City Councilor Michael Ross (Fenway, Back Bay) will speak at the first Boston University Student Union Senate meeting of 2002 on Jan. 28, according to Union President Michael Moffo.
Ross said the importance of talking to the students is one of the major reasons he agreed to speak at the Senate meeting.
“I made it a point when I was elected to the Council to stay connected to young people,” Ross said. “I was 27 when I was elected, and I’m still the youngest member of the Council.”
Ross said the idea to speak at the Senate meeting came through a meeting with Moffo.
“It’s natural to stay connected, and I’ve been talking to Mike [Moffo],” Ross said. “We thought it was a good idea to speak to interested members of BU.”
Ross said while he wasn’t sure what he’d speak about at the meeting, he said it would be just as interesting to hear student responses.
“I’m not exactly sure what I’ll touch on, but for me it’s two-way communication when I talk to students,” Ross said. “It’s very important to have an ear toward students and hear what they’re talking about today.”
Ross said students may need to raise their voices more and make sure they are heard.”My only concern is the students aren’t talking enough about the things that are going on in our country,” Ross said.
Ross said he hopes to discuss the ways students could make a difference at BU.
“I hope we’ll touch on how students can play a larger role in their community and use their collective voice to make decisions that can improve their community, like expanding MBTA hours, improving public safety and increasing affordable housing,” he said.
Zachary Coseglia, the executive vice president of the Union, said he expects Ross will discuss issues relevant to those that constantly concern students.
“I can assume he’d be speaking about the issues that are important as student leaders and students,” Coseglia said. “I think it’s great that he’s willing to come and talk to us — he does a lot of appearances on campus, so this is just one of many for him.”
Laurie Steinberg, the vice president of public relations of the Union, said she felt it was important for leaders like Ross to speak with the senators.
“First and foremost, it’s beneficial for the Senate as far as timeliness,” Steinberg said. “It’s been a month since we’ve all been together as a senate, and what better way to get back into the swing of things than to have Mike Ross come and talk to you.”
Steinberg also said she thought Ross addressing the Senate would show them how important their jobs really are, since Ross works essentially in a citywide, larger-scale version of the Student Union Senate.
“I think the student government is a great vehicle for them to get involved with other areas, or getting involved with what’s going on in their campus,” Ross said. “It gives [students] more of a role in their campus, and is a vehicle that will connect them to activities they are interested in.”
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