Student Union executives are preparing for several key events this fall which they hope will facilitate more interaction between SU and students.
At Your Service, a new event SU will be sponsoring this fall, will give a small group of students the opportunity to interact one-on-one with executive officers and council members during dinner. At this dinner, students can express their concerns on an assortment of issues in an intimate setting.
The first dinner, which will occur this coming Tuesday, will involve 15 freshmen who were randomly chosen to participate in the discussion
According to SU President Katie Platt, At Your Service will be a monthly event. For future dinners, Platt said that a mix of upperclassmen would be selected along with freshmen.
The SU website was also redesigned over the summer, with the intention of making it more user-friendly for all students.
“As SU executives, we’ll be able to update our own pages,” said Platt. “Hopefully, this change will allow us to better respond to students’ needs and get more feedback from students.”
Another goal for SU this semester is to increase interaction between SU and the various student groups on campus.
The third floor of Umrath Hall is undergoing renovations to create more meeting space for student groups. Once this space is updated, student groups will have the option of using this expanded space for meetings and other gatherings on a regular basis.
On October 12, SU is planning its first ever all-student formal. The time and location are not definite at this time. Platt said that this event is another way for students to get involved with SU and to meet more of their classmates.
Platt also emphasized the importance of freshman class council elections, which will be held September 12, as another way for new students to get involved on campus and with SU. Election packets are currently available at the Wohl and Mallinckrodt information desks; packets are due September 5.
The Constitutional Review Committee is still working on finalizing some of the statutes to the new constitution. The statutes offer a more in-depth explanation of the constitution. They can be repealed or amended by a majority vote of the SU Senate. Platt said that a special election where students will have the opportunity to ratify or reject the new constitution is probable for this fall.
Many students feel that better communication between SU and students is important. Students said they want to know more about the specific projects SU is undertaking and what SU executives, senators, and committee chairpersons have accomplished to date.
Sophomore Mei Firestone said that food service issues could be addressed more closely by SU, especially the recent move to Coke products throughout campus.
Other students feel that SU could be more proactive about engaging students in their activities and events.
“SU should give us their goals more clearly,” said sophomore Marc Bridge. “I want to better know what they are doing on campus and what they want from us as students.”