Last semester’s Undergraduate Student Government campaign ended in new leadership and initiated a new set of methods for USG to revamp their image, starting with their new website.
In addition to the usual posts concerning amendments and budgeting information for USG recognized clubs and organizations, stonybrookusg.org now features an array of online surveys and their most interactive addition, SB Voice.
According to USG’s Vice President of Communications Mario Ferone, SB Voice is an online forum available to all Stony Brook students, to voice their questions, concerns or even suggestions so that USG can best serve the student body.
The surveys are another means for USG to hear the opinions of students concerning potential ideas USG may choose to implement. This includes a survey regarding a possible late night bus route from Stony Brook to Port Jefferson or the AMC theatre.
But USG is not only concerned with students getting home safely. It is also addressing the issue some students are having with Campus Residences and the overcharging for room damages. USG has provided students with a link from their website to a Facebook page where they can inform the student government of their charges.
Ferone explained that student advocacy is one of USG’s main concerns this academic year whereas “in the past [they have] been mainly focused on clubs and organizations.”
USG holds annual leadership workshops for clubs. However, instead of one workshop for over 100 clubs and organizations, USG will now hold three separate workshops in the beginning of fall semester.
USG hopes that the clubs and organizations have an easier time acquiring and holding on to important information provided in these smaller workshops.
According to Ferone the first leadership workshop will be for USG recognized sports clubs since Campus Recreation will also be involved.
This year however, students should expect a more personalized interaction with USG in comparison to previous years, as their goals are to expand their communication beyond members of USG recognized clubs and organizations.
“When we were doing our whole campaign…you just hear a lot of people who didn’t know what USG was or what we are there to do,” said Ferone. “We want to have it so that students can come to us if they have a problem on campus.”
