Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., a group of elected students gathers in the St. Andre Multipurpose Room to tackle issues that affect daily life on campus — from dining hall improvements to creating student movements.
The Student Government Association serves as a “crucial piece in bridging the gap between administration and students,” according to Caroline Schiling, chief of staff. “Especially in a small school, you’re not just a number… if a student comes forth with a concern or question it is our job to bring that to the higher ups.”
Led by President Angelica Scheer and recently elected Vice President Enzo Estrada, SGA officers hold office hours daily as an opportunity for students to voice their concerns. Recent victories include student accessibility to the on-campus tennis courts, demonstrating how student voices can create real change on campus.
When a student complained about entrances to the tennis courts being blocked off, inhibiting their ability to access them, a senator then proposed the issue during a following Wednesday senate meeting for resolution. This demonstrates SGA’s procedural approach to problem-solving: taking individual concerns and moving them through their formal process. The proposal led to facility operations unlocking the tennis courts and the birth of a new club tennis team.
Beyond addressing individual complaints, senators work one-on-one with specific clubs and organizations. Each senator is assigned designated clubs to assist throughout the year; their job is to see where they might need help or support from SGA.
“We wanna help you be the change or help you get an answer for change, we cannot be SGA without our peers,” said Lily Perez, the association’s communications director
Another recent SGA collaboration is the vibrancy committee, run by University President Fuentes’ cabinet. This committee stands to make our campus more vibrant, and SGA provides input on most of their decisions. The most notable result is the large blue and gold SEU letters located in front of the Sorin Oak.
SGA is also partnering with athletics to revive the Hillraisers, bringing back dedicated student fan zones at sports games. This initiative is taking place in hopes of attracting more students to SEU athletic games, which reflects their dedication to sports teams on campus.
Additionally, SGA is planning the second annual shared governance kick ball game, where students, faculty and staff will compete against each other. Members have already started planning the event to take place later in the semester.
Despite these accomplishments, SGA faces an ongoing challenge that could determine its future effectiveness: recruiting new members. SGA is, at the end of the day, a student organization that needs to recruit members like other clubs.
“We’ve been categorized as such a serious organization… but at the end of the day we’re also like a bunch of people together fighting for a common goal, and I wish more people would think that we’re fun,” said Scheer on the topic of recruiting. “We’re trying to see how we can get more students involved in the student body (SGA).”
SGA is also changing the format of their weekly meetings this year. Previously, meetings used to be primarily about club funding, but members noticed students would often leave immediately after confirming whether or not their club would receive funding. To increase attendance, SGA will now be hosting speakers at meetings, starting with Rebeckah Desi, associate vice president for business services, who will be discussing the dining plan and address student feedback. Jack Musselman, a philosophy professor at the university will also be speaking at one of the meetings to discuss free speech for professors.
Through weekly meetings, daily office hours and partnerships with campus organizations, SGA continues to serve as the formal channel between students and administration. Students can stay connected through ‘SGA in 60’ on the official SGA instagram — minute long reels recapping campus wide events.
“Even if there’s something we can’t change directly, we can point you to which people to help you,” Scheer said.
