SG Boca House elects top positions at first meeting
A week after the unofficial results of Florida Atlantic University Student Government’s legislative elections were announced, the Boca Raton House of Representatives met on Oct. 4 to induct new members into the positions of Speaker of the House, Speaker Pro-Tempore and Chair of the Campus Budget Committee.
Speaker of the House
Medgine Present, a senior who joined the House of Representatives in 2022, talked about her knowledge of parliamentary procedure and administrative tasks when asking her fellow representatives for their votes.
“My goal is to continue leading the house with professionalism and integrity while ensuring representatives are well versed in the internal structure and procedures of student government… I plan to host debate training sessions to strengthen our skills as representatives and increase our presence with more tabling events as well,” said Present.
Present explained some of the skills that she learned from previously serving in this position, including leading the meetings, activities training, submitting events to Owl Central, managing food waivers and more.
She was re-elected as the Speaker shortly after her presentation, with no other candidates running against her.
Speaker Pro-Tempore
Alex Mojica, a junior who has been a member of the House of Representatives for five semesters, spoke to the House about his qualifications for the position.
“I will help struggling representatives by listening to their needs and concerns,” Mojica said. “This will help representatives get back onto their feet and help make FAU a better place for students.”
Rep. Jack Nixon asked the candidate, “Are there any recurring issues that you notice throughout the student population, and if so, what are your plans to fix them?”
Mojica noted that food insecurity is the main recurring issue in the community. He stated that the “Campus Harvest” events hosted and planned by Speaker Present have helped address this issue.
“I believe one of the steps we can take in the correct direction is continuing these Campus Harvest events,” said Mojica.
Mojica added that parking is another issue on campus, and he plans to communicate with parking and transportation services.
He plans to patch up the potholes of parking lot 17, adjacent to the newly renovated Student Union parking lot, “in order to make parking easier and more satisfactory to the student body.”
Mojica ran against Rep. K’Qmie McKnight, but the House elected Mojica, who got ten votes to four.
Campus Budget Committee Chair
Katherine McMillan shared her experience as a master’s student and her strong understanding of financial management. She emphasized the importance of supporting both graduate and undergraduate students.
“I want to advocate for any student programs on our campus,” McMillan said. “I’m also very interested in hearing from all representatives, as well as our students, and to where they would best see our campus funds going towards.”
She was sworn to be Campus Budget Committee Chair, with no other candidates running against her.
The Boca House of Representatives meeting is held every Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the House Chambers of the Student Union building.
Michael Cook is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email michael17cook@gmail.com.
Latest University Press
- Construction for new residence hall on Boca Raton campus will begin soonFlorida Atlantic University has instilled a timeline to build a new seven-story residence hall on the Boca Raton campus, with construction slated to begin in spring 2025. The project aims to address the growing demand for on-campus housing by providing an additional 674 student beds. The residence hall will be located on the grassy area...
- Women’s basketball: In the battle of the Owls FAU gained their fifth victory versus Kennesaw State, 71-56Florida Atlantic women’s basketball (6-4) went back in the Elly after 12 days of not playing at home to take on the Kennesaw State University (KSU) (3-5) Owls. Coming off a two-game losing streak, FAU turned out to be the “better Owls” on Dec. 13, as they made an impressive comeback versus KSU, 71-56. “I...
- BOT approves $22 million deal to change FAU football stadium nameThe Florida-based Flagler Credit Union has secured a multi-million dollar naming rights deal, with approval from the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees, to rename the football stadium from “FAU Stadium” to “Flagler Credit Union Stadium.” At Tuesday’s special BOT meeting, several board members thanked everyone, both inside and out of the athletics department, who...
- FAU pitchers: Their road back to healthAll it took was one pitch. One pitch to end Kide Adetuyi’s freshman baseball season at Florida Atlantic University. On Adetuyi’s first live ball in the fall of 2023, he threw a curveball and heard a pop. The pop was his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tearing. The UCL is located on the inner side of...
- Carrying the weight: Disabled TA uses comedy to break teaching boundariesWhen Devin Ghaness stands up from his chair, he may only be able to stay on his feet for six seconds. Ghaness, a public speaking teaching assistant at Florida Atlantic University is physically disabled by the congenital disorder Cerebral Palsy, causing his brain to not send signals to his body quickly enough for movement. His...
- Immigration, reproductive rights among key issues for FAU students heading into Trump’s second termAs the next four years unfold, Florida Atlantic University students remain divided over the expectations for President-elect Donald J. Trump’s second term in office. Some students are optimistic about Trump’s proposed policies, while others express concern about issues like reproductive rights and immigration. These concerns and hopes reflect the focus of the United States general...