This letter is in response to a Reveille investigative report linked here.
I’m writing regarding the article about Student Senate and open meeting laws on the front page of the Oct. 30 edition of the Reveille. As Speaker Pro Tempore of the Student Senate, I want to address points the article missed.
Our administration is committed to improving transparency within the body, starting with an overhaul of the entire system used for logging and hosting public documents. This process does not happen overnight and although we appreciate the Reveille’s dedication to holding us to the highest standard, this is an issue we have been fervent in addressing since the beginning of our term.
While discrediting Student Senate for lack of transparency, the article does little to say how people can actually get involved.
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If you are interested in the operations of the Senate, are looking to get involved or want to voice your opinion on legislation passing through the body, I encourage you to come to our general body meetings every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Capital Chamber (Student Union, 329). Public input is always encouraged at our meetings. Our last meeting of the semester is Nov. 15, so I encourage you to join us next semester for more fun in the chambers.
The article mentions our social media platforms, which are crucial to staying up to date with the Senate. There, we post updates and announcements relevant to Senate. The executive branch is also very active.
The article also fails to adequately mention the tools accessible on the Student Government website. Recently, students, like myself, worked to build an entirely new website geared toward accessibility. The old website was hard to navigate and update sufficiently. Now, with the new platform we have worked to make sure information is accessible to students, but we need and have encouraged feedback to make sure that these goals are working best for students.
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The best way to stay up to date and communicate concerns is to come to general body and committee meetings held weekly, something the author of the article failed to do. We also always encourage feedback to ensure we are representing the entire student body.
If you have any initiative ideas or policies you would like changed, the Senate is an avenue for your voice to be heard. As always, reach out to Senate leadership at [email protected].
Emma Long is the speaker pro tempore of the Student Senate.
