In the fall, student leaders from multiple organizations will have an opportunity to meet and discuss current issues and work toward resolutions in an well-known setting: the Student Government President’s Cabinet.
SG President-elect Clayton Tufts said he believes the last president to use the cabinet was Cody Wells, in 2011.
Previous SG President John Woodard did not use the cabinet during his time in office, but did help Tufts organize a meeting in April.
Woodard said he attempted to organize the cabinet, but received a poor response.
“This will involve people from all areas of campus,” Tufts said. “It’s a way for SG to inform them and gather input about where they’re affected.”
SG Vice President-elect Taylor Lambert said they plan to meet a few times per semester.
“We want to be more hands-on,” Lambert said. “We are reaching out to a bunch of different organizations.”
The cabinet will include Lambert, the SG Speaker of the Senate, the chief justice of University Court, as well as individuals not related to SG. Such individuals include student media representatives, the corps commander of ROTC and others who have yet to be determined.
“We don’t want to be exclusive,” Tufts said. “We’re going to be open to all organizations.”
Organizations are divided into categories, like service or special interests, and they plan to pick one representative organization from each category, Tufts said.
“Clay will have a better shot than me because he’s starting this on the front end of this term,” Woodard said.
Woodard said he was also short on time towards the end of his term, as he regularly attended Board of Supervisors meetings.
“In reality, the President’s Cabinet doesn’t have any administrative power,” Woodard said. “It’s about building relationships.”
The Tradition Matters campaign, Woodard said, would have been a good topic to discuss with student leaders in one room.
Tufts and Lambert said the tobacco-free policy, which will be officially implemented in August, is a good example of something the cabinet can discuss.
The cabinet will help SG improve upon communication with the campus population, Lambert said.
“This is not something we just want to check off our list,” Lambert said.