By JORDAN GREEN, Editor-in-Chief
Northwestern’s Student Government Association officers spoke with nearly two dozen Rangers about getting involved in the organization during a meet-and-greet in the Student Center on Monday night.
“Our goal was to put a name to a face with all the officers,” said SGA President Dawson Maxwell. “I feel like we accomplished that.”
As the new school year begins, officers say they want to increase participation in the organization, which plans events and serves as a liaison between students and university administrators.
“One of my personal goals for SGA is to increase the amount of senators we have,” Maxwell said. “If we increase the amount of senators we have, every person has a different background and different views and everything, so they can better represent the whole student body.”
Student body senators vote on issues brought before the SGA. Senators are expected to attend meetings and discuss matters with other members. At first, the job can be difficult, and meeting procedures are sometimes hard to understand, Maxwell said.
By speaking to students before the SGA’s first official meeting, Maxwell said he hoped to alleviate their anxiety and build rapport with other members.
“This was a little fun way to not be so formal the first time and kind of introduce us officers,” Maxwell said.
Olivia Yandel, the SGA adviser, said the organization helps students stay connected and informed about campus events.
“We also are the club with the most power,” Yandel said. “If you want to make a difference on this campus, if you want to change things, if you guys want to make Northwestern better, SGA is the club to be in.”
The organization’s first meeting will be Monday at 6 p.m. in the Senate Chambers above the Student Center. Meetings will last about an hour, officials said.
“We have food at every single one of our meetings, whether it’s queso, salsa, popsicles, cookies or Chex-Mix,” Yandel said. “Feel free to come and hang out with us and learn about Northwestern.”
Freshman Cora Beth Taylor attended the meeting and said she plans to join the organization.
“I learned that there is a lot to do on campus,” she said. “The more you do, the more fun you have, and the more people you meet, and the better time you have on campus. It just makes me excited because I’ve always been the person that, I love people.”
Taylor said she looks forward to serving other students as an SGA senator.
“It’ll give me an opportunity to have a voice on campus, to represent my fellow students,” Taylor said.