MCV Campus SGA General Body Meeting – Agenda
March 26, 2014
~Welcome
~Funding Requests
1. REACH 4 Ghana
 Event: Spring Gala Fundraiser
 April 26, 2014 from 6-9pm
 Requesting $2,750
 All money raised goes towards medical supplies
 PASSED
2. School of Physical Therapy
 Event: VCU Cornhole Tournament
 August 3, 2014 at 11am-7pm
 Requesting $800
 PASSED
~New Business
1. President, Philip Wong
 Speeches for elections
-Link for voting:
https://docs.google.com/a/mymail.vcu.edu/forms/d/1526nCMLa_VlDERVVevXe0z9yC2U0Y2IhV5rUmmU8Yc/viewform
-Polls will close at 10pm on April 3rd
-Nominees and speeches are listed at the end of this document
 JSGA future
-Working towards continuing JSGA
-Biggest concern is getting it passed again on the Monroe Park campus
 “A New America: How Millennials are Sparking Change”
-Speaker series to enlighten individuals on how we can benefit and help
society
-April 16 at University of Richmond
2. VP of Social Affairs, Emerald Nguyen and Arvachi Patel
 Spring Social: April 17 at Maymount from 6-8pm
3. VP of Philanthropy, Kristen Morris
 SGA Sponsored Blood Drive
-Thank you to everyone that volunteered or donated to the blood drive
-Collected 53 units of blood and saved 159 lives
-P2 class had the most donors and won the pizza party
 EHL program
-We are partnering up with the EHL program again. If anyone is interested
in being a panelist please sign up or contact Kristen Morris at
morriskp@vcu.edu
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiGUG6hyVrpgdHNzblpmYlpDZnVpTGVGMDlHWkwyT
1E&usp=sharing#gid=0
-The cumulative panel is still open to those without a school listed or if the
date has passed
4. VP of Student Life, Dan Nichols
 Spring Study Breaks
-April 16 and April 17 from 12pm-1pm
-Location: Bear Hall Lawn
-Food and goody bags will be provided; massages are pending
-Tent ordered in case it rains
 Student Life Survey
-The results of the MCV Student Life Survey have been shared with the
student body and the departments of Housing, Parking and Transportation,
Technology Services, Recreational Sports, Dining Services, Student
Activities, the Tomkins-McCaw Library, VCU Police, and the Bookstore.
-So far, housing invited VP of Student Life (Dan) to one of their meetings,
the bookstore asked him to help create a focus group, the TomkinsMcCaw library will use the results to allocate extra space and hours, and
Student Activities will use the results to plan future events and is
considering creating a student activities board.
-The iPads have been distributed to the winners as well.
5. Treasurer, Johnathan Ramey
 Update on finances: about $5,000 left in the budget
6. Secretary, Alyssa Kaufman
7. Health Fair Chair, Jessica Lewis
 Health Fair will be held on April 12, 2014 from 11am-3pm at Armstrong High
School
 Still looking for student volunteers!!
 Sign up to volunteer at www.vcuhealthfair.org (go to the student link)
 Email healthfairvcu@gmail.com for more information
**Next MCV Campus SGA General Body Meeting will be held April 23, 2014 at 5:30 pm**
MCV SGA Nominees:
President:
1) Johnathan Ramey
Hi, my name’s Johnathan Ramey and I’ve been treasurer for the SGA this past year. It’s
allowed me to see how we function financially and socially and I’d love to take what I’ve learned and
implement it next year as president. I represent the School of Nursing, and I’ve had a good time
bringing our undergraduate point of view to the graduate mix. I’ve enjoyed working on all events
(including the Winter Ball and the new JSGA), so I hope to streamline a bigger, better SGA next year
for all students on campus. Thank you.
Secretary:
1) Alyssa Kaufman
Hi everyone, my name is Alyssa Kaufman and I am a second year pharmacy student. I served on
the exec board this past year as secretary and really enjoyed my time here working with everyone. I just
wanted to share with you a few goals that I have set for this upcoming year. One of my main goals is to
create an MCV SGA Google doc calendar to help everyone stay up to date with events and deadlines. The
calendar would include all MCV SGA meetings and funded events along with other events involving the
MCV campus. Also, some other goals that I have in mind are to send out set weekly emails and to help
market MCV SGA funded events more aggressively. I am really looking forward to working with the exec
team again this year. Please feel free to speak with me or email me if you have any questions or ideas for
the MCV SGA exec board so we can help make your experience here the best possible.
Health Fair Chair:
1) Meghan Wilson
My name is Meghan Wilson and I am a current first year MHA student. I am running for the
position of the 2015 VCU Community Health Fair Chair. Having served as the Sponsorship Chair and on
the Executive Team for the 2014 Health Fair, I understand and am prepared for the many duties that the
Health Fair Chair is ultimately responsible for. My current position has provided invaluable leadership
experience. For example, I have learned how to delegate tasks to my committee and provide them support
when needed. Next year, I will build upon this leadership experience and strive to not only improve the fair
and increase community participation, but find ways to continue the legacy and create a system that
encourages health fair success for years to come.
VP of Social Affairs:
1) Emerald Nguyen
Hello everyone, my name is Emerald for those who don’t already know me. I am re-running for
the Social Chair position here at our MCV SGA and would be honored to serve our campus again next
year. I would like to continue the excellent leadership that my peers have exhibited throughout this year
and continue to collaborate our efforts to plan future events that would bring the different professions
together. With my experiences this past year planning the social events—in particular the Winter Ball, I am
confident that I can fulfill my duties and represent the school with efficiency and professionalism. Again, I
would welcome any suggestions or ideas that you may have to enhance our experience next year. Thank
you for your consideration.
2) Arvachi Patel
My name is Arvachi Patel and I am currently a second year Pharmacy student. I currently hold the
position and would be a good candidate for Social Vice President as I have learned much during my
experience. I know firsthand what this position requires and am prepared to work even harder and do a
better job. I enjoyed every bit of time organizing the socials this past year and hope to continue doing so. I
will definitely keep in mind all of the suggestions received this year, especially those regarding the winter
ball, and will work to improve our events for next year. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to prove
myself and to fulfill my duties of this position to my best abilities.
VP of Student Life:
1) Dan Nichols
Good evening, fellow MCV students. For those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of
meeting yet, my name is Dan Nichols, 2nd year student at the School of Pharmacy, and I am running for
another term as Vice President of Student Life. I am going to start off by explaining what I have
accomplished this year and then finish by talking about what I have planned if given the opportunity to be
Vice President of Student Life again next year.
The Vice President of Student Life has two main responsibilities: to plan study breaks and to
create a student life survey. There was a lot of room for improvement when I started my tenure, and my
goal was to make these projects better than they were the year before. Last year’s student life survey was
created with no involvement of MCV Campus administration, the results were not shared with the student
body, there was no transparency regarding who won the prizes offered as incentive to participate, and the
survey did not lead to any changes around the MCV campus to my knowledge. This year, I reached out to
the MCV Campus administration to include them in the creation and analysis of the survey. This ensured
that the questions were relevant and that the results would lead directly to changes around campus. The
results of the survey were shared with the entire MCV student body, the iPads offered as incentive for
participation were distributed with complete transparency, and the results have already lead to changes
around the MCV Campus. So far, the results of this year’s survey will dictate the allocation of extra hours
and study space at the Tomkins McCaw Library as well as the timing and types of events hosted by Student
Activities, and I am currently working with the Bookstore and Housing to create focus groups composed of
MCV students to better understand the survey results pertaining to their departments. With regard to
improving the study breaks, I decided to move those occurring during the spring semester outside to Bear
Hall Lawn and offer a lighter fare than pizza.
With a year’s worth of experience as Vice President of Student Life, I have come up with a few
ideas that can be implemented if I am re-elected for another term. Given that I have developed a strong
relationship with MCV Campus administration over this past year, I think that we will be able to create an
even more comprehensive survey this year and open it to students much earlier so that the focus can shift
from creating the survey to implementing changes from its results. I am also much more comfortable
coordinating study breaks so I’d like to offer at least one more in the middle of each semester if my budget
allows it. Based on feedback from other MCV students, I’d like to explore the possibility of bringing back
X-Ray, the MCV Yearbook that was discontinued a few year ago, as well as look into putting together an
etiquette dinner to for those students wanting to better prepare themselves for that aspect of the residency
interviews, or anyone who’d like to improve their table manners in general.
Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here today and best of luck to
everyone running for a position. I feel like I have so much more to accomplish so I hope you give me the
chance to make the Vice President of Student Life position even better next year.
2) Michael Villa
My name is Michael Villa and I am running for the position of VP of Student Life. Before I tell
you why I feel I have the qualifications for the position, I would like to share a little bit more about
myself. I am currently a first year physical therapy student at VCU in which I am the Student Government
Association Representative. I work at VCU’s Medical Center where I am in contact with various areas of
the health care system. This helps with my familiarity, understanding, and needs of different health care
professions.
I pride myself on the fact that I am a hardworking, diligent student. I set goals for myself and I
work hard to achieve them, no matter the cost. The reason I am running for an executive board position is
that I am looking for a way to serve my fellow students and my campus community. I constantly seek to
challenge myself and the role of VP of Student Life will provide me with this opportunity to serve a larger
cause. In addition to serving as a SGA representative for my class, I have also recently held leadership
roles in raising funds for charities. One such event is helping in the planning of our annual golf tournament
for charity. I have been in leadership roles in the past for both student organizations as well as leadership
roles at work. I feel that these positions and experiences have helped me to gain a sense of what it takes to
be a leader on this campus and in the larger community. If elected, I plan to use these leadership qualities to
our advantage. This includes forming close personal relationship with students in other disciplines and
finding ways to better relay the information shared at SGA meetings to the rest of the student body. A sense
of community is crucial to a college campus, and I have some great new ideas to develop our community in
addition to those events that we already have in place. I am a person who is passionate about promoting
fitness and wellness and I would use this mindset to plan events that would better the health of MCV
students while creating a fun and interactive experience. The whole reason why the Student Government is
in place is to make the campus a better place for students and to make your time here more enjoyable. I
hope I can help with this goal. Because of my time management skills and ability to prioritize well, I know
that I will be able to put forth more than enough time and effort to be successful in this position. In
everything I do, I put my whole heart into it. I’m excited about this opportunity to devote my time and
passion toward improving the lives of students on this campus. Thank you for your time and consideration.
VP of Philanthropy:
1) Kristen Morris
Hi, my name is Kristen Morris and I am running for the position of Vice President of
Philanthropy. I have had the pleasure of holding this position for the past year and it has been such a
rewarding experience. I was able to work closely with the representatives and children from the CHAT
program, continue the incredible support from the MCV campus at our sponsored Blood drive and have
extended our relationship with the Monroe Park campus by partnering up with the EHL program on
multiple occasions as well as providing donations and volunteers to the RAM Pantry.
Philanthropy and community service is truly where my passion is. I hold community service chairs
in the organization I’m involved with at the School of Pharmacy that allow me to get involved with our
local community. I am also a student volunteer for the RAM and HOMBRE outreach trips, which are
allowing me to take my dedication and commitment to both the national and international level. Through
these different levels of involvement I have made great contacts in the community and the different
schools, which I think will really help me to extend the reach of Philanthropy chair this upcoming school
year.
Something I would like to implement for next year is a philanthropy committee. This past year for
the events that I have put on, I had the same handful of my peers helping me with each event and it was a
great relief to have the same reliable and dedicated students to go to when help was needed. I think by
implementing an official committee it will be able to get more students involved with their student
government and allow a wider influence from a more diverse student population representing their
respective schools.
Something else I would like to do for the upcoming school year is to send out a survey to the
campus and see where everyone’s interests lie. This will help me when deciding which events to coordinate
for the upcoming school year.
For example, if a lot of people are interested in working with children we can volunteer monthly at
the public library or the YMCA reading books to children or interacting with them on the importance of
healthy eating and exercise, to work in some of our health care knowledge.
If people are more interested in working with individuals that are in need of some extra
assistance, I can set up a monthly volunteer registry for a group of people to volunteer at the Ronald
McDonald house or the Hospitality House and make dinners for the patients and their families.
I know in pharmacy school there is a lot of interest in older adults, so if this is a trend throughout
the campus I can work with Imperial Plaza or Covenant Woods for students to come in and give interactive
presentations to the residents or any other event we might want to do.
If there is a cause that is near and dear to people’s hearts such as breast cancer or lung cancer I
want to be able to work with individuals or organizations and encourage our campus to come together and
participate for a good cause. This can be as small as participating in walks to raise awareness and money.
I want to serve this campus to the best of my ability. I think that by holding this position this past
year it has shown me what methods and events have had a lot of interest and which ones haven’t. I want to
use this knowledge and experience to cater to the needs and wants of this campus. I think that by having
some of the events I’ve mentioned it will really help our different professions come together and form
better relationships for the future. I think the position of VP of Philanthropy still has a lot of potential to
grow and I hope you consider me as the person to help us reach our full potential. Thank you.
2) Benjamin Barmaan
My name is Benjamin Barmaan, a first year medical student, and I would love the opportunity to
serve you as SGA’s VP of Philanthropy next year. I come from a long line of service and commitment to
the communities I work in. Most notably, I served as the Director of Philanthropy and later the President of
the student-run organization that represents the graduate students of the Global Medicine program at the
Keck School of Medicine last year. I oversaw and organized numerous events, outreach programs, and
fundraisers that benefited the local community and other charitable organizations that served the local and
global community. I also worked for several non-profit organizations such as Mending Kids International
where I assisted in fundraising and medical missions to provide life-changing surgeries to children around
the world. I learned that the greatest service in life is to give back to those around you – whether it is the
local or global community. I will bring my years of experience and my passion for serving others and
working with fellow colleagues at VCU-MCV to develop events for students that will benefit charitable
organizations. Moreover, I will work with and listen to fellow students to find charitable organizations that
students are interested in. Also, understanding the need of medical students in SGA’s governing body, I
hope to serve as a link between SGA and the Medical Student Government Association to create a more
organized and unified coalition of students to fulfill our duties to the student body and the community. My
door will always be open to discuss ideas and areas of interest with students. Thank you for considering me
as your future VP of Philanthropy and appreciate your vote.
Treasurer:
1) Keith Zirkle
Hi, my name is Keith Zirkle. I am running for treasurer of the MCV SGA. Currently, I’m a first
year biostatistics PhD student. From that, you can probably see I’m good with numbers. I’m running for
this position because of my experience in a similar role in undergrad. I graduated from James Madison
University last year where, for two years, I worked as financial director for our student-run, 501(c)3
nonprofit SafeRides. SafeRides was the organization that gave free rides home to college students. I
oversaw a $36,000+ budget, though we actually brought in closer to $50,000. So working with money is
right up my alley.
I also enjoy working with people, I’m a natural extrovert, and would love to help organizations at
MCV find funding for their events—and also make sure all of our meetings are catered. Overall, I think I fit
this role. Thank you, and I would appreciate your vote.
2) Michael Hanson
Hello, I am running for the SGA Treasurer position for the MCV Campus. As a student in the
Master of Health Administration program, budgeting and finances are an integral aspect of our degree. In
undergrad, at Colorado State University, I graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration with a
certificate in Financial Analysis. My passion for the administrative and financial side of healthcare will
hopefully be an asset to the SGA Executive Board as well as the entire MCV Campus. As the SGA
Treasurer, I hope to make navigating the funding process as streamline as possible for the SGA Board and
MCV Student Programs. I am excited and enthusiastic for the opportunity to serve the MCV Campus as
the 2014-2015 SGA Treasurer.
3) Virag Patel
Hi my name is Virag Patel, I am a first year medical student. When I saw that this position become
available I definitely knew this would be a position that I could carry out because of my experience and
networking. My finance experience comes from being highly involved in the Monroe Park SGA as a Senate
Chairman and interim Student Body Treasurer while I was at VCU as an undergrad along with being
president/founder of many. I am also currently the M1 Class Treasurer for the VCU SOM Class of 2017,
which is my most recent finance related position.
As an undergraduate, I had experience micromanaging roughly $150,000 of student money that
was allocated to school wide events that ranged from homecoming to sending students Texas when VCU
made it to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. Outside of money management I worked with many
student organizations on campus and the student organization financial coordinator. We would develop
presentations to train organizations on how request money from the SGA and how to submit paperwork for
reimbursements. I became very good at micromanaging tasks and streamlining the process in a way that
made it clear for the organizations. With over 500 organizations to work with, I became familiar with many
student leaders and I learned to work with them so that we could all achieve our goals. I believe as a MCV
SGA Treasurer I will have the same opportunity to support student organizations, as they grow and become
a stronger presence on campus. I believe this to be one of the biggest and most rewarding parts of this
position.
I also have a lot of experience being an advocate for student voices. I had served as a Senate
Chairman on the Monroe Park SGA and I was a former Student Representative to the VCU Board of
Visitors. The student representative acts as the voice of the students. Their job is to collect all the concerns
and thoughts of the students, regarding all factors of the University. The representative would then channel
student input to the administration, organizing it in a professional manner. Much like politicians, they are
public servants that serve the VCU community. They should act as student leaders; it is their job to reach
out to the students through many different means such as actively participating in different organizations
that are representative of a large portion of the student body, such an example would be the SGA. It is also
their duty to become familiar with the university staff and how the university runs, they must be just as
aware of the changes occurring at the University, inform the students, and most importantly collect the
feedback to relay it to the MCV SGA and Administration.
One final but important qualification is that I was given the opportunity to work with many
administrators on the undergraduate campus, working all the way to Dean of Student Affairs and Dean of
Student Organizations and Activities and even Dr. Rao when SGA helped coordinate Michelle Obama’s
arrival at VCU. I believe that able to work with administration and faculty is an extremely key component
with the position as the MCV SGA Treasurer, being able to earn their respect so that they believe you are
someone they would be able to work with and not against. It has also allowed me to become very adaptable
to different infrastructures and systems that are implemented by offices so that I can accomplish what needs
to be done within the bounds of my responsibilities.