Innovation, collaboration and representation. These were the three pillars of student body president Al Cuizon, Jr.’s spring campaign. He says the senate remains grounded in those same priorities as the new academic year begins.
“We’re really emphasizing what we talked about when you first interviewed me after my election: collaboration, representation and innovation,” Cuizon, Jr. said. “That’s what we’ve been working on this summer, and we’ve done so much in the past 120 days or so.”
Senate members, led by speaker of the assembly Jace Hudson, shared their summer progress and plans for the near future with the public at the first general assembly meeting of the year on Monday.
“[Speaker of the assembly] is a fancy title, but it just means that I coordinate when and where our meetings are,” Hudson, a political science major, said. “I have some other responsibilities and duties too, but I keep things streamlined so we’re not here for one, two, even three hours.”
True to his word, the meeting lasted less than 30 minutes before moving into executive session. In that time, members highlighted recent changes on campus, from adding more flags around Bradley to collaborating with the university’s marketing team and passing new pieces of legislation.
A significant update was the creation of an assembly of student organizations, which Cuizon, Jr. described as a step toward stronger student advocacy. The initiative grants any club or organization with 10 or more members a seat in the assembly and, consequently, a louder voice on campus.
“Everything we’re doing here is to show that we are here for the students,” Cuizon, Jr. said. “Historically, we’ve all been in our individual bubbles. This is the first time we’ve actually done anything related to expanding our senate, really focusing on popping those bubbles.”
The senate is also expanding representation by opening senator positions for each college. On Monday, the Foster College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology positions were filled. Positions for the College of Education and Health Sciences and the College of Communication and Fine Arts remain open.
But students don’t have to hold a senate seat to get involved.
“This year, we’ve tried to get committee members who aren’t senators, which is really important,” said Corinne Schneiderman, chairperson of public relations. “Getting people who don’t have to commit but can still represent, give their insight, bring their talents, I think that’s going to be a big change and elevate our advocacy.”
To become a senator or get involved without commitment, you can contact senators via email, their Instagram or by attending weekly general assembly meetings.
“Essentially, the senate is here to help you all. You can use us as a resource,” Hudson said.
Chairperson for campus safety and community relations, Jazmine Elmore, agreed.
“We’re just here to help be a liaison between the students on campus and President Shadid and [the administration], so if someone feels like something is not right, they can come to us, and we can get their questions and concerns out to the appropriate people,” Elmore, a sophomore kinesiology and health science major, said.
“If I’m going to be here for four years, I should know what’s going on and what people are doing to make sure my experience here is the best it can be,” she added.
To learn more for yourself, the next general assembly will be held on Monday, Sept. 8, at 5 p.m. in the Garrett Center.
