SGA Should Step Up

What is SGA? What do you guys do? These are questions that I hear repeatedly when I tell people I am a member of Trinity College Student Government Association.

Only a few students on campus can list some of the services that SGA offers. Sometimes I wonder whose fault that is, the students or SGA representative? Every member of SGA has
some sort of interest in student government and that interest is what keeps members coming back meeting after meeting.

As member of SGA, part of our job should be creating a interest of SGA for those who lack interest. We can do this by talking to our friends about SGA, and telling our neighbors about our accomplishments. We are representatives of the student body and we should demonstrate this outside of our meeting. When was the last time any senator attended an event on campus just to show their support? This is not a criticism of any one individual, but simply a valid observation.

Most of us remain in our circle of “SGA interest.” If we don’t step outside of this and
engage the student body in the things that they care about, attend the events they are sponsoring, how do we expect them to care about SGA? Change comes from within and if we want people from outside to care, we must care about them first.

2 Comments

• 
  Andrea Wise February 23, 2008 at 4:18 pm

  I think understand where you’re coming from, Ibrahim, in that some senators seem to limit their involvement with SGA to meetings, but I feel like this isn’t the case with all senators. I know that my friends tend to roll their eyes when I start talking about, yet another, issue that I’m working on with the SGA. I think if anything, my friends would like to hear me talk about SGA a little less. And I can’t imagine that I’m the only one. I feel like most of us who are involved with SGA, are so because we feel passionately about changing this school and making it better.

  I hate to place blame, here, as individual senators should take some initiative, but I think the general student body just doesn’t care about issues that concern the entire campus, so they really give a **** about what the SGA does. If it doesn’t directly pertain to them, why waste their time listening, learning, or caring? Just a general observation. In all honesty, I think that by publicizing our meetings (streaming them live), opening this website, informing students with global e-mails, etc. we’ve done our job in giving students the opportunity to learn what we do if they want. We can’t shove information down their throats, we can only make it available, and if they don’t want it, there’s nothing we can do.
• 
  Ibrahim Diall February 24, 2008 at 5:40 pm

  I understand the frustration of others not caring while you’ve tried and tried again. I can attest to people attempting to hush me while I talk about SGA. You are a 100% when you say Senators do try. I am convinced of many people’s conviction and effort in making people care. However, I don’t think “shoving information down their throat” is the only resort left. Andrea, you are committed to making Trinity a better place for all and I am glad I am on campus with people like you. We should never give up. By showing up to an event on campus that has little to do with us, we are sending a message. We can talk to the people that are present there about SGA and how are a resource for them. We can bring up SGA during class discussions when appropriate. We are a creative bunch and can each, in our own way, create what call “SGA interest.” SGA is doing a great, and I commend everyone for our progress. What I am suggesting is that we each walk an extra mile, while focusing on the progress we are making. At the end of our session, we will look back and be proud of the coalition of people that would stand behind the SGA.