In lieu of meeting during their scheduled activities period slot Oct. 17, Suffolk University’s Student Government Association encouraged members to attend other campus organization meetings in an effort to engage with and gather feedback from the community.
“Senate explore days” were spearheaded by former SGA President Angela El-Jazzar as a way to get members out to connect with more clubs on campus.
SGA President Clinton Oreofe emphasized the importance of community outreach for the senate, especially to contact people who may otherwise not be able to attend SGA meetings due to other commitments.
Oreofe said this year’s senate is the largest he’s seen in his time at Suffolk and he wanted to channel that energy into facilitating greater community feedback from all areas of campus.
“I feel like it’s really, really important we don’t get too comfortable with the positions that we’re in,” Oreofe said. “That we use time to actually go out and engage with the student body and engage with other members of the Suffolk community to possibly bring feedback or ideas based on what everyone thinks.”
SGA’s goal is to use this enhanced communication to better their connections with all 4,500 or so undergraduate students on campus. By going to students directly, the senate aims to get a greater understanding of the needs of the students to use in their roles in SGA.
For Owen Jaworski, a junior senator and SGA athletics chair, having the time to get out and speak to students was a rewarding experience.
“The senate and SGA members used that time to connect with clubs that they usually wouldn’t get to go to. I think it was a great initiative and I was glad to get to see my friends and other student leaders that I usually wouldn’t,” Jaworski said.
