This fall, the University of Alabama’s Student Government Association will be operating with a new constitution and one overarching goal: to give UA students a clear voice.
The SGA has already begun planning events and initiatives to bring students, faculty and staff together and open lines of communication.
SGA President Grant Cochran said the SGA is trying to do things differently this year while still focusing on initiatives that began last year.
“Accountability, transparency and communication with the entire student body are some of our main goals,” Cochran said. “The things we’ve already been working on this year, such as student organization seating at football games and First Year Council, all really speak to what we’re trying to promote: unity in the student body.”
Cochran said the SGA will focus on providing students with the best resources possible to meet their needs.
One new initiative the SGA has currently taken on is the Campaign to Connect.
Seth Morrow, SGA communications director, said the Campaign to Connect will be implemented to encourage members of the SGA to get out and meet with students.
“We really want to stop talking and start listening to the students,” Morrow said. “With the new constitution and the largest group of students on campus in school history, we’re really trying to expand and reach new heights we’ve never reached before.”
Morrow said the SGA is encouraging new students to get involved through First Year Council, but that there is a place in SGA for any student on campus.
“Students that want to take an active role in SGA should stop by the office, and we’ll plug them in,” Morrow said. “We want every student to take an active role.”
Cochran echoed Morrow’s enthusiasm to get new students involved.
“One of my major concerns for the entire year is to continue to reach out to students who have not played a role in SGA and to reach out to student organizations that don’t feel connected to SGA,” Cochran said.
Over the next few months, Cochran said members of the SGA will be sent to different student organizations so that the organizations can voice their thoughts, opinions and concerns.
“We’re not going there to talk to them or give spiels about SGA,” Cochran said. “We want to let these students know that we can listen to what they need from us.”
Lauren Crain, a junior majoring in geography and a member of the UA Environmental Club, said she is excited to see that the SGA is taking steps to get students more involved and more connected.
“I think it’s great that the SGA recognized this need and is doing their best to implement new strategies to stay connected,” Crain said. “I’m excited to see how their initiatives turn out.”
