Photo Submitted by Marissa Stubbs
Florida A&M’s Student Government Association hosted a “Know Your Rights” event Thursday in the Senate chambers. The event was designed to help students understand what resources are available to them.
Titilayo Okuwa, the SGA Associate Chief Justice, exclaimed how important it is for students to attend these events. She went on to say that they can be informed on not only the resources available to them, but also the power of the judicial branch.
“This event is to inform students about the different resources available to them on campus,” Okuwa said. “We’re shedding light on the judicial branch because a lot of students don’t know that if they have a conflict between another peer or if they are in a student organization and a problem arises, they can come appeal to us.”
Students learned about Activities and Service fees, which are part of their tuition. The fee is $10.50 per credit hour and it goes into a budget for SGA to allocate back to the students by hosting events such as the Know Your Rights panel.
SGA members informed students about their weekly meetings that are held every Monday. At these meetings students can address their problems to SGA, and they’ll try their best to make life at FAMU easier for students.
One problem that was discussed during the event was the limited printing resources available to business students.
Christopher Miller, the Student Senate president, said students from the School of Business & Industry addressed their printing issues in the beginning of the year and that there are plans in place to get students new printers.
During the event, SGA highlighted the lack of knowledge students have about the resources available to them.
“Coming to these events are important for students to know their rights so that they can’t get taken advantage of them,” Melissa Lavoile, the Chief Justice, said. “Just like you know your rights in the constitution, you should know your rights as a FAMU student.”
Students enjoyed the Know Your Rights event and said attending it will help them be more knowledgeable about what is going on around campus and how their tuition is being applied.
“I attended this event because I think it is important for us students to know our rights,” Zaria Johnson, a junior political science major, said. “We need to know exactly what we are paying for and what FAMU campus can do if we need help in legal situations.”
There are numerous resources available to the students at Florida A&M University, but it’s clear that many students aren’t taking advantage of these resources.