SGA’s Response to Student Demands

1. SGA’s undergraduate and graduate Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs and Vice Presidents of Student Life are initiating conversations with the admissions office, including the Black Student Recruitment Team, to discuss further and expanded efforts to recruit more Black students to Georgia Tech and engage further with local middle and high schools as well as increase resources allocated to the Black Student Recruitment Team.
2. Joint executive leadership has participated and will continue to engage with President Cabrera, Dean Stein, and Dr. Ervin, among others, to advocate for the hiring and retention of more black administration and faculty.
3. Georgia Tech Campus Services has already committed to bringing additional food trucks to campus this Fall due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. SGA’s undergraduate and graduate Vice Presidents of Campus Services are meeting with Campus Services leadership this week to advocate for black-owned food trucks and the continuation of student involvement in the selection process. 
4. Under USG Student Voting Privileges Policy, section 4.1.3, Georgia Tech is required to permit an excused absence if a student’s class schedule prevents them from voting in any federal, state, or local elections. SGA worked with the Registrar’s Office throughout the Spring of 2020 to set up the process for Tech students to request an excused absence. Due to COVID-19, the communications and promotion of these efforts have been postponed until this Fall. To request an excused absence to vote please visit https://registrar.gatech.edu/info/request-for-excused-absence-for-voting.
5. SGA’s undergraduate and graduate Vice Presidents of Campus Services are meeting with Campus Services leadership and student organizations in upcoming weeks to discuss the treatment of campus services’ workers, specifically black workers in the dining halls and those who operate campus transportation, as well as potential changes to the food truck program on campus. 
6. Joint executive leadership has participated and will continue to engage with President Cabrera, Dean Stein, and Dr. Ervin, among others, to advocate for an expanded ethics curriculum for undergraduate and graduate students. In the short term, joint leadership is working to expand bias-training workshop capacity across campus and diversity training for anyone involved in academic instruction (TAs, professors, staff).

Any questions or comments are welcome at sga@gatech.edu!