As the university’s student government opens a new chapter under fresh presidential leadership, many of its concerns and goals remain unchanged.
Popular changes students have been interested in, including expanding Cap Bucks to more Bexley restaurants and quicker attention from facilities, are once again under consideration and in development.
The move to bring Cap Bucks to more restaurants is a long-standing trial for student government, with few resolutions in sight.
Speedier attention from facilities remains a campus-wide issue, especially regarding possible infestations and the slow repair of broken fixtures, such as handicap push plates.
While student government continues to work on these continued pleas, they also continue working to make themselves and their efforts more known to the student body.
Examining last fall’s inaugural meeting, former student government president, Beverly Kinateder, asserted that connecting to the student body is the most crucial aspect of student government.
“[Knowing] who we are, what we do, how we can meet their needs and how we can represent them,” Kinateder said, are the most important ways to connect.
Looking toward the new school year, this goal still feels far from achieved.
Ashlyn Edwards, vice president of communications, is looking to create more opportunities for community outreach through improving social media presence, press coverage and events for students to connect with their senators.
Due to a bill passed in March, monthly events under the name “Cuisine and Conversations” will begin this semester as hubs for student input and outreach.
“Cuisine and Conversations” will be a strong focus for Edwards and the rest of the senate as they work toward gaining more student interaction.
Former Vice President Aidan Cunningham had shared a similar sentiment to Kinateder during last year’s inaugural meeting that student government can seem to many like a “mysterious, shadowy figure,” and that students are “not exactly sure what they do.”
Edwards also seeks to give student government a face with “Day in the Life of a Senator” spotlights across social media platforms.
These spotlights will share with students the work that goes into creating and passing bills, making the process more accessible as students begin to think of the changes they want to see on campus.
One of student government’s larger ventures from the past year that has finally been put to use is the improved patio space outside the Student Union.
The improved space is an example of using allotted funds to create a better campus life, the goal of every student government bill.
The implementation of “Stall Talks” has also been a helpful resource for student connection in post-pandemic campus life.
As student government continues to work toward better community engagement, there continues to be an unhealed wound in much of campus community life following the pandemic.
Improved communication between the student body and their senate may help bridge the gap between what students want and what they see happening on their campus.
With as many goals of the current student government remaining similar to the previous administration, they will need to cultivate more engagement from the student body in order to do what students would like to see done.
Where they have yet to see some popular ideas come to fruition, getting new ideas from the community will be crucial to continuing their work in the coming year.
