William Jewell College’s Student Senate has started creating building blocks for an eventful and successful year here on the hill. Senate plans on making significant changes from past years, in order to better represent the campus and students.
Jewell’s Student Senate is composed of students representing each grade level and a variety of organizations. The senators tackle campus issues impacting both students and staff and to create a better environment for the community.
Jakob Miller, Student Senate president and senior economics and mathematics major, speaks highly of this year’s senators and of his cabinet and has a lot to ask of the members.
“We make sure we are accurately representing the students interests,” Miller said.
In order to do this, the members divide into specific committees so they can reach several areas to address: policy, networking and campus events.
The policy committee is focused on investigating their own policies and constitution, Jewell’s handbook and departmental policies in order to see how they affect students and which policies need to change. Internally, Senate is addressing their own attendance policy, how it has been affecting members and if changes are needed.
The committee is also focusing on collaborating with outside businesses, such as those on the Liberty Square, by having certain items able to be purchased with cardinal dollars. The idea is to increase student attendance in the local community and promote student involvement outside of Jewell.
Senate’s networking committee addresses issues of their own promotion, as well as that of other organizations on campus. Networking is a focus for Senate and several members who want to advance the committee and its importance.
“It’s about getting collaboration and communication happening between organizations,” Miller said of the group. “We want to make sure we are all getting our agendas out there for the year, [but] also not conflicting with one another.”
The networking committee plans to push for a better way for students to advertise and promote events and organizations. They are looking towards creating a better system to hang posters and ads in the Yates-Gill Union, by bypassing Student Life approval. Senate wants to make it easier to promote, with guidelines instead of approval of each poster.
Lastly, the events committee is creating events for students and will oversee others. This year, they are focusing on upbeat events and on basic programming that might educate students on certain topics.
One important topic for all of Senate’s committees is promoting mental health awareness on campus, and the events committee is looking into ways to do that. Inviting speakers on educational issues and creating events that work on bettering students are both ways that Senate has placed their focus on making a better campus for all – specifically with this pressing issue.
Events planned this year are Senate’s tailgate Oct. 20 before the football game, town-halls where students may voice their concerns and a monthly “Coffee with the Prez,” where students may sit down and speak one on one with Jewell’s President. Town-hall meetings will be announced via email, and the next “Coffee with the Prez” is scheduled to be Oct. 3 from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m.
Student Senate wants the students of Jewell to know that they are working this year towards a brighter and better community here on the Hill and have hit the ground running.
Photo courtesy of williamjewellphoto.com.