The academic school year is off to a busy start, and so are the activities of the Student Government Association. Fall Senate elections are coming up soon. If you are interested in representing your fellow Rams as student senator, check out the VCU SGA Web site at www.vcusga.com for information on how to run. Applications are due by September 22, so don’t delay.
If you see yourself as a senator or if you simply want to see how the Senate works, come check out the student Senate in action. Meetings are held every Monday at 4 p.m. in the forum room of the University Student Commons. All interested students are encouraged to attend and press your Senate representatives on issues that are important to you.
Speaking of important issues, I recently had the privilege of attending a staff retreat last weekend with other student body presidents from across the state. We discussed problems on our campuses such as academic advising, campus safety and parking. It was a very productive weekend, and we got a chance not only to discover common solutions to common problems, but also set our General Assembly lobbying agenda for this upcoming year.
An important agenda item for this year is absentee ballot reform. Our goal is to make the absentee ballot voting process easier for students. Another important project is the student poll worker program. We’re going to encourage VCU students like you to apply to work at the voting polls. For just one day’s work, you’ll get around $100! This is a great way to get young voters involved in public affairs.
In the coming weeks, you will learn more about opportunities to engage yourself as a student of the university and as an active citizen. These columns will be published weekly in The Commonwealth Times, and we will soon have radio addresses that will be podcasted online every week.
I am pleased to announce that the SGA book-trading website has been a success. Over 900 users have used the site, and we are quickly approaching the 1,000 mark. Please continue to use this money-saving resource, and encourage your classmates to do the same. You can visit the Web site at vcusga.com – click on “Book Trading.”
Please do not hesitate to get involved. The SGA is, after all, your conduit into the affairs of the university. Our door is always open, so feel free to e-mail me at sgapresident@vcu.edu for any questions, comments or concerns.