UCA’s Student Government Association allocated “Speak Up” funding to the food pantry, intramural scoreboard, “The Body is not an Apology,” and “Sit on It” projects at its Feb. 17 meeting.

The total of these projects came to about $42,000. The remaining money will stay in the reserve fund and be used later for additional projects.

Five “Speak Up” presentations were given to SGA on Feb. 10 and Feb. 17.

“Speak Up” is a program that allows students and faculty to present ideas they believe will benefit the campus and student body.

SGA President senior Adam Price said, “The program is unique because it offers the students the opportunity to submit their own ideas to receive funding.”

Ideas presented must be beneficial for the UCA student body and not exceed $50,000.

Intramurals Director Logan Wile requested that a scoreboard be added to the intramural field.

“One of the things that the scoreboard will do is that it will increase the public knowing that these fields are there and that they are being used,” Wile said. “Over 2,000 students participate in intramural sports each year and without a scoreboard, the players and audience have a difficult time keeping up with the time and scoring.”

Graduate student Jaclyn Austin said she wants to start a campus food bank. She studied this topic in a class last semester and decided to present it to SGA and hope for funding.

“There are 12,000 students on campus,” Austin said. “Who knows what they are going through and what they are dealing with.”

The food bank could benefit all students and faculty who are in need. Austin said she presented this to SGA because she needs the funding for a place to house the food bank.

SGA adviser Charlotte Strickland proposed the purchase of 20 concrete benches to place around campus as part of a “Sit on It” project. Each bench will have a plaque with an educational quote engraved on it.

“They’re extremely durable and will last 40 to 50 years,” Strickland said, “There’s a lot of longevity to them, they’ll be around forever.”

UCA Feminist Union President junior Greer Williams said she wants to bring poet and activist Sonya Renee Taylor to the university to host the “The Body is not an Apology” workshop.

Williams and Feminist Union members are planning a “Body Positivity Week” at the beginning of March and this workshop would coincide with the week-long event.

“One of the largest problems that we can see everyday on magazine covers and advertisements is women who are darker skinned being lightened in order to be seen as more acceptable or white friendly,” Williams said, “We also have a massive epidemic in the media of photo shopping.”

Williams said she wants to spread awareness to students by bringing in a well-known speaker to discuss how everyone has a perfect body.

In addition to the accepted proposals, SGA listened to:

• A request for an on-campus consignment shop open August through May that would have allowed students to bring unwanted clothes and receive commission.
• Senior Class Representative Blake Brizzolara and Association of Future Alumni member Rachael Hartin propose funding for a large statue of the UCA class ring to place on campus.