The new student government members set their new goals and works in progress to strengthen their positions this semester.

Student Senate Speaker Zach Samples, a sophomore history major with teacher certification, said his first goal is to rebuild their accountability and to make student government their first priority before other campus involvement.

“We need to focus on being a voice for the students because we are the direct link between the student body and the administration, and we need to regain that focus,” Samples said.

He said he has a goal to strengthen and fortify his position by building on what has worked in the past and implementing a new system.

“One of my main goals of this semester is to create a template for the Student Senate speaker so we can remain consistent and focused on the student body,” Samples said. “Every speaker has come to student government with a new set of ideas so my goal is to create a system that works that can be used in future semesters in years to come.”

Samples said another goal is to expand the committees in the student government.

“I want to make committees like Registered Student Organizations so any student will be able to be a part of it,” Samples said. “By increasing the membership, we can make more direct connections with students and share the workload to plan better events.”

Samples also mentioned his goal to re-establish a mentorship program for new Student Senate members.

“Different (student senate) speakers have implemented the mentorship program in the past and it showed progress, but no one has consistently followed up with it,” Samples said.

He said he wants the members of committees to be required to meet with new Student Senate members once a week to serve as a mentor to answer questions because it is easier for one person to take care of two or three people instead of trying to handle all of the new members at once.

Samples said this semester will consist of trial and error, but he hopes to make some changes more permanent in future semesters.

“What I want to do in the long run is to have a series of new bylaws so we can be bound to more responsibilities so we can beef up our accountability and consistency to strengthen student government,” Samples said. “Every semester we say that we want to improve the student body’s confidence in us, but then we don’t follow through because we tend to look for the quick fix to problems.”

Aseret Gonzalez, the student vice president for academic affairs and a senior sociology major, said she also has new goals in the works.

She said one of the goals she has for the semester is “Dinner with the Deans.”

“It is going to be more of an informal dinner where students could share their initiatives with the academic deans,” Gonzalez said. “I also want to continue ‘Pizza with the Prez’ for the fall and spring semesters.”

Gonzalez said she is currently working on a “Panther Ed” program where students can teach others about different desires they are knowledgeable about.

It would entail students who have studied abroad teaching a culture class to those interested, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said she is also looking for two students to join her in becoming student representatives at the Faculty Senate and the Council of Academic Affairs.

“I’m looking for people who are dependable and care about these academic issues who are also able to provide constructive criticism to the faculty,” Gonzalez said. “They also need to be able to have good networking skills and be able to find out what their peers think about issues.”

Jarrod Scherle, the student executive vice president and a graduate student, said he has two official goals for this semester.

He said his first goal is to implement a voter registration drive.

“Even though this year is not a huge election year, next year will be, and I am sure there will be freshman who have not registered to vote in Coles County,” Scherle said.

He said his other priority to work on this semester is planning a lobby trip to Springfield for the Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Action Team members.

Mary Lane, the student vice president for business affairs and a junior elementary education major, said she is planning to sponsor a financial aid forum next semester.

She said she also wants to create a website informing students about where their student activity fee goes.

“I am also looking for four students to serve on the Apportionment Board who are willing to ask the hard questions and who have a strong enough stomach to help make budget cuts where need be,” Lane said.

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or rjrodgers@eiu.edu.