By Ally Horine | Echo
Introductions are in order. Meet Student Senate. Out of 11 cabinets composing Taylor Student Organization (TSO), Student Senate hopes to get to know you. Your hopes. Your dreams. Your needs.
According to Student Senate president and junior Courtney Selle, Student Senate (SS) is a collective body of individuals who represent their respective residence halls for the purpose of intermediating between students and faculty on relevant campus issues. Students interested in becoming senators run in the spring. Each hall uses Tower to choose the candidates that would represent it best. Every hall has a specific number of senators appointed.
Through SS, students are able to communicate directly with Taylor administration. "We really are lucky to have faculty, staff and administrators that truly care about how the students feel and are genuinely concerned for the well being of student life," said senator and junior Charlie Richert.
One way SS hopes to facilitate communication is by allowing students to express their suggestions through a campus email monitored by senators. SS is also creating a Facebook group where it will solicit student input on various issues.
Another goal of SS is to form new committees to take care of larger issues. These committees include a food committee, a technology committee and a campus relations committee. Each of these seeks to improve the student experience and hopes to be a fluid channel of communication between students and the university.
While all committees have a different goal and senators serve different dorms, the central goal remains: they want everyone to feel heard.
"We really want to make sure that students are satisfied with how things are running, and we really want to do our best for the people we represent," Richert said.
Though SS has been around for a while, few people are aware of it. Through its new initiatives and committees, SS hopes to change that this year.
"My biggest goal for Senate is to be more known around campus. We are here as a tool for the students," Paku said.
Senators are excited for this year and for how they can serve the student body. They hope to facilitate good communication and produce positive change on campus.
"The best part of being on Student Senate is being in-the-know about major campus news and events," senator and junior Davis Wetherell said. "We are not secret-keepers, so if you want to know what is happening on campus, be sure to talk to your Student Senate representative."
