Welcome to VCU

Hi, and welcome to the 2006-2007 school year at VCU. I’d like to give a very special welcome to our new freshmen, all 3,550 of you! This is a very exciting time for VCU’s freshmen. Incoming VCU students now all share a common student life experience through our new University College. The honors program has now been expanded into the Honors College, and the Hibbs Building has been completely renovated and no longer feels like a landfill. This column is to help keep students updated on what the Student Government Association is doing to improve our university. Tonight at 8 p.m. the student government is hosting a meet and greet event for interested students. It’s a great way for you to meet your student representatives and learn more about the SGA! The event will be in the Richmond Salons I and II upstairs in the University Student Commons.

The SGA has many issues on its agenda this year. The first is to lower the cost of textbooks. To help you save money on textbooks, we’ve created a book-trading Web site where you can buy and sell used textbooks directly from one another. This cuts bookstores out as the middlemen and allows students to keep their money. The book trading Web site is located online at www.vcusga.com/booktrading. It’s free and easy to use, so tell all your friends and classmates!

The second major project is to improve academic advising. We are currently reviewing and providing feedback on proposed changes to advising in more than a dozen departments and programs at VCU. The student Senate will hold open hearings to get more student feedback on how to improve advising. The dates and times of these hearings are to be determined and will be announced within the next couple of weeks.

The SGA will be holding fall elections for the student Senate in October. I encourage all of you to become active and voice your concerns by becoming a student senator. To run for the student Senate, pick up and fill out an elections application packet online at www.vcusga.com. Then print out the petition, get 75 signatures, and turn it in at the SGA office. Packets are due Sept. 22. For more information visit the SGA Web site online at www.vcusga.com. All students are also welcome to attend student Senate meetings held every Monday at 4 p.m. in the Forum Room of the Commons.

Again, welcome to a new year at VCU! I look forward to seeing all of you on campus. Feel free to contact me anytime about your concerns at sgapresident@vcu.edu or drop by our new office in the Commons, Room 228, right at the top in front of the main staircase. Best wishes on a new semester!

ALI FARUK
President, Monroe Park Campus SGA
Special to the Commonwealth Times