Improvements suggested during Constituency Day
SGA gains student feedback from on-campus residents
By Alisha Wassenaar
Staff Reporter

After serving 185 pizzas at different residence halls across campus, and giving students index cards to write their ideas for the Student Government Association on them, Matt Freedman said he felt confident that Constituency Day was a success.

Freedman, chairman of the Residential Concerns Committee, said he listened to students complain about parking, request better food in The Main and ask for a new Student Center Monday night.

“I thought it went really well,” Freedman said. “I have about 1,000 index cards with ideas on them.”

In order to lure students, Freedman used pizza. Nine hundred dollars worth of pizza, according to the SGA budget.

“What SGA heard back from the students was worth $900,” Freedman said.

Freedman said he heard good, constructive criticism along with requests that are common among students such as better parking and serving better food on campus.

“We found that students want more programming,” Freedman said. “Things like FrogStock and having more events like Constituency Day where students can have a place to mingle.”

Jeremy Sims, a junior mechanical engineering major, said he believes SGA has done a lot of great things in the past, but would like to see better parking.

“I understand that SGA has a big influence, but not enough influence to get things changed if the administration doesn’t want to do the same things,” said Sims.

SGA advisor Larry Markley said in order to make big changes, SGA needs more money.

“We need to pass a fee increase and that has not been successful in the past because students don’t understand where their money would be going,” Markley said.

Sims said that if he knew where his money was going and it was going towards a project he wanted completed, he would support an increase in student fees.

Sara Donaldson, former vice-president of the House of Representatives, said communication between students and SGA is difficult.

“It’s a matter of finding middle ground where SGA and students can communicate,” Donaldson said. “It’s not difficult finding out what students want, it’s difficult reaching them.”

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