Members of SGC, which include representatives from various student clubs and organizations, as well as members of the Student Activities Council (SAC), serve not only the Meramec campus, but also the community, in several ways.
By: Andrea Royals
News Editor
While some students at STLCC-Meramec go to class every day only to go home the moment a lecture is over, several students choose to engage in campus life through the Student Governance Council (SGC). Meeting every other Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Student Center, SGC executive officers, representatives at large, and club spokespeople come together to discuss important events and issues on campus.
SGC President Kristen Huyett said she loves being a part of campus life and working with administrators and other students. Her involvement with SGC over the past two-and-half years has encouraged her to become more active in the college community.
“I have been enjoying having that sense of community on campus,” Huyett said. “I learn about leadership on a more nuanced level, and I cannot walk from one side of the campus to the other without seeing someone I know.”
Members of SGC, which include representatives from various student clubs and organizations, as well as members of the Student Activities Council (SAC), serve not only the Meramec campus, but also the community, in several ways.
Some clubs choose to sponsor Friday night movies by passing out popcorn and soda to students and families for an inexpensive evening in the Student Center. Others may choose to manage the concession stand or count ticket stubs at Battle of the Bands, organized each year through SAC.
Several clubs participate in holiday parties for community children, such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt, where children can take a picture with the infamous Easter Bunny, or the haunted house that spooks youngsters during Halloween in the Student Center.
Members of campus organizations are also called to serve their community through various service projects in not only the surrounding area, but globally as well. Each year club members participate in the cleaning of Simpson Lake Park, located a few miles from the campus, by picking up trash and removing honeysuckle. In spring 2010, the Pre-Med Club held a fundraiser for peanut butter nutrition supplements for malnourished children in Haiti.
Members of SGC have also promoted several political issues on both the Meramec campus and the St. Louis area.
“The reason I became involved with a club was because I cared about the same issues the club cared about,” said Huyett who was interested in social injustices and joined the Global Justice Club when she first arrived at Meramec. “I looked for something I cared about and pursued that,” she said.
Huyett said she was impressed with how active students had been during the last academic school year, especially with the increase in voter turnout for the MoPIRG reaffirmation election, promotion of Proposition A through the Transit Alliance and the petition to reinstate the former Vice President of Student Affairs, Stephen Petersen, Ph.D.
“We had a large body of students saying ‘yes’ for the same thing,” Huyett said. “That is what I think is incredible and something that I have not seen at all in my two-and-a-half years here.”
Huyett said she appreciates her involvement with campus life and her decision to serve her community through SGC. “Between loving the community, being involved and taking on leadership roles, it was an easy choice for me.”
