The Boston University Student Government discussed current initiatives, the work of each branch this semester and progress on campaign promises in its second Town Hall Tuesday night.
Led by StuGov Deputy Director of Engagement Cian Moss, the panel included Student Body President Matthew Feliciano, Vice President Tony Wu and Senate Chair Sean Sutton.
Feliciano opened the panel by addressing the executive board’s goal of increased communication with the student body.
“Historically, we felt that student government has really had a tough time reaching out to students,” he said.
To improve its connection to students, Feliciano said the executive board launched its “State of the Government” monthly newsletter reporting on the progress of StuGov initiatives. The executive board is also hoping to create a weekly external newsletter students can register for, which will include information on events, initiatives and student surveys, he added.
Feliciano said the StuGov office, which opened this semester, aims to improve communication with students.
“It’s been a little bit slower trying to progressively open it up from nine to five every day,” he said. “But when there’s times that there are representatives there, we’re available to have conversations if any students want to come.”
StuGov is working on a fundraising gala to support marginalized groups and hopes to include alumni in this initiative process, Feliciano said. It also aims to plan more “friend-making opportunities.”
“I know we use very formal words like ‘bonding’ and ‘networking’ in student government because we want to sound professional,” he said. “But we also just want students to have more opportunities to connect with one another.”
Sutton explained how the StuGov senate and the eight StuGov committees operate. Senators approve bills, Sutton said, while the committees focus on program initiatives.
Of the eight committees, Sutton highlighted the work of the Awards Recognition Committee, which focuses on recognizing deserving student organizations.
Feliciano explained the responsibilities of the StuGov judicial branch, which include overseeing hearings during elections, conducting research initiatives and interpreting the StuGov Constitution.
He said the monthly Town Halls are a step towards achieving their campaign goal of increased transparency and communication with the student body.
Freshman Anas Farrag, who attended the meeting, said he appreciates StuGov’s communication with students.
“They did a good job today answering the questions that they were asked and communicating with students,” he said.
Following feedback from their inaugural Town Hall meeting in September, StuGov incorporated an open mic section into the meeting, allowing students to ask questions directly to the panel. In the first town hall meeting, students submitted questions via Google Forms, so this change was important because it makes the meeting more engaging for students, Feliciano said.
“In politically interesting times, when there’s a lot of uncertainty around higher education and the administration in general … [W]we want students to have more avenues where they know they can talk to someone who’s working on the behind-the-scenes work,” Feliciano said.
