From the president

(The following was given on Jan. 22, 2007 on the floor of the SGA Senate)

Ladies and gentlemen of the student Senate, friends & advisors, the state of the student body is good. Thank you.

My biggest initiative when I became President was outreach. I felt that we needed to do a better job of putting SGA out there. So at the beginning of last semester we launched a brand new SGA Web site. With a dynamic combination of blogs and static web design, the new Web site features an interactive online Discussion Forum where students can interact directly with their representatives at the click of a button. Other features include a weekly “From the Student Body President” column (also in The Commonwealth Times) a bi-weekly SGA pod cast, a new Campus Watch page of VCU safety resources, and the Safety Rumor Mill. The Rumor Mill is a discussion board where the SGA helps keep students safe by empowering them with correct and accurate information about safety rumors on campus.

But this is just the beginning of the list:

We worked with the faculty to prevent salesman from using up instructional time that we pay for to sell their products. We’ve improved the VCU diploma so now VCU graduates can have both their degree and major displayed. We’ve worked to bring online digital ride-boards where students can organize carpools. We are working to improve academic advising.

Another major initiative for me was to transform the SGA into an entity that truly advocated for students at every level, especially in the General Assembly. I told people during my campaign that we needed to kick our lobbying to the 10th power. Last semester, successfully ran a voter registration drive, an absentee ballot drive, and piloted a student poll worker program called Democracy101. Last semester we began to prepare for the current General Assembly session by holding several lobbying training sessions, where students have learned key strategies on how to communicate with their elected representatives. Currently we are assembling a rapid response team to be ready to attend committee meetings or public hearings within 24-48 hours notice.

The year though, is only half over and our work continues. We are working to have more student art displayed on campus through our RamART initiative, which the administration has embraced. We are improving the feeling of community in our academic departments through the small community initiative, last semester I worked with the Academic Affairs Committee to draft a student’s Academic Bill of Rights and I hope to see that come to the Senate floor soon. We’ve been working on badly needed security escort reform. Over the winter break, I have been working on pushing faculty to use cheaper alternatives to textbooks through a new BOV textbook policy that is currently in the process of being approved. We’re to provide shuttles to VCU sports games for students. Free music and media downloading is also in the works along with a free student registry.

“The SGA must increase our student outreach because it is the source of our power and influence”

We’re working with Technology Services to bring on campus mobile solutions so students can access important technologies through their cell phones. We plan to work with the VCU police on a new lighting survey to evaluate the status of lighting on campus and where we can improve. The most ambitious project so far, is one we’re working on with Richmond City Public Schools. The SGA is trying to create jobs for students by working as teaching assistants in the city school system.

Despite the long list of things we’ve already done and are working on, there is much more we can do in the future. Even though we’ve improved SGA outreach, we still have a long way to go. The students are the source of our power and our influence depends on how well we keep in touch with them. The SGA must increase our student outreach because it is the source of our power and influence.

We have important work ahead of us, let’s get started. Thank you.