Roosevelt University's Chicago student government hosted their first-ever open forum on Nov. 14 in the Congress Lounge. Their goal was to gain input from the R.U. students about issues affecting them.
"I think it is extremely important that we reach out to students and make ourselves visible and available," said Ashley Kehoe, the Secretary of the Chicago SGA. "We are here to serve students and represent the student voice."
Ashley Mouldon, an SGA member and co-creator of the event, explained why this type of event was planned. "An Open Forum type of event was chosen so students could give their feedback to the SGA in a casual environment," she said.
Camille Ellison, the SGA assistant chief of staff, started at 4 p.m., discussing the status and complaints about the security in the Herman Crown Center and the Auditorium Building and how the SGA is working to improve it. Robert Fitzpatrick, Campus Safety and Transportation assistant vice president, answered students' questions after Ellison finished.
The second presenter was Harry Epstein, an SGA member, discussed the problems surrounding dining and vending programs and procedures at Roosevelt. Students were informed of complaints that have been made about the meals and catering services. Epstein also discussed what steps that the SGA is taking to better the program.
The last presenter to discuss a major project for the SGA was the organization's president, Bridget Jones. She informed the audience of the status of the Student Worker Policy, which puts a limit of 17 hours that students are allowed to work on campus. Jones explained the policy cannot be changed for another two years, and the SGA is working hard to change that.
The rest of the forum was a time for students to talk to SGA members directly and find out more about the organization. The evening wrapped up at 6 p.m.
"The SGA Open Forum was a huge success," Mouldon said. "A lot of suggestions were made regarding the SGA's current projects."
Students and faculty who attended the forum were asked to fill out surveys and comment forms. Refreshments were served to those who helped the SGA by offering their comments and suggestions.
The SGA is always in need of student feedback, not just at the open forums. "I hope that students will continue to use us as a resource, or even better, get involved in our organization," Kehoe said.
The SGA not only plans on solving the problems that were stated at the forum, they also plan to have more of these forums. "Next semester, the SGA hopes to host two more similar events," Mouldon said
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