Nicholas Pesarcik
Public Affairs Officer ‘13

Although the semester is near its end, the momentum behind the Undergraduate Student Government Association is not slowing up. With nearly half of the year behind us, and six out of thirteen meetings in the past, the achievements SGA has accomplished so far have been astounding. Each committee continues to prove its merits and is bound to maintain its progress into the second semester.

Students who are interested in improving their University experience are encouraged to attend a meeting which is held every other Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Media 160. At meetings, students have the opportunity to voice their concerns in either a small committee meeting, or at Open Floor. Either forum offers students the ability to let their voice be heard regarding issues that are affecting them, while at the same time, inform University staff of problems or concerns that they may not have been aware of.

Current issues that SGA is working on include; universal standards for syllabi, improvements to the IT infrastructure, more options provided by dining services, and continued advancement to certain areas of student life. It is important that if a student has any opinions, ideas, or suggestions that they bring them to the next meeting. The more opinions the better!
Students not only have the ability to share their ideas at a meeting, but also through electronic forms of communication. Add “Marywood SGA” on Facebook for meeting info, updates, and the ability to share ideas in a public environment at any time. Along with that, SGA is currently in the stages of developing a Moodle that students will be able to access for minutes, agendas, and contact information. And as always, an email can be sent to [email protected].

With all of the different avenues students can get involved, a simple question remains. Why don’t they? Not only can involvement in SGA be a great resume booster but, it also provides an access point to meet University officials and directly discuss with them concerns the students may have. Being a member of SGA is a life experience that can provide memories and develop skills necessary to compete in the workforce after college. Students get hands on practice as to how to formulate a goal, research that goal, then execute and accomplish it while working with others and compromising. With all of these benefits to gain, why not come to a meeting to see what we are about? <