2. 1
Dedication
Dear SGA officers,
First of all, I would like to thank you for choosing to step up and lead the students of USC Sumter.
Your role on this campus is invaluable, and Ihope you realize the potential impact that you can
make by holding this position. Whether you possess a passion for politics specifically, desire to take
advantage of any leadership position, or were somewhat blindly recruited to fill an empty position, I
hope that this book will prove to be beneficial in this upcoming school year.
There will be many ups and downs, as you will soon find out. You will set many goals and make
mistakes while trying to achieve them. My hope is that you will isolate what went wrong, document
it in this book, and help prevent the same mistake from being repeated in the future. There are many
actions that I wish I had executed in a different manner, completed in another order, or avoided
altogether. At the end of this book, I hope that you will write a letter to the future SGA officers –
just like I am addressing you in this dedication – and include all of the information that you wish you
had known going into the school year.
You are going to accomplish many things this year. Get excited! My advice is to brainstorm, settle
on one or two main goals, meet those goals, and then repeat; it will be very easy to strive for too
many objectives, spread yourself too thin, and get overwhelmed. I encourage you to work as a team
and make a difference on this campus and in this community together. Be the voice of the students.
Go out there, and change lives to change the world.
Sincerely,
Janelle Buniel
SGA President, 2014-2015
3. 2
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Roles and Duties…………………………………………………………………………………....4
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Forms and Communication.………………………………………………………………………..5
Student Life....……………………………………………………………………………………...6
Meetings………………...………………………………………………………………………….6
Elections…………………………………………………………………………………………...7
Letters to the incoming officers…………………………………………………………………….8
4. 3
Introduction
The Student Government Association (SGA) is an organization composed of students who wish to
represent the entire student body to the faculty, staff, and community. It is their duty to streamline
communications between students and other parties, act as ambassadors of the school, and set the
example for their peers in both academics and ethics. These officers are held to a higher standard as
they carry the name of the University of South Carolina at Sumter with them wherever they go.
Holding the title of SGA officer is a privilege – one that is earned and should not be taken likely.
Nonetheless, these positions are filled by imperfect people; mistakes will be made, as challenges and
obstacles arise. The purpose of this continuity book is to prevent any errors from being repeated, to
improve the functions of SGA in the future, and to, ultimately, help USC Sumter thrive.
5. 4
Roles and Duties
President
Represent the students, faculty, staff, and entire school
Act with academic integrity, exemplary conduct, and moral wholeness
Is the face and voice of the student body and has a direct line to the Dean
Schedule and conduct regular meetings with other SGA officers and advisors
Work with the Director of Student Life to plan activities and events
Maintain constant communication with faculty, staff, and students and regulate interaction
Receive feedback, complaints, and suggestions from students and formulate solutions
Delegate duties to other officers, other clubs, and fellow students
Hold an ex officio position on the Academic Planning Committee
Nominate student candidates to fill faculty-led committees that rely on student input (i.e.,
Student Discipline and Grievance Committee)
Vice President
Represent the students, faculty, staff, and entire school
Act with academic integrity, exemplary conduct, and moral wholeness
Serve as president pro tempore, when president is absent
Assist and advise the president
Fulfill assigned duties
Secretary
Represent the students, faculty, staff, and entire school
Act with academic integrity, exemplary conduct, and moral wholeness
Keep accurate “minutes” of the meetings
Send out reminders of meetings and events
Stay organized and be detailed
Treasurer
Represent the students, faculty, staff, and entire school
Act with academic integrity, exemplary conduct, and moral wholeness
Keep track of all stipends, grants, and donations
Maintain SGA budget and overall accounting
Can act as Originator for Request for Funds form and submit to business office
6. 5
Forms
Activity Sheet: When planning an activity, it is advantageous for you to schedule it a month in an
advance, so that the Director of Student Life can include it in any promotional material, such as the
Stall Wall and other flyers. If the event includes food, you must check with the Fire Ant Café. This
form requires the signatures of the originator, SGA advisor, Director of Student Life, and the Dean
of Student Affairs.
Request for Funds form: This form is required when any money is spent on an activity or other
expenditure, if you wish to draw funds from the SGA account. Typically, you want to turn this form
at least one week prior to the event, so that you can receive the check in time for the event.
However, you may fill out a form afterward and attach the receipts to receive a refund. This form
requires the signatures of the originator, SGA advisor, Director of Student Life, and, if the activity
involves food, the Dean of Student Affairs.
Communication
Though students are welcome to approach any faculty or staff member with comments in their field,
having the entire student population line up at the head dean’s door would cause more harm than
good. This is a simple chart to act as a visual aid in determining whom the students should go to
first for general concerns. SGA serves as the bridge between the students and the faculty/staff.
Dean
Student
Government
Student
Deanof
AcademicAffairs
Deanof Student
Affairs
7. 6
Student Life
Activities: You will be working hand-in-hand with the Director of Student Life to plan events from
which all students can benefit. To encourage more students to come, you can request for the
activities to give three types of credit: ICE (Inter-Curricular Enrichment – especially for USC Aiken
students), SDT (Student Development Transcript – to give record of the student’s growth and
development outside the classroom), and GLD (Graduation with Leadership Distinction). Here are
some examples of recurring events held in the past.
TownHall Meeting: This event is an open public forum – typically held in the SUB – where
the Dean, high faculty, and/or SGA officers answer questions submitted prior to the event
and impromptu questions asked at the meeting. Frequency of this meeting can range from
one to three times a semester.
Breakfast with the Dean: This event is a smaller, more intimate gathering with the Dean. Its
purpose is to allow for more casual conversation, rather than formal questions and answers.
Frequency of this event is up to SGA’s discretion; a monthly or bi-monthly basis is efficient.
Athletic Banquet: This event is normally held right before our athletes (baseball, softball,
etc.) head off to their respective playoffs or other large tournament. Its purpose is to remind
our athletes that their campus supports them, especially as they venture on this grand
endeavor. Many faculty members, clubs, and students volunteer to assist with this banquet.
Finals week: At the end of the fall and spring semester, an easy breakfast is prepared on one
or two days to offer to students stressed about finals. Donuts and pancakes are the normal
food items; coffee, hot chocolate, and/or orange juice can be offered to accompany them.
Meetings
The president, and preferably all of the SGA officers, will need to attend a few meetings throughout
the school year. The types of meetings differ from year to year. Every year, SGA will need to be
present at the Student Trustees Liaison meeting, but USC Sumter typically only presents every other
year. However, officers should always be prepared to give a brief update on the campus. Also, there
may be opportunities to attend the Board of Visitors meeting, the Student Leadership and Diversity
Conference, Carolina Day, and so on.
The SGA officers will also need to meet on a regular basis to collaborate, debrief, and plan. In the
past, meetings were held on a bi-weekly manner on the first and third Tuesday of each month at
12:15pm. The time, date, and frequency should accommodate the schedules of all of the officers, in
order to ensure attendance. Also, to demonstrate an open-door policy for the students to come and
share their thoughts and opinions, the second meeting of the month would be open to all students.
This is a great time for the students to become informed and involved. However, it is important to
hold meetings strictly between the SGA officers and advisor(s) for business matters.
8. 7
Elections
Teacher of the Year: SGA is responsible for gathering votes for the Teacher of the Year award.
This process should take place in February or March – before SGA officer elections are held. Work
with the Dean of Student Affairs to find out from whom you can get the list of nominees, then
decide if the ballots will be electronic or paper. Publicize this election as well as possible, as over one
hundred votes are required for the result to show an accurate representation of the Teacher of the
Year.
SGA: Since SGA officers’ terms are one year long, elections need to be held in the spring semester.
If possible, schedule this election in February or March, so that the new officers can shadow the
current officers and observe what it will be like to fill the position firsthand. It will be at least a three
week process: a week or so for nominations to be turned in, about another week for campaigning,
and finally another week for the polls to remain open and voting ballots cast.
