This past weekend, the Student Government Association spent a weekend at the Montreat Conference Center in Asheville for their annual retreat to lay out plans for the year ahead.
The team of students, consisting of only five returning representatives, organized their vision for the year around what they called the “Three C’s” — communication, community, and culture.
The first issue to tackle is communication.
“There is a communication crisis on campus,” said SGA Executive President Brian Boda. “There is no way for one person to get their voice out to the whole campus.”
He added that the new mail system, P2X, might make delivery more efficient but that students can no longer stuff mailboxes.
Another communication method used on campus, OrgSync, is up for re-evaluation after its third year of implementation, and SGA must decide whether OrgSync is actually beneficial to students.
“There are so many mediums of communication,” said SGA advisor Scott Derrick. “Getting everybody to a point where we can easily communicate events is a difficult yet great goal to work on.”
Derrick added that communication at Furman seems to be decentralized and that a centralized system needs to be put in place so all students are on the same page.
As moderator of all student organizations, SGA is looking to increase transparency and access to funds for these organizations. There was a $75,000 budget surplus last year, all unused by student organizations.
“We would like to more clearly communicate this main logistic: money,” Boda said. “We want this money to be used.”
SGA members said they are also looking to improve the overall sense of community on campus by increasing dialogue with the administration and proactively educating students about changes on campus, such as housing assignments and dining hours.
Plans to co-sponsor events on campus with the “Big 5” (FUSAB, RLC, Religious Life, Diversity Council, and Recreational and Club Sports) are also in the works.
SGA would also like to make Furman more inclusive of athletes and strengthen its connection with the athletic staff and students.
“Athletes are impressive students,” said Boda.
Finally, SGA members said they are striving to build their own culture, a more personal goal, and get their name out a little more.
“We want students to know how much of a resource SGA can really be,” Boda said.
Derrick added that SGA desires to be more accessible to the student body.
“SGA can most quickly connect a student with whatever resource they need,” he said. “We try to work together. Students need things, and that’s what we’re here for.”
