Welcome back, everyone, and a special welcome to freshmen reading The Diamondback instead of paying attention in class for the very first time. My name is Emma Simson and I am excited to serve as your student body president this year. Along with the rest of the Student Government Association, my job is to represent student interests and concerns to the university administration, the City of College Park and the Prince George’s County and Maryland state governments.
In past years, the SGA has been criticized for being too self-promoting and, as a result, disconnected with the rest of the student body. I saw this firsthand last year as the vice president of academic affairs. The SGA was well-intentioned, yet many student concerns didn’t reach the ears of the people in a position to implement change. As a result of this, the SGA’s No. 1 priority this year will be to reconnect with the student body.
Now I know you all have heard this promise made before and seen little action. So you’re probably thinking, “New year, same SGA; I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for change.” I don’t blame you. But this year, things will change. We have an incredibly dedicated group of legislators who are ready and willing to serve you. The first thing we are going to do is hold monthly SGA outreach events to figure out what you guys need and what you think about the job we’re doing. At the end of September we will hold the SGA’s first Sno-and-Tell. Come escape the end-of-summer heat and humidity with a free sno-cone and meet the SGA you put into office. Look out for flyers and sidewalk chalkings for more information.
Along with reconnecting with all of you, there are some big issues we plan to address. Last year, trying to make College Park into more of a college town was a big issue on and off the campus. The SGA worked with the university administration and the College Park City Council. Some things were done to address this issue, such as the design competition we held with the School of Architecture. Many good ideas came out of it and we plan to continue to work with the university and the city of College Park to bring improvements in downtown College Park.
Another issue we will address is the lack of civic engagement on campus. In April, I won with more than twice as many votes as Mayor Brayman did in his election and more than five times the amount of any city council member. In the mayor’s election, less than 20 students casted votes. This is not to slight the mayor or city council at all, with whom I have a great working relationship with, but rather, to point out how much of an effect the student body can have in an election if even only a couple hundred of us decide to vote.
The SGA doesn’t just represent the student body at large, we are also a great resource for the many student groups on the campus. We provide funding and resources such as computers and event planning assistance, and we will do our best to help with any other concerns you may have.
Other issues we will continue to work hard on are student rights, safety around the campus and establishing and maintaining traditions here at Maryland.
But don’t just wait for our outreach events to come and talk to us. There are many other ways we can help you; we just need to know what you want. The legislature meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin Banneker Room in the Stamp Student Union. We also have an office that you are more than welcome to drop by and chat with us. The office is located in the Student Involvement Suite at 0209J. Also, you can browse our website at www.sga.umd.edu to see what the SGA is up to or to find out more information on SGA executives, legislators and committees. We want to find out what matters most to you.
Emma Simson is the SGA president. She can be reached at emma.simson@gmail.com.
