On Thursday, the day after the new Student Government’s (SG) inauguration, the SG’s Executive Board issued the second press release of its term to announce its newly approved Campus Liaison Council (CLC).
The council, chaired by Chief of Staff Mike Piacentino, will consist of 14 students to serve as the means of communication between SG and various administrators and departments around campus.
“What we’re trying to do this year is become more strategic” Piacentino said.
Two years ago advisory boards existed for each area of campus. This past year, the advisory boards were condensed into three categories: IT, Campus Relations and Programming. The CLC will replace the current advisory boards in an effort to further streamline the communication process.
This alternative board will better organize and facilitate the dialogue between SG members and administrators that is necessary in approving and executing projects, according to Senator Brianna Hathaway.
“This year there was a lot of miscommunication in that multiple people would email the same person over and over again,” she said. “With this system, it’s so much easier to get things passed, to get things done, and to get things approved.”
In developing the new council, Piacentino made a point of reaching out to not only administrators and members of the executive board, but also past advisory board chairs like Jonny Diaz to overcome previously faced obstacles.
“I think it’ll be more focused,” said Diaz, chair of the campus relations advisory board. “I think the most noticeable change to students not involved in SG would be … more projects coming to fruition during their time.”
Two students will sit on the council to represent each area of campus. Those areas include auxiliary services, campus facilities and security, dining services, information technology, university libraries, and parking and transportation.
Sports and Recreational Interests Clubs Federation Senator Jake Schwartz was also involved in the initial conversations and contributed the idea of an additional liaison for health and wellness.
“There is a board through the Wellness Center, and SG has a position on it that has been completely underutilized,” he said. “[The CLC is] going to refocus SG efforts, make sure the student body is more represented in their decisions, and also give SG better access to [administrators].”