Student Government Association is working to be more accessible and engage more with students.
David Hall, SGA chief of staff, is implementing several new ideas to promote transparency and student involvement.
OCU’s Prexi Club, composed of presidents from student organizations, was created to allow students to influence SGA’s mission, speakers and events.
Hall plans to advertise Prexi Club meetings more and invite students from any organization to attend.
The meetings will be scheduled around leaders’ schedules, not just SGA’s, he said. During the meetings, SGA officials will clearly discuss the bill and allotment process, revealing the system that allows some organizations to receive more funds than ever.
“We want SGA to be personable, transparent and serve the students,’’ Hall said.
Senators will provide the dates and times of every Prexi Club meeting, as well as their contact information, at the first meeting at noon Thursday in the Leichter Room in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.
Onnika Hanson, acting sophomore, said she is on board with the idea.
“It’s nice to know that there’s a place to go where students will listen to my problems,’’ she said. “I feel like a lot of schools don’t have that.’’
Hall is organizing town hall meetings, where he will invite all students, faculty and staff to openly discuss any issues within the community.
He will designate a panel of faculty and administrators to facilitate discussion and answer any questions that might arise.
“I will personally make it a point to ensure each question is fully answered, rather than finagling around the question,” Hall said. “Either students can know or they can’t, so if something is confidential, we’ll simply tell you that and give updates later.”
SGA also plans to increase transparency by enforcing an open-door policy for their meetings and keeping office hours.
Officers will make themselves available to any student, Hall said.
Designated hours are posted on various bulletin boards across campus, and students can either set up a time in advance or show up during the time frame.
“Basically I want to focus on student involvement that extends past emails, Homecoming and Midnight Breakfast,” Hall said. “SGA officers acknowledge that past actions have not met the expectations you hoped they would, and we want the entire OCU community to hold us accountable as your representatives and campus leaders. Get involved.”
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