by Diana Petrovich, Staff Writer
Saint Vincent faculty and students can expect to see a “greener” campus, among other changes, thanks to the 2010-2011 Student Government Association staff. Executive Board President, Stephanie Fitzgerald, said “one of the main issues this semester will be recycling. One of Br. Norman’s initiatives as president is to help SVC be ‘green.’ We are fully committed to assisting in any way we can with this project and to help implement new policies.” One of the first ways that SGA has begun to go green is by making Tuesdays and Thursdays “tray-less” in the dining center.
Junior Lauren Donahue thinks the new “tray-less Tuesdays and Thursdays” is a “cool idea.”
“It’s important for us as a campus to be more efficient in the way we use our resources. Saving water by not using trays is a good way to start cutting back, and I hope to see more changes in the future,” Donahue said.
Aside from going green, SGA is sponsoring other events and happenings on campus such as various events over homecoming weekend, writing letters to soldiers overseas and the Fall Concert featuring the Goo Goo Dolls with Spill Canvas on October 23rd. Events that SGA plans and/or sponsors are all executed with the student body in mind.
In addition to last year’s renovations to SGA offices and the addition of the new game-room in the Carey Center, SGA plans to fund renovations in the Shack. Fitzgerald commented that “while we will not be renovating the Shack itself, we plan to add new furniture and other additions. The Shack renovation will be our capital project for the semester and we hope to have the changes completed over Christmas break.”
Last year, SGA polled students and distributed questionnaires to hear student opinions and to learn what changes students would most appreciate.
“We serve as a liaison between the students and almost all avenues of the college,” Fitzgerald said, and the effort to include the view of the student body in their work proves SGA’s dedication. In addition to responding to surveys and polls, SGA encourages all student body members to reach out and contact SGA if they have something to say. Executive Board Vice President Anna Fiano suggests that students and faculty email SGA.
“Email is the quickest way to get a hold of us and allows us to take care of the problem or answer a question sooner rather than later,” Fiano said.
SGA works hard at letting the campus know of events and changes. Fiano listed the ways in which SGA advertises, saying that, “we use fliers on campus, banners hanging in the Carey Center, table tents in the cafeteria and Shack, SVC Today, the SGA bulletin board, and a monthly newsletter which is hung in the stalls of all the bathrooms in the residence halls on campus.” SGA also has a website and a Facebook fan page where common questions are answered and events and changes are explained.
SGA meets weekly in the Carey Center Auditorium and all are welcome to attend. “The best way to get involved in SGA is to come to our meetings every Sunday at 8 p.m.,” said Fitzgerald. She adds that SGA office, located in the Carey center next to the Shack, holds office hours every Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Since last semester, the student body has elected a new executive board and new members from all classes, including an entirely new freshman class senate.
“These new faces offer new suggestions and ideas, especially from the freshman class, who often see things differently than the rest of the senate members because they are new on campus,” said Fiano.
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