MCV SGA
General Body- Meeting Minutes
1/27/2016
1. Guest Speakers
a. Dr. Rappley, Vice President of Health Sciences (CEO)
i. Getting to know Dr. Rappley:
 just joined VCU in August from Michigan State University
 she has experience as a nurse and pediatrician
 importance of reducing cost of education for students in health care
 It is important to remember to provide patient-centered health care (as
competitive students, think about focusing on “what is important for my
patient” rather than “what is important for me”)
 Recommends that every student get involved in/exposure to research –
there are many ways to participate! Don’t have to be in a lab to do
research.
b. Diamone Gathers and Sameen Meshkin, Student Representatives to the BOV (Board of
Visitors)
 What does the BOV do? It serves to guide the direction of the
university….also strives to bridge the gap between the 2 campuses,
especially via the JSG committee
o One initiative they are currently working on is finding a more central
location for the student health center (on MP campus) which is
slightly out of the way for students
 Responsibilities/opportunities involved for student reps:
o Serve as liaison between students and BOV
o Get to meet with many faculty/administrators who take student
concerns seriously
o must attend 4 board meetings and stay involved, come to SGA (MP
and MCV) and JSG meetings, participate in other student events
 current application cycle is open to apply to be student rep for next year
(2016-2017)
o To apply: email Dr. Rodriguez at rbrodriguez@vcu.edu for
information about eligibility and the application process
o Deadline: Friday, February 12th
c. Sarah Kilmon, Qatar trip
 SGA will again be sending a small group of students on the VCU Qatar
Leadership Exchange trip
 Sister campus at VCUQ (VCU Qatar)- other American universities also have
campuses there, including Harvard and CMU
 Travel, lodging, and food expenses are covered
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last year’s trip left October 31st in the morning and came back November 8th, so
this year’s trip should be a similar timeframe (can work with your professors on
what to do while you are gone)
experience Qatari culture during the trip, while building leadership skills
application information will be sent out by next month!
Check out http://www.qatar.vcu.edu/ for information about our sister campus,
and the Leadership Exchange’s Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/RVA2VCUQ/
d. Sadie DeMaioribus, Student Initiatives and Inclusion (demaioribusn@vcu.edu )
i. Upcoming Opportunities:
 Dr. Velma Scantlebury, the first African American female transplant
surgeon, will be coming to MCV campus on February 11th at 10:30 am in
Egyptian building to give a talk
o More information will be sent out soon by Sadie in the OSE
emails
 The registration deadline for the HumanCare (Diversity Healthcare CoCurricular Class) is this Friday, 1/29/16
o It is a 5-part course in both webinar and lecture form
o See attached flyer
o “…an innovative co-curricular class to explore topics about
diversity, leadership and inclusion in healthcare.”
o Register at http://goo.gl/forms/FVq0yqjr62
 Success Seminar panel: “What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a
Private Practice” on February 3rd from 12-12:45 pm (Kontos 104-105)
o All information is in the MCV/Health Sciences Newsletter sent
out on 1/27/16
o Lunch is provided for those who RSVP at
http://goo.gl/forms/A4NQBFRTah
 Everybody please take the Student Satisfaction Survey
o only takes 10 minutes and there are prizes including a
stethoscope, bicycles, VCU gear, etc.
 Why should you take it? Everything you say in this survey will be acted
upon, faculty members like Dr. Hampton and Dr. Rodriguez will be
reviewing feedback and making changes
2. Funding Requests
a. American Physician-Scientist Association’s “Choosing a Good Lab” Panel
i. February 25th from 12-1 pm
ii. Goal of event is to help students make more informed choices when they are
picking a research lab
iii. Panel of PhD students and a post-doc will talk about their lab experiences and
the pros/cons of different research environments…in order to help students
optimize their lab experience
iv. Original request was $175 for pizza and drinks; they increased request to $275
as suggested by SGA exec in order to raise capacity to 50 attendees
v. Vote: approved
b. Pharmaceutics Graduate Student Association’s Transitioning From Academics to
Industry Webinar
i. April 8th
ii. Many students struggle to find jobs after academics/graduation and academic
training does not adequately prepare you for finding a job afterwards
iii. Cheeky Scientist: organization by Isaiah Henkel where he gives seminars about
networking, industry resumes and CV’s, interview/interpersonal skills
iv. Max 50 people
v. Request: $1150
vi. Vote: approved
3. President’s Updates
a. “like” the MCV SGA Facebook page to be entered into Apple Watch Sport raffle
b. Upcoming Elections
i. Information will be announced at next general body (3/23), after which you can
nominate people for elections
ii. Reach out to us with any questions at mcvcampussga@gmail.com
c. Logo
i. All voted in favor of keeping the logo as is (if approved)
ii. Everyone liked the black background best
d. Hunton Hall’s 175th Anniversary is October 17th!
i. If you are interested in joining the anniversary celebration planning committee,
email zirklekw@vcu.edu
e. Committee members also needed for:
i. Inclusive Excellence Committee
1. Climate and intergroup relations (a good opportunity for those
interested in going into academia)
2. Meets once a month (email zirklekw@vcu.edu )
f. TransLoc (Rider) app
i. Download it for real time bus tracking
ii. New “How was your ride?” feature and app comments
g. Customer Service Feedback Forum: Tuesday, February 9th at 11 am – 1pm in MP
Campus- University Student Commons – Commonwealth B
h. On-Campus Housing will no longer be available for MCV students next year (new
location for School of Allied Health)
i. Meetings about off-campus housing:
1. February 16th, Student Commons Ballroom, 10am – 2pm
2. March 17th, Student Commons 2nd floor, 10 am – 2pm
4. Class Reports (new)
a. Dental School needs patients for the patient-based portion of their Boards exam!
i. Several upcoming screening nights
1. February 10th and 17th at the dental school at 5 pm
2. undergrad campus 2/24 at 5:30 pm
3. (more details will be sent out in weekly announcements)
ii. Anyone who volunteers will first be x-rayed to see if they qualify
1. Candidates (small cavities) get screened, dental cleaning, cavity filled,
AND get paid
5. Student Life
a. The Etiquette Dinner on 2/3 is full
b. Spring Study Breaks will be held on 4/19 and 4/20 at 12 pm
i. There will be twice as much food as last time so that more students can come
ii. If you have any food requests/ideas, email Bobby at deramorje@vcu.edu
c. Upcoming PT/Yogurt event- more details soon
6. Social Affairs
a. Winter Ball this Saturday, 1/30! Starts at 7:30 pm
b. Ticket sales end Friday, 1/29 at 3 pm
-attire: formal, suit and tie, bowties are fine
-check Facebook group because Connor has answered a lot of FAQ’s on there
-menu this year is set up so you can pick up food and go (finger food)
-enough so each person can try ~10 things
-No physical tickets are needed: to get in, wait in line by your last name because your
name is on the list already
-need to show ID (driver’s license)
-there will be a credit card machine at the bar but bringing cash is recommended
7. Philanthropy
a. Blood drive last Tuesday was a success!
i. One participant won the raffle for a Fitbit Charge HR
ii. Upcoming food drive with the RAND pantry
1. Will be held ~2nd week of February through Spring Break – there will be
flyers up around campus
a. Please let Abbie know if you can post flyers in your school
building because she does not have access to all the schools
(wisneral@vcu.edu )
iii. Take the survey on MCV SGA Facebook page- trying to gauge interest in a
tabling/social event for school organizations to come together on Bear Hall
Lawn (will include music and food, potentially in April)
8. Block Party
a. Exec did not meet on 1/25 due to snow day- rescheduled to Thursday, 1/28
b. Volunteers needed
i. An online registration form will be sent out in the weekly announcements
ii. Mark your calendars for a mandatory volunteer training session on 3/14 from 57pm (if you absolutely can’t make it their will be an option on the registration
form to let volunteer chairs know, and they will work with you)
9. Treasurer
a. If you have any questions about funding, email Morganne at perezmv@vcu.edu
b. This is a good semester/time to apply for funding! Encourage clubs to do so
10. Secretary
a. No announcements
Important Dates
Winter Ball, Jan. 30
Spring etiquette dinner, Feb. 3
February meeting, February 17, 6 PM
Block Party, March 19, 1-4 PM
March meeting and SGA elections, March 23
April meeting, April 13
Other dates:
Cultural Competency Luncheon, Feb. 9
Transportation Customer Service Forum, Feb. 9 (11 AM – 1PM, Monroe Park Student Commons,
Commonwealth B)
American Physician-Scientist Association’s Choosing a Good Lab Panel, Feb. 24
Kappa Psi Charity Golf Tournament, April 2
School of Medicine Charity Golf Tournament, April 16
Physical Therapy Student Body’s Charity Golf Tournament, April 23