Student Government had a particularly eventful session this past meeting, with both a guest speaker and the passing of a new bill. Vice President for University Relations Mike Scanlan discussed the work being put in for the marketing of the university.

“I think the days of just taking John Carroll for granted are over. And we’re doing the work now…we have a board of directors and we have a president, Al [Miciak], who have the vision to invest in the future,” Scanlan explained. “For student government, what an exciting time to be at the forefront of representing your fellow students!”

Scanlan detailed a list of new changes happening that would improve the JCU brand, including renovations to many spots around campus, a revamping of the official JCU website and the move in athletics from the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). These changes are already taking place around and even beyond campus, with advertisements appearing in social media feeds and throughout airports in locations such as Cleveland, New York, Akron and Detroit.

Scanlan is very hopeful about the success of this shift in focus and has been working hand-in-hand with President Miciak and a team of experts dedicated to bringing more awareness to all the qualities that make JCU stand out.

“I’m really proud of the work that we’ve been doing in marketing because I think what we’re doing is 30 years of work in three years,” Scanlan commented. “I feel really confident that we have a vision to remain not just relevant, but to thrive.”

Following the description of a bright and positive future for the university overall came the presentation of a bill that set precedence for future Student Government election proceedings.

Student Government was presented with Resolution ECB01-S24. This bill was written by Senator Joe Bilas ‘27 and sponsored by Senator Fatima Hashim ‘27, student Chase Tuller ‘27, Senator Hayley Humphries ‘26 and Senator and Former Elections Chair Lily Free ‘24. The bill’s purpose is to require the chair of the Elections Committee to provide aid to any candidates who experience violations during the campaign season. These violations would be defined according to John Carroll University’s Community Standards Manual.

According to the resolution, this aid would include the implementation of a roadmap for reporting these incidents to the proper departments. The idea for this piece of legislation was introduced by Senator Bilas two meetings prior at the Feb. 6 regular weekly meeting. He presented the bill as a means to strengthen election code policy and protect students as they present their message and image publicly for candidacy.

This comes after a series of events, not just apparent in the general elections but also noticeable in the JCU student body presidential election as well. Presidential candidates viewed their names on a variety of negative Yik Yak comments that were soon reported and taken down. Following these occurrences, candidates running for seats in the senate elections found their posters had been torn and vandalized.

Senator Bilas presented a speech to the room, urging senators to support the resolution. “This bill has been written to ensure all future candidates, whether those in this room, on this campus or those soon to commit to JCU, have the support, and the resources in case their campaign experiences a violation of the Community Standards Manual,” Bilas explained.

“Through this legislation, let us affirm our commitment to each other, and every candidate who will campaign after us.”

Following his speech, there was a long string of questions concerning the purpose of the resolution and how it would be implemented. After the discussion, the senators reached a conclusion and the bill was passed by a landslide.

This past meeting gave insight into the future of Student Government and the future of John Carroll University as a whole. It is clear that these senators will play a key role in forming the future for current and future Blue Streaks alike.

Additional news from this meeting that you might have missed:

• Academic Affairs will be hosting Development & Donuts on Wed. Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• SOBB met to approve funding for six organizations: Beta Theta Pi, College Democrats, Health Occupation Association, Pre-Nursing Club, Morgan’s Message and BSA.