The Torch Bearer (Oct. 2011)

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The torch bearer Issue 1 | October 2011

Activity & Service (A&S) – An increase in

the current fee from $11.69 to $12.24 per

credit hour, with estimated annual revenue

of $13,282,272. This fee funds all Student

Government initiatives and projects and is

allocated through the Student Senate to

agencies, Recognized Student Organizations,

(RSOs) and others.

Athletics – An increase in the current fee

from $7.39 to $7.54 per credit hour, with

estimated annual revenue of $8,182,053.

Student LOCAL fee committee announces recommended fee increases, effective fall 2012 !

The coss student’s SGA resource

Newsletter mission The Torch Bearer is a newsletter for students, by students. It is written and updated by elected officials representing students from the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. Its main purpose is to expose, inform, and ultimately encourage active participation in all levels of student government on campus.

Learn more about the happenings within your Student Government Association and throughout the university.

What’s Inside:

Dean Rasmussen announces new Social Sciences Scholar Program (SSSP)

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Featured Recognized Student Organization (RSO): The Global Peace Exchange

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The Golden Tribe Lecture Series presents “An Evening with Elie Wiesel”

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Fall election date announced

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The Office of Governmental Affairs debuts its new initiative, Noles Engaged in Politics

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Health – An increase in the current fee from

$10.96 to $11.42 per credit hour, with

estimated annual revenue of $12,392,447.

The committee will be hosting a public

hearing on Monday, Oct 3 from 1 p.m. – 2

p.m. in Student Services Building room 203

to gather student comments and

suggestions in relation to the fee increases

and expenditure recommendations. Contact

Allison Crume ([email protected]) for

more information.

A message from your Senator

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Date for Budget hearings set

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2 The COSS Student’s SGA Resource

The Torch Bearer Issue 1 | October 2011

If you are a junior in the College of

Social Sciences and Public Policy with a

GPA of 3.4 or above, you can apply to be

a part of the new Social Sciences Scholar

Program (SSSP), an initiative headed by

Dean David Rasmussen to continue the

legacy of research and involvement

among undergraduate students.

Social Science Scholars are chosen

through a competitive process. Those

selected participate in a unique, 3-‐unit

leadership seminar during the spring

semester of their junior year. The

seminar prepares students for projects

of their choosing, which are undertaken

during the following summer and/or fall

semesters.

Each Social Science Scholar has access

to an account of $ 5,000, which he or she

can draw upon for approved program-‐

related activities (i.e., service learning

projects, independent research and

international study).

To become a Social Science Scholar,

applicants must have completed all

Liberal Studies requirements and

earned a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or

higher. They also must complete the on-‐

line application form located on the

program’s website (coss.fsu.edu/sss)

and submit it electronically, along with

an unofficial university transcript.

Deadline for the application is Oct. 7.

Interviews will be held from Nov. 7-‐11

and selected scholars will be announced

Nov. 18.

For more information, please contact

John Mayo ([email protected]) or Tom

Taylor ([email protected]).

Featured rso

Global Peace Exchange The Global Peace Exchange was

founded in 2006 by three FSU

students who wanted to create a link

between universities and government

agencies in an effort to facilitate

international humanitarian service. As

per its constitution, “The purpose of

[GPE] is to foster the construction of a

new civilization founded on mutual

cooperation and understanding to support development and peace in the

world.”

GPE is currently an official partner of

the United Nations and several

governments, as well as numerous

international universities.

In support of World Food Day, the

Global Peace Exchange will be hosting

a week of events from Oct. 17 to Oct.

21 that aims to raise awareness about

Dean Rasmussen announces ‘Social sciences scholar program’ for qualified juniors

Scholarship and Involvement opportunities

hunger issues at the international,

national, local, and campus-‐based

levels as well as how a student can

help to lessen the prevalence of

hunger both at home and abroad

For more information about the

Global Peace Exchange or Hunger

Week, please contact

[email protected].

If your organization would like to be appear in the next “Featured RSO” section, please contact Rosalia Contreras at [email protected]



The golden tribe lecture series presents An evening with Elie wiesel

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The Florida State University will be hosting

Elie Wiesel on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in the

Ruby Diamond Auditorium as a part of its

ongoing Golden Tribe Lecture Series.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and Boston

University Professor Elie Wiesel has worked

on behalf of oppressed people for much of his

adult life. His personal experience of the

Holocaust has led him to use his talents as an

author, teacher and storyteller to defend

human rights and peace throughout the

world.

Ticket distribution for “An Evening with Elie Wiesel” will take place at Ruby Diamond

Concert Hall on the campus of Florida State

University on Oct. 4. Tickets will be

distributed only to FSU students with valid

gold FSU ID from 5:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m.

Students may obtain only one ticket per valid

gold FSU ID. Tickets are first come, first serve

and will be reserved seating. Upon availability,

remaining tickets will be distributed to both

students and non-‐students after 6:30 p.m.

The event is sponsored and paid for by the

Student Government Association.

Next Golden Tribe Lecture series speaker: Writer and philosopher Dr. Cornel West

January 18, 2012



Fall elections will be held on Oct. 12 from 8 a.m. – 8

p.m. Students will be able to log-‐on via

sga.fsu.edu to cast their ballot. Strozier

Library will be open as the designated

voting area for anyone wishing to cast

his or her ballot on campus. Campaign

week will be from Oct. 5 – Oct. 12; we

encourage you to find out more about

the candidates running for office so that

you may make the most informed

decision on Election Day.

The office of governmental affairs wants qualified freshmen and

sophomores to get involved with its

new initiative, Noles Engaged in Politics.

The mission of NEP is to engage

underclassmen in city, county and state

level politics as they begin their careers

at FSU. This program gives incoming

students the opportunity to learn about

the different levels of the political

system, understand how to effectively

organize lobby campaigns, and enhance

their skills through seminars and

internships. If you are interested in

getting involved and would like an

application, please contact Director Simi

Boutzoukas (sga-‐[email protected]).

Applications will be due on Oct. 12.

sga will be tabling at every Union Wednesday. Come meet

your student representatives and tell us

about issues you believe should be

addressed. You can learn more about

our “Got Issues?” campaign by visiting

our table or contacting Ky’Eisha Penn

([email protected]).

senate Budget hearings will be held during the first week of Oct.

in the Senate Chambers. The Budget

Committtee within Student Senate will

be deciding on funding for various

agencies, RSOs and campus projects for

the upcoming fiscal year 2012-‐2013.

The hearing will be open to all students.

Come by and find out how more than 12

million dollars in students’ Activity &

Service fees will be allocated.

Beyond borders applications open

+ Student government announcements Stay informed and get involved.

Beyond Borders is a unique

exchange program which offers

an alternative to traditional

academic study abroad

programs and provides students

with short-‐term, rich cultural

learning experiences through

immersion in the target

cultures.

Applications for the Germany

and Costa Rica summer

exchanges will be due on Oct.

21. Details on the information

sessions as well as the

applications can be found on

Beyond Borders’ website

(cge.fsu.edu/beyondborders/bb

info.cfm).

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With this inaugural newsletter of the 2011-‐

2012 academic year comes plenty of

assuredly dismaying announcements: tuition

really did increase from last year’s rates and

the amount Bright Futures is willing to pay

has (not surprisingly) decreased.

Like several of you, I found myself having to

pay a larger out-‐of-‐pocket sum for the

difference not covered by scholarships. And

like several of you, I, too, am disappointed.

What makes the difference between passive

and active disappointment, however, is the

willingness to change that which makes one

upset. It is easy to feel frustrated and

powerless, but it takes some effort to feel

emboldened.

If you feel as though your voice is not being

accounted for when state legislatures pass

policies to cut funding to higher education

and programs such as Bright Futures, rest

assured that it should be. Florida State’s

student government is not solely an entity

that operates within the nucleus of its

campus. Through endeavors such as the

Office of Governmental Affairs, SGA hopes to

bridge the gap that inevitably falls between a

student population and its representatives in

the local and state government.

We hope to give students the voice they so

deserve, and we understand that strength

comes in numbers. There is no greater

catalyst for change than a united front of

individuals. Take as prime example the

Occupy Wall Street demonstrations occurring

in New York and spreading like wildfire on

the Internet; the duty of raising hell has been

taken into citizens’ own hands (and in this

case, their handhelds, too).

As we face even steeper cuts to Bright

Futures funding in this upcoming legislative

session, it is our duty as students to raise

hell. What I hope you take from this message

is that your Student Government Association

has the programs in place to make our claims

as students heard loudly and clearly. Work

with us and give us your support; as I am

sure many of you can attest, public policy

affects us all.

A message from your senator

How can your student representatives help you? Have an issue with

something on campus?

Interested in starting a

program or organization

but don’t know where to

start? Want to get involved

but don’t know how? Want

to give your input and

opinion on SGA endeavors?

E-‐mail your Social Science

Senators and explain your

concerns.

Student concerns are of

top priority and should be

expressed with comfort

and frequency. If it feels

like your Student

Government is spending 12

million dollars on you, then

please disregard this

invitation. But if it doesn’t,

then it is your obligation to

have your voice heard and

your ideas expressed. It is

your right as a student of

FSU to assist in how your

contributing resources are

used. Getting to know your

student representatives is

the first step.

Rosalia Contreras seat 4

Your COSS Senators

Rosalia Contreras [email protected] Harrison DuBosar [email protected] Fabrice Guerrier [email protected]

The Torch Bearer (Oct. 2011)

Education

Transcript of The Torch Bearer (Oct. 2011)