Student Government Association President Matt Calderone gave his state of the University address Monday night, highlighting the projects and initiatives SGA has done thus far this year.
“We have made progress,” Calderone said. “We’ve come a long way. SGA in the past has been through its up and its down. There have been times when we’ve been trusted and some times when students have questioned this SGA.”
Calderone said through sign-in sheets and ACT Card swipes at various events, in addition to Twitter and Facebook interaction with students, SGA has reached 16,544 students directly.
“[The students] have come to our events; we’ve talked to them in our office,” Calderone said. “These are students who have heard about our need- based scholarships. These are students who come into our office on Veterans Day concerned about getting around Tuscaloosa when public transit is not in operation. Students are now confident in their SGA and know they can go to their SGA and get help and assistance. We’ve had over 100 ideas to actions funneling through our office. We have made progress.”
Calderone also mentioned SGA’s commitment to service through the Sunday service initiative in the office of the vice president of external affairs, which he helped create last year before being elected SGA president, in addition to making safety a priority for SGA.
“In the office of external affairs, we’ve continued our initiative of service through the Sunday service program,” Calderone said. “We’ve also made safety a top priority on campus and beyond. We’ve been concerned mostly with safety on the Strip, focusing on the connectivity from downtown and the Strip.”
Calderone said the SGA has started working closely with student groups across campus to address their needs and the perceptions they have about SGA and its programs.
“We wanted to make SGA relevant to every student on campus,” Calderone said. “I can confidently stand before you and say that we have accomplished that goal. We’ve been communicating and collaborating with students. Through our UA delegates program, we’ve met with 12 different organizations. We’ve talked about their needs financially and otherwise – groups that might need a little help. With our campus connect initiative in the office of the executive vice president, members of SGA go to different organizations to talk about SGA and what we’re doing for them.”
SGA press secretary Meagan Bryant said she has been coming to state of the University addresses since she was a freshman in 2009. Bryant said this provides an opportunity to remind campus about all of the projects on which SGA is working.
“With the end of the semester, a lot of people think, ‘Oh, the semester is over and SGA has stopped doing projects,’” Bryant said. “The state of the University address is a good way to show that’s not true. It’s definitely different this year. We’re continuing to work on various projects and reach out to students on campus. We’re all working together really well as a team and reaching out.”
SGA Chief of Staff Brennan Johnson echoed Bryant’s statement, emphasizing how important the state of the University address is in showing students what the SGA is doing for them.
“It’s important for campus and students to have a chance to see everything SGA is doing as far as projects and initiatives, so they can see how SGA can help them and what they can get involved in,” Johnson said.
