As Temple Student Government wraps up the fall semester, its members are planning for the future by focusing on creating new programs, policies and proposals to better student life.
TSG President Colin Saltry said in an e-mail that there has been a “culture change” in the way TSG does business. He said researching and testing ideas as well as working hands-on with administration and staff has been fundamental in ensuring its work is “taken seriously.”
Saltry marked significant accomplishments in the improved allocations system Allocations Chairman Mark Quien and Program Coordinator Maureen Fisher have helped to make more efficient. He said this, coupled with the new Student Training and Rewards System for measuring student groups, has allowed TSG to allocate more money to more organizations.
“I think this new change will really have an impact on the quality of student programs offered here on campus and will ‘enlighten’ our campus with cultural, artistic and informative programming,” Saltry said. Saltry said he also credits Student Body President Natalie Ramos-Castillo and her cabinet for representing TSG and the student body when meeting with President Ann Weaver Hart and other administration.
Ramos-Castillo said in an e-mail that TSG has accomplished a lot through initiatives, such as the establishment of nutrition workshops at the YMCA, the Thanksgiving day dinner, the Student Organization Resource Room and its Adopt-A-Grandparent program. Ramos-Castillo said TSG will host a summit with the three other state-related schools this this month in order to “bond together and advocate as one voice for higher education.”
Next semester, Saltry said, TSG plans to focus on “Cherry, White & YOU!,” an initiative aimed at “creating programs, policies and proposals to give Temple students first-class student life.”
Saltry said TSG’s goals for the rest of the year include extending library and TECH Center hours and creating a new community relations policy in order to emphasize “mutual respect” between off-campus students and residents of North Philadelphia.
Upcoming initiatives, Ramos-Castillo said, include working with Ken Lawrence, the senior vice president for Government, Community and Public Affairs, and Temple Advocates Legislative Outreach Network in order to educate students about being politically active.
Ramos-Castillo also said TSG will collaborate with the three other-state related schools in mid-February, to bring students to the capital for a rally for higher education funding to be a priority in the Governor’s Budget Address.
Ramos-Castillo said TSG will also work on wireless printing, a tuition sweepstakes, legal services, campus beautification and tax services.
Both Saltry and Ramos-Castillo said the major problem TSG has had is effectively communicating with the students. They said TSG members plan to talk to students to learn about their concerns and get the word out on what TSG has done and can do for them.
“We have done some really great things over the past few years, but we need input,” Saltry said.
“If we generate all the ideas, what’s the point of calling TSG a government? That sounds more like a politburo to me,” Saltry said. “We need more participation, and we can and need to do a better job of getting it.”
Cary Carr can be reached at cary.carr@temple.edu.
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