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Student Handbook 2007-08
Campus
Organizations
Student
Activities
What kind of student comes to Southern Polytechnic?
There really is no typical or average Southern Polytechnic student. Some
students are working full-time and are going to school at night, some are
fresh out of high school, others are married with
several children, while others are trying to embark on a new career.
Student life at Southern
Polytechnic is as diverse as the composition of its students. The kind of
life you will have as a student is as much a reflection of your personal
preferences as it is of the University’s character. The Department of Student
Activities and the Department of Recreational Sports encourage students’
involvement in an effort to develop a total educational partnership with
every student.
Though Southern
Polytechnic students are very serious about their studies and their course
work is very demanding, most find time to participate in leisure activities.
The choice is yours. You may want to participate in a softball game or an
aerobic exercise class. The student center has a well-stocked recreation
room. The Department of Student Activities sponsors other interesting
activities including weekly videos, cultural and lecture presentations, and
special programs such as Casino Night and the University Roundtable series.
Each student is urged to
participate according to interests and available time. Student activities are
most helpful in providing a healthy outlet outside the classroom – they help
a student maintain good health, allowing for self-expression, develop
responsible leadership and provide a wholesome diversion from academic
pressure. In addition, students who become engaged with their campus are much
more likely to persist to graduation.
Students' Participation in Institutional Decision Making
The students of Southern Polytechnic State University have enjoyed a long
tradition of involvement in the decision making process of the institution.
This participation will continue to be valued in the future.
Students are formally involved
in the decision making process through the representative Student Government
Association and its elected leadership. Members of the SGA are appointed to
several committees of the University, e.g., Student Life Committee, Athletic
Advisory Board and Parking Committee. Students serve on other campus
committees including the Cultural Enrichment Committee, Food Service
Committee, and the Campus Activities Board. Students are frequently asked to
serve on special ad hoc committees, e.g., the Web Site Committee, the Fee
Allocation Committee, the Technology Fee Committee, and the Executive
Selection Committee for new student housing. Students assist in administering
the student conduct code through the Student/Faculty Judicial Committee. The
SGA Judiciary Cabinet handles all student appeals of parking violations. The
SGA is responsible for preparing all student fee
budgets which allocate over $700,000 annually to various campus
organizations, student center operations, athletics, and the recreational
sports program.
Many students hold
responsible student assistant positions across campus and are involved in the
decision making process of such departments as Residence Life, the Student
Center, computer laboratories, Recreation and Wellness Center, the Library and
many other academic and administrative departments.
Student participation not
only enhances the quality of the campus decision making process, it also
provides outstanding leadership development opportunities which help students
become better citizens for tomorrow.
Student
Life Committee
The Student Life Committee is charged with a wide range of responsibilities
relative to the extracurricular student life of the campus. This committee
recommends changes in the student life regulations, recognition for new
campus organizations and policies for campus publications. Members of the
Student Government Association and the faculty serve as representatives to
this committee.
Student
Government Association
The Student government Association (SGA) at Southern Polytechnic has
traditionally played an important role in student life. Each spring
campus-wide elections are held to elect the President, Vice-President,
Secretary/Treasurer and the 10 member Student Council. The Student Government
represents the student body on important campus issues, is involved in campus
projects and has members assigned to various committees of the institution.
The Student Government Association, through its various committees and
projects, provides an excellent leadership opportunity for interested
students.
Campus
Activities Board
If you are interested in helping produce the special entertainment events at
the University such as Casino Night or the Spring Fling, then the C.A.B. is
where you should be. This student group is responsible for developing,
planning, and implementing these and other entertainment activities.
Publications
Students who are interested in publications may join the staff of the student
newspaper. THE STING, the on-line campus newspaper, is published in paper
format ocassionally and is entirely produced by
students. This publication offers excellent opportunities for writers,
photographers, and advertising salespeople to acquire valuable experience and
to extend their interest into activities outside their courses of study.
Radio
Station
The campus radio station, WGHR, is a non-commercial station located at 100.7
on the FM dial. Totally run and paid for by Southern Polytechnic students,
the station maintains an active and varied program schedule. The radio
station studios are located in the student center and the station offers
interested students an opportunity to gain broadcast and technical
experience.
SPSU’s Responsibilities Regarding Publications and Other
Media
Student media/publications at the University serve a valuable and necessary
function. One of the primary reasons for their existence rests in the
educational value for the editors, staff, station personnel, and the student
body at large. They are used as tools for the establishment and maintenance
of free and responsible discussion and intellectual exploration on campus.
They are a means of bringing student concerns to the attention of the faculty
and institutional authorities and of formulating student opinion on various
issues on campus and in the world at large. In the tradition of liberty of
the press, students should be free individually and collectively to express
their views on issues concerning institutional policy and on other matters of
general interest to the student body. The institution must provide sufficient
editorial freedom and financial autonomy for the student media/publications
to maintain their integrity of purpose as vehicles for free inquiry and free
expression in the academic community. In return for this editorial freedom,
student editors and managers have a duty to follow the principles of
responsible journalism such as the avoidance of libel, indecency,
undocumented allegations, attacks on personal integrity and the techniques of
harassment and innuendo. As safeguards for the editorial freedom of student
media/publications, the following provisions are necessary:
A.
The
student media/publications should be free of censorship and advance approval
of copy, and its editors and managers should be free to develop their own
editorial policies and news coverage.
B.
Editors
and managers of the student media/publications should be protected from
arbitrary suspension and removal due to student, faculty, administrative, or
public disapproval of editorial policy or content. Only for proper and stated
causes should editors and managers be subject to removal and then only after
following standard procedures of procedural due process.
C.
The
student media/publications should explicitly state that the opinions
expressed are not necessarily those of Southern Polytechnic State University
or its student body.
Authority
for governing the activities of the student newspaper (The Sting) and the
radio station (WGHR) resides with the University’s Student Life Committee.
Supervision of the day-to-day non-editorial operation of these organizations
is handled by the Dean of Students who is also a permanent member of the
Student Life Committee. The Student Life Committee shall establish guidelines
for the selection, evaluation, and removal of student editors and station
managers. As conflicts and complaints arise, the Student Life Committee shall
have the responsibility and authority to hear and decide upon these disputes.
Each publication and the
radio station shall have its own internal policies and procedures manuals,
and the Student Life Committee shall be responsible for approving and
enforcing these policies and procedures. Violations and recommended
corrective action should be forwarded to the Dean of Students for implementation.
Departmental and Professional Organizations
American Association of Textile Colorists and Chemists
(AATCC)
American Concrete Institute
American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)
American Institute of Constructors (AIC)
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
American Society for Quality Control (ASQC)
Associated General Contractors (AGC)
Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)
Constructors Guild
Georgia Society of Professional Engineers (GSPE)
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
Institute of Industrial Engineers (AIIE)
Institute of Transportation Engineers
National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Society of Automotive Engineers
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
Specialty Contractors
Surveying and Mapping Society of Georgia (SAMSOG)
Women in Architecture
Social
Organizations
Much of the social life at Southern Polytechnic surrounds the various
activities of the fraternities and sororities. Many students enjoy the
personal growth opportunities and long-lasting friendships provided through
the following social organizations.
Each semester the Greek
organizations "rush" or recruit new members. The InterGreek Council promotes and governs the activities of
the Greek groups.
Alpha Phi Alpha
Beta Sigma Chi
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
InterGreek Council
Kappa Alpha Psi
Phi Beta Sigma
Pi Kappa Phi
Sigma Pi
Sigma Nu
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority
Special
Interests Organizations
There are a variety of organizations that have emerged in response to the
needs and interests of the diverse student body. Among these organizations
are the following:
Aerial Robotics Team
Amateur Radio Club
Baptist Student Union (BSU)
Black Student Association (BSA)
Campus Activities Board (CAB)
Chinese Friendship Association
General Builders
India Club of SPSU
International Student Association
Muslim Student Association
National Association of Home Builders
SPSU Track and Field Club
Honor
Societies
Superior scholastic achievement in
engineering technology is recognized by membership in the Tau
Alpha Pi National Honor Society. The original chapter of this society was
founded on the Southern Polytechnic campus, and its members have not only
demonstrated high academic achievements, but have also maintained various
leadership positions in campus organizations.
Sigma Lambda Chi is an
honorary society established to recognize outstanding scholastic achievement
in the Construction major and to provide service and professional recognition
for persons in the construction field.
Other honorary societies
include Delta Mu Delta business Honorary Society,
and Phi Psi, an apparel/textile honor society.
Awards Ceremony
Each spring an awards ceremony is held to recognize outstanding achievement.
During the Awards Ceremony, various awards are presented to students, faculty
and staff members in recognition of outstanding achievement and service.
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