By Shelby Peck | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Student Government has begun the spring semester ready to dedicate its time and work to improve the student experience, hoping to implement new policies, work on campus renovations and bring more accessibility awareness.
“We have the opportunity to start projects all the way in August that can carry over into the spring,” Aurora, Colorado sophomore Lily Davis, public relations chair of Student Senate, said. “It’s exciting to start a new year and continue to capitalize off of the progress we made last semester but also continuing to re-evaluate and set new goals.”
Plano junior Bethal Tesfai, internal vice president, said various committees involved in student government have been in contact with offices such as the Office of the Provost, Veteran Education and Transitional Services and First in Line.
“We have started projects, started conversations and created new connections around campus,” Tesfai said. “Growing them so that in time to come, when we work on projects, we have that connection.”
Disability and accessibility awareness
Student government also plans to host an accessibility and disability Dr. Pepper Hour. Tesfai said the event is being organized to promote awareness for the challenges some students may face to which their peers are unaware.
“The director of accessibility and disability is organizing this to put all of the resources of accessibility and disability into one room,” Tesfai said.
Honoring Baylor students who have died
Davis said student government is exploring ways to honor the lives of students who have died while they were enrolled at Baylor.
“What does it look like to honor students’ lives when they have passed? That’s something that’s been crossing our minds and hearts recently,” Davis said.
She said student government’s memorial plans also include providing resources to the friends, families and roommates of those who have died.
With the hopes of meeting with the university’s chaplain, Dr. Burt Burleson, Davis said these plans involve a lot of people in the process.
Extend student organization funding
One of the projects heavily emphasized by student government last semester that will grow this spring, is the use of the Student Government Allocation Fund (SGAF).
The SGAF is an allocated amount of tuition used to fund student organizations’ events at the Student Senate’s discretion, according to the student government website.
“We did increase our SGAF from the previous year,” Tesfai said. “We have more money to give out to student organizations and events and just make those events bigger.”
Davis said finance chair of the Student Senate, Logan Lee, aimed during the fall semester to sponsor at least three student organizations that had never before received funding from student government.
“They absolutely exceeded that last semester and funded nine new organizations,” Davis said. “He’s helping to capitalize off of that growth and fund even more organizations within Baylor’s community.”
Campus renovations
Tesfai said the student government hopes to complete several campus renovations, including replacing the power outlets in the Bill Daniel Student Union Center.
“There’s not a lot of power consistently; it’s a lot of sporadic outlets,” Tesfai said.
“We’re continuing that into the semester to finally get those in and paid for.”
She also said student government has plans to improve outdoor campus spaces as well.
“We are starting new projects such as renovating spirit benches, and even in the talks of creating outdoor classrooms so that teachers have that space when it’s nice weather, and they just want their students to sit outside,” Tesfai said.
Increase student body involvement
Student government is making intentional efforts this semester to hear feedback and requests from students, Tesfai said.
“All of these things are collaborations,” Tesfai said. “We’re tabling more, we’re creating surveys and we are creating outlets for students to provide and directly speak to student government about what they want to see.”
Tesfai also said any student who wants to become more involved with student government this semester should begin with talking to their senators, all of whom can be found on the student government website.
“You might have a class with them because there’s 52 senators,” Tesfai said. “They do have a lot of power being able to write and vote on legislation. Speaking directly to your senators and even if you don’t personally know them, reaching out to them through email.”
Any students are welcome to sit in on the weekly Senate meetings that occur every Thursday at 5 p.m in Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation room 107.
“I just want to serve the students and promote an inclusive and comfortable environment,” Tesfai said, “and just enrich the student experience at Baylor.”
