In September 2014, a week after the SABC Process at St. Louis Community College- Florissant Valley, student representatives called together a meeting in order to discuss what had happened during the SABC Process and further discussed what we would like to do to modify the process in order to give students more of a voice than what was offered during that meeting.

All clubs were given the opportunity to join the meeting, but due to conflicts only six clubs were represented at the meeting, and two were involved via email correspondence. Those clubs were Deaf Communications, A.B.O.U.T, Global Classrooms, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, Genshiken, and Math Club.

We do realize that the SABC Process is finished this year, but we would like the following to be considered in the future.

1. Since this is Student Government, the SABC Process should be student led by the SGA President and council.

2. The SABC Process should be led using the Robert’s Rules of Order. As stated in the SABC Process meeting, this was a learning opportunity for council. This should also apply for other club representatives as well. Just because we are our club representatives for SGA does not mean that we are privy to Robert’s Rules of Order and the technical jargon that the rules entail. A copy of Robert’s Rules of Order, as some sort of “cheat sheet”, should have been in the binder provided for SABC Process.

3. In further contingency of the SABC Process being a learning process for all, students should be able to request that advisors have the ability to sit next to them at the table. The advisor would be a silent party and would not have the ability to speak into the microphone for their club, but only there to confer with or clarify for their club representative. This should apply to both SGA and clubs requesting monies. If advisors do not have the option of sitting with representatives, clubs should be able – upon request – to confer for clarification. During the SABC Process meeting the A.B.O.U.T Club requested to have counsel with their advisor due to the drastic cuts that were proposed. SGA denied the request for counsel and as seen from a third party’s perspective this was unfair. If the SGA council can confer with their advisor, why can’t the other students clubs do the same?

4. The SGA Council should have one representative to vote for their club as a whole, therefore not to sway the vote in any way. Currently with the number of members in the SGA Council versus the amount of student club representatives the vote may be easily swayed in the way of favor of whatever the SGA Council is in favor of. This seems unfair. In relation to that, SGA Council should not be able to second their own motions.

5. Prior to the meeting, many clubs made the requested to be told their club account balance for fundraised monies. This information should be easily found and distributed by request and quarterly.

As a whole, student clubs request that the SABC Process returns to what the process was a few years ago. That process being a student organized and student led. If clubs were able to speak for themselves and go through voluntary reductions, both on first and secondary levels, those clubs not willing to reduce then would be confronted by their fellow peers as to the rationales of why their clubs need more of the requested monies. If by that point club requested money is still above allotted budget and clubs are not willing to reduce further, SGA may step in with suggestions on how to cut budgets – whether be starting with the clubs requesting the most money or not.

Overall, we would like this process to be as diplomatic as possible. Even though we are a community college and sometimes that holds a stigma, we would like to start seeing processes like these handled in a similar fashion to those conducted at a university. If we have questions about rules and regulations of SGA for example, what happens to the held monies for clubs that do not meet their fundraising goals – we should be able to find that information either in the binder provided on in a policy section, or it should be discussed at a meeting prior to the SABC Process.