SGA seeks improvements
Representation, communication among concerns
By Jessica Sanders
Staff Reporter

The Student Government Association’s new officers are working to make the organization more effective on campus by improving representation, President Brad Thompson said.

“We want to make an impact,” said Thompson, a junior radio-TV-film major. “Not just go through the motions, but actually go out and really try to do something to change the face of our campus this year.”

Vice President Andrea Reedsaid SGA also plans to improve student representation by making sure all vacant positions in SGA are filled.

“In the residence halls, every 70residents get one representative, every 70commuter students get one representative and every Greek chapter that has housing on campus has one representative,” said Reed, a senior business and social work major. “If those spots are empty, then no one is responding to the needs of that constituency.”

She said she plans to send e-mails and fliers to recruit members and to keep the student body informed.

Improved communication is vital to successfully representing the students, Secretary Todd Clowersaid.

Clower, a junior advertising/public relations major, said his goals include placing suggestion boxes in the Student Center, sending weekly e-mails to all students and continuing SGA meetings with campus organizations. “This year I think we have the leaders necessary to improve communications, not only within SGA but also with Greek organizations and all other organizations on campus,” Clower said.

Thompson said SGA will distribute several student surveys and speak to campus organizations on a regular basis.

“We are working on getting student feedback on everything we do,” Thompson said.

Students will be able to use ID cards to buy concessions at athletic events within the next semester,Reed said.

Reed said she is also studying other university student governments to determine whether the House of Student Representatives needs to be restructured.

“The goal is to have a plan for restructuring so that it can be voted on next November,” she said. “It will require a lot of research and a lot of thought.”

The current structure of the House has been in place for a number of years, Thompson said.

“I want to try different things, things that are interesting to see if there is a better way to do it,” Thompson said. “I think it’s always good to reevaluate what you have; never take it for granted.”

The Programming Council is also reevaluating its composition.

Treasurer Chris Mattingly said the Council will evaluate how money is spent. PC has become more project-based, instead of committee-based, Mattingly said. SGA will need to be more flexible with its funds, he said.

Jessica Sanders
j.d.sanders@tcu.edu