WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the Student Government Association (SGA) to represent the student voice to faculty, staff, and the administration; and,

WHEREAS, there is currently a proposed Plan of Organization merging the Departments of Theatre and Dance and creating the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies; and,

WHEREAS, this Plan of Organization includes a Committee of the Whole that has one non-voting seat for an undergraduate student and one non-voting seat for a graduate student; and,

WHEREAS, the other seventeen committees included in the Plan do not include any students, and students are barred from attending the committee meetings; and,

WHEREAS, students have previously been involved in the processes that the new committees will oversee, such as the New Technology, Artists-in-Residence, Performance/Production, and Season Selection committees; and,

WHEREAS, students participate in current Department shows in the areas of performance, design, directing, tech, and production; and,

WHEREAS, it is crucial for students to have a voice in these processes since the nature of Departments of Theatre and Dance (and the proposed School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies) is collaborative; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the SGA urges the Departments of Theatre and Dance to revise the Plan of Organization for the proposed School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to grant undergraduate and graduate students voting membership in relevant committees; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if the Departments of Theatre and Dance do not take these steps, the SGA urges the University Senate to revise the Plan to include voting student membership in relevant committees, or require the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies to make their own revisions adding voting student membership to relevant committees in the next two years.