Temple Student Government, led by the Empower Owls campaign who were recognized for their increased voter turnout in the March 2023 TSG election, is working to prioritize student feedback in their endeavors despite some students being unaware of TSG’s existence and their role in campus life.
Since their election in March 2023, TSG introduced two student-led committees focused on helping and attaining more feedback from students and are continuing to try to address students’ needs with the help of the university.
“Our continued mission is to put students first in decisions made by Temple, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of PA,” wrote TSG President Rohan Khadka in a message to The Temple News. “TSG actively listens, engages and works with the Temple community to create programs, resources and services as the bridge between university stakeholders and students.”
However, some students, like Rylan Listman, are not aware of TSG’s authority within student affairs, let alone that the university has a student-led governing body. A lack of visibility directly impacts whether TSG can do its job correctly and to its full potential.
“I really didn’t know we had a student government,” said Listman, a junior journalism major. “I hope they’re doing the right things. I don’t know what they do, I don’t know how much power they have to make changes or enact anything. If you came up to me and told me the letters TSG, I wouldn’t know what that is or what that means.”
TSG’s engagement with the student body is essential to having students’ needs addressed because the student body advises TSG’s agenda and mandates, Khadka said.
“The feedback we get guides and dictates the people we meet with and the type of conversations we have in our meetings and committees,” Khadka wrote. “We are often asked ‘How are students feeling about Policy X?’ and, in our responses, we use knowledge and feedback from students to answer these questions on their behalf.”
TSG receives student feedback through their email and drop-in appointments at their office located in Room 244 of the Howard Gittis Student Center. They also maintain a line of communication with student organizations through a mid-year report that contains a student feedback form.
Khadka believes TSG has a strong, working relationship with student affairs to ensure the student feedback they acquire is heard.
“We work closely with Barbara Pearlman who is the director of student activities and our advisor,” Khadka wrote. “She helps us navigate the next steps for the feedback we acquire and approves all of our spending and budget.”
TSG also regularly invites students to share feedback on their social media accounts like their Instagram, which helps outline the work they will be carrying out that year, Khadka wrote.
“For example, we got feedback that students wanted more representation for people with disabilities,” Khadka wrote. “This year we created a Disability Resources and Services committee. Another example is working on campus safety to promote Temple’s Public Safety Department more, helping recommend positive ways to connect with the student body.”
While there are times the university solicits input from TSG to inform decisions, there are other instances where TSG volunteers input, all of which is considered in major decisions, said Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer.
“There are some decisions that TSG provides information on but they have little influence,” Kaiser said. “There are other decisions, or information they provide that have a big impact on what we do.”
Decisions that directly impact students, like changes to student services, regulating campus safety and managing transportation or applications for students, are best addressed by the students themselves, Kaiser said.
TSG’s successes and activities during their term are detailed in their mid-year report sent to all student organizations. TSG’s most recent report, released on Feb. 2, expanded on efforts like the introduction of two student-led committees that further collect feedback from students, the Temple Student Athlete Committee and DRS.
TSG has also been asked to serve on several university-created committees, including the search for the vice president of student affairs and Temple’s next president.
“While our work is not done, TSG has participated in numerous conversations and interactions with senior-level admin including President Englert, Provost Mandel, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mitchell Morgan,” Khadka wrote. “As we continue our tenure in office, we hope to strengthen our relationships with all TSG partners and create new ones with any who want to get involved and promote a positive student experience here at Temple.”
Khadka believes TSG can improve their visibility by interacting with more communities on campus, growing their social media presence and utilizing resources that reach beyond the scope of the student organizations they currently collaborate with.
TSG is currently working toward providing more food options at dining halls, establishing new forms of digital media to better tell the stories of community members, creating more collaboration avenues for registered student organizations and advocating for sustainable resources like SEPTA usage and funding.
Kaiser assures TSG and the student feedback they collect is vital in certain university decisions.
“With respect to university-wide decisions that impact students, they definitely have a voice at the table,” Kaiser said. “Their input is often sought out and is valuable in shaping university policy.”
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