Student Government Association representatives are now required to complete 10 hours of community service a semester, the SGA deputy chief of staff said at a meeting Tuesday night.SGA Deputy Chief of Staff Lauren Nixon presented the new service requirements to SGA members, which include five hours of service to the university and five hours to the community, during the SGA’s weekly meeting.

Community service hours are defined by SGA legislation as: “Services to or for members of the community or organizations that exist outside the body of TCU.” University hours are defined as: “Service to or for members of the student body or student organizations such as philanthropy and working campus-wide programs.”

Nixon, is responsible for organizing service opportunities each semester and documenting representatives’ hours.

The new requirement is the result of a bill written by Speaker of the House of Student Representatives Tori Hutchens, which was passed at the Nov. 14 meeting.

“Our mission statement includes service, but we don’t have anything in our code that addresses service, either to the community or to the university,” said Hutchens.

Part of SGA’s purpose is to encompass “the spirit of the TCU community through service, programming and legislation,” according to the SGA mission statement.

The meeting was the first open to the 18 new SGA representatives who were elected in November to serve this semester. Members also discussed lobbying in Austin for the Tuition Equalization Grant on Monday and the upcoming joint assembly with the Faculty Senate.