Student Senate Starts Semester, Focuses on Information Flow to Students

The Student Senate met for the first time in the spring semester this past Thursday, Jan. 21.  The meeting was about forty-five minutes in length and included no bills or votes, but plenty of discussion and planning of ways to help improve Mason students’ experiences on campus and increase information flow to students.

The meeting started with a report from each of the six committee chairs.  The Governance and Academic Affairs Chair Allyson Bowers discussed the Academic Advising Expo, which will be held in March and is the committee’s biggest event of the semester.“This is an important event because it helps to connect students with their advisors so they can get help with scheduling and other questions about their departments,” said Bowers.

Following the reports, Student Government President Devraj Dasgupta presented his goals and vision for the semester.  His main focus is public relations with students.  “Student government has nothing to do with us and getting pats on our backs,” said Dasgupta, “but letting students know what is going on and the resources available to them.” Dasgupta, a senior electrical engineering major, has taken part in implementing a new executive committee of public relations to help increase information flow to students.    

Vice President Tyler King reiterated the aspirations of Dasgupta in his address to the senate.  In addition, King presented information about the March 1 priority deadline for filing for financial aid.  “It is essential to get the information out to the students,” said King, a senior finance major, “because everyone is poor right now and missing a deadline for potential financial aid should never happen because someone didn’t know the deadline.”

Speaker of the Senate Mhehvish Khan had the closing words.  She stressed the importance of being available for students, saying that every senator must have one hour of office hours and every committee chair must have two hours.  Khan explained that the hours are “to get work done in a less formal setting than the weekly senate meetings” and “to have senators in the student government office to answer questions and listen to concerns of students who come to the student government office.”

One new program Khan is excited for this semester is the Student of the Month program.  Mason students will be able to fill out an application to be in the running for the award. The student who wins will receive a few special privileges and prizes, yet to be determined. 

All Student Senate meeting notes and bills may be seen on the Student Government’s website . Students may also visit any member of the Student Senate in their office hours in the Student Government office, located on the first floor of the Johnson Center.