Ferris’ Student Government Association approved a bill to allocate an annual $4,000 to the organization’s president and $3,000 to their vice president.
The bill was referred to as “Bill 001” and was the first of its kind. It was the collaborative effort of SGA’s executive board members and passed under the group’s recently amended constitution.
Applied math and computer science senior Dylan Andrews is wrapping up his first semester as SGA president with the passage of Bill 001. With official membership falling below 10 students, he believes the group would benefit from an incentive.
“Some of the schools in Michigan even have a full ride for some of their members,” Andrews said.“ So we went with an incentive that might encourage more people to run.”
Andrews broke down the annual compensation offered to executive board members of other Michigan student governments while presenting Bill 001. For Central Michigan University, both the president and vice president receive 30 free credit hours. At Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and Oakland University, the positions receive an hourly wage between minimum wage and $12 per hour.
Before Bill 001, the only executive board position to receive specific compensation from the university was the chief of staff who receives $12 per hour.
Andrews hopes that the new bill will encourage more people to run for president and vice president in the future, and will add to not only having a “prestige title” but also an incentive.
“There is more stuff on the line now, that extra scholarship that you will be getting as president and whoever your vice may be,” Andrews said. “So adding that I think might be more attractive to people and encourage them to run.”
Information security intelligence sophomore Jake McGaha, who is currently a member of the student government, thinks that this new bill is very “healthy” for student government and their future success.
“It is taking on a huge commitment to give back to the community of students when you are president or vice president,” McGaha said. “I think this is a good thing that this has gotten passed, and I think it’s a great thing for the direction of the student government.”
McGaha’s only concern with the new bill is the fact that it has taken this long to get the bill passed. However, McGaha is extremely grateful the student government is headed in the right direction and is hopeful for what is to come.
“There is a lot more that we can do in the future,” McGaha said. “ I think this is a great first step, but we can’t just stop here and let this bill be the last good thing we do for the student government. We are going to have to keep this momentum going for the future.
McGaha also believes that this will add a lot more “eyes” to student government, due to the new scholarship being offered, and may even encourage current student government members to run for leadership positions.
SGA meets every Tuesday in the Founder’s Room in the David Eisler Center at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to anyone who would like to come.