“We’re open to other ideas.”
That was the mantra repeated yesterday by Temple Student Government President Juan Galeano at the organization’s first General Assembly meeting of the year. More than 200 students crowded room 200C of the Student Center to hear about the various committees.
TSG executives stressed the importance of student body involvement in the organization.
“We are the liaison between students and administration, and without your voice, we can’t be that liaison,” said Nadine Mompremier, TSG vice president of student affairs.
More than three-quarters of the audience admitted to being first-time attendees of a General Assembly meeting after being prompted with a question by Eric Stephenson, TSG vice president of academic affairs. Capt. Eileen Bradley of Campus Safety Services, housing director Michael Scales and Vice President of Student Affairs Ainsley Carry also attended the meeting.
Executives introduced each of the seven committees for the prospective members and outlined the objectives of TSG as a whole.
Galeano explained this year, TSG would act as an “advocate, resource [and an] opportunity.”
“We’ve previously been a Band-Aid to student issues, but now we want to be stitches for student issues,” Galeano said.
One issue TSG plans to discuss this year is parking, Mompremier said. The goal is to look into lots around campus and try to open them up to students, she said.
Another goal is to reach out to Temple’s other campuses and “[build] a relationship with Ambler,” Mompremier said.
TSG treasurer Brad Hoffman, discussing the student finance committee, said TSG plans to investigate if students are paying a fair price for their education.
“We’re going to look at comparable schools’ tuitions to see if you’re getting quality education,” Hoffman said.
Expanding the reach of Diamond Dollars and increasing the time between the date your tuition bill is available and the date of payment are also issues the committee, which Hoffman chairs, will explore.
One of the final things discussed was to create an “Owl identity,” Galeano said. Showing school spirit and athletic support are important for the overall campus atmosphere, he said.
With a strong showing at the kickoff meeting for the 25th year for TSG, Galeano said he is hopeful TSG can achieve what the organization plans to do this year.
“With the showing at this first meeting,” Galeano said, “I’m very excited to see what we can do.”
Chris Stover can be reached at chris.stover@temple.edu.
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