With Student Association President Boris Gresely’s first semester almost finished, his initiatives have made some progress, but next semester he should look at larger, external issues.

Gresely’s tenure as SA president began with his reform of the organization. It included having committees focused on initiatives and delegating duties to the assembly. Although there haven’t been many visible changes around campus this semester, focusing internally was a good choice as Gresely’s first priority. Given the internal issues SA has faced in the last few semesters — such as a divided assembly — it was necessary to fix these problems before trying to address broader campus issues.

This semester, some of Gresely’s committees have attempted to change several policies on campus.

The Student Life committee’s main initiative this semester has been focused on improving conditions for transfer students. While there is a need for SU to better accommodate transfer students, there are other aspects of student life that also need to be addressed. The Student Life committee must also direct its attention to aspects of student life that affect the largest campus populations. For example, freshman orientation — which every student is expected to experience — should be revamped.

The Academic Affairs committee had four main initiatives: create a multi-language writing center, make professor evaluations more public, create a library kiosk and extend library hours. The only initiative that has been completed thus far is the extended library hours, however, the other initiatives require more time.

Gresley’s administration should take on more long-term projects, as he has an opportunity that previous SA presidents have not: three semesters to accomplish his goals.

For the next semester, the committee should focus on improving teaching assistants and advising services — both issues the Undergraduates for a Better Education have highlighted as concerns for students.

The Student Engagement committee’s main initiative is to decrease self-segregation on campus. It plans to do this with videos raising awareness about diversity. This is a very small way to tackle a major concern on campus, and should only serve as a first step. Self-segregation cannot be solved by a series of videos, and the Student Engagement committee should outline what the next steps are after this.

Gresely’s presidency is off to a good start with strong initiatives and various updates making students aware of their progress. SA should continue to be forthcoming with this information so students can know what their student government is working toward.

Published on April 23, 2014 at 2:35 am