The Ohio Student Government Association will be returning to Athens next month for its spring conference.
OSGA, which represents student senates from around the state, will hold the conference May 21 to 22 on OU’s campus. The meeting will focus mainly on how the senates will manage their duties during Ohio’s changing budget and education climate, said Andy Burnette, OU’s OSGA delegate.
OU was chosen because of its atmosphere and the quality of information submitted to OSGA, Burnette said. It is unknown how many other schools applied to host the conference.
“OU has one of the most enjoyable campuses to be on during the weekend,” Burnette said.
The exact itinerary of the meeting is not yet finalized, but the delegations from the 13 public universities in Ohio would likely hold committee meetings and general body meetings, Burnette said, adding that as many as 100 student senators from around the state might attend the conference.
OU is a strong competitor for such meetings because its meeting place, Baker University Center, is fairly new and modern, said Student Senate President Jesse Neader.
Neader said that despite the need for some last-minute planning, hosting the conference will ultimately be a good thing.
“We really need to have some discussions on how we’re going to deal with the university system and the budget over the next few years,” he said.
The state budget and charter school proposals would likely dominate discussions at the conference.
“As all the student leaders, we need to sit down and envision how we see the university system,” Neader said.
OU hosted OSGA’s annual fall conference in 2009. Student representatives from across the state gathered to discuss topics including student trustee voting rights and sustainability on campus. They also listened to a keynote speech by OU President Roderick McDavis on the relationship between students and administrators.
About 50 people attended last fall’s meeting, and Sen. Jimmy Stewart (R-20th), and Rep. Debbie Phillips (D-92nd), were among the participants in the two-day conference.
Student Senate has not determined the cost of hosting the conference, Neader said.
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