vice-President, Dana Prouty. Serving as director of clubs this year is Jesse Streeter, while senators are Haley Frechette, Patrick Bell, and Katie Czermmerys.

Currently, the SGA is in the process of recruiting, and last week reached the appropriate numbers to begin voting.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying to the Student Government Association, stop by Stearns 411.

Mini grants will be reviewed for approval by the senate, starting the week of September 17.

The senate met with residential staff this past week during their residential life meetings to hear how the start of the year is going and to ask for any suggestions or concerns. Monday, September 17th, the SGA ran a tabling in the dining hall for Constitution Day, where free pocket constitutions were handed out to students and trivia could be played to win prizes. Winners will be announced by September 28th.

Last year, the SGA committed to redoing the Stearn’s Game Lounge, and the project will finally be complete, shortly after October break. The group ordered new furniture and painting to be done in the area

Another project that is nearing completion from last year is composting at the campus apartments. Last year, Senator Mikaela Magnant committed to working with Lamoille Soil to get the process started, and on Tuesday, September 11, the composting clinic was conducted. College Apartment residents who attended the hour-long educational piece about composting received a free composting bucket, purchased by the SGA. This is a great step in the right direction, and this makes NVU-Johnson the first VSCS institution to have composting within residential areas.

On September 14, SGA members attended the first Vermont State College Students Association (VSCSA) meeting of the year.

The meeting was led by Jesse Streeter, who also serves as the student trustee, on the Board of Trustees. Members from each of the Vermont State Colleges met to discuss potential project ideas, and what is in store for the academic year.

All projects for the 2018-2019 year are currently in the conversational stages.