As the Student Government Association (SGA) here at Ramapo College, we have the challenging job of advocating for all Ramapo students. As a group of only 33 members, we know that we face some challenges with effectively reaching out to every student in the Ramapo College Community. Regardless, we are going to work harder to make sure that every student is well represented. That is why we are initiating the “We are Here” campaign. The goal of this campaign is to not only inform the student population about who SGA is and what we do, but to show students that we are here to advocate on their behalves. With more student input, suggestions and ideas we can make this campus and community better than ever.
For those of you who are not too familiar with the Student Government Association, our main purpose as an organization is to improve student life and serve in the best interest of the student population. We do this by serving as the formal liaison to the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and staff. Each member of the organization meets with their respective liaison regularly, conveys to them what questions, issues or concerns students have, and, in response, relays to the student population any updates from that respective office.
This semester, each member of SGA has been reflecting on what our main purpose is as an individual in SGA. We have been asked to remember our “why,” which is our driving incentive and reasoning for being a member of SGA. Each and every one of us became interested in SGA because we saw something that we wanted to improve on campus. Now, initiating change on campus is generally not a simple task. As representatives of the entire Ramapo community, any change we want to initiate on campus needs to be well supported by the students. We are thankful for the student support that we have already received this year, and we are using that support in moving forward with promoting change on campus. We are reporting the information we received from the survey regarding dining services and the library to their respective offices so that student opinions are well represented. Student participation in the RamaPledge, the petition for making changes to the Student Handbook and attendance at our Town Hall meetings regarding changes to the academic schedule have all been great indicators that many students are interested in the initiatives that SGA is taking. We, as SGA, are working to address these student concerns as effectively as possible, but we still need more support.
With the “We Are Here” campaign, the SGA is taking initiative to reach out to students; we ask in return that the student population is here for us as well. Come to our general meetings on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. in Friends Hall to hear what initiatives SGA is taking and to be a part of the conversation. If you cannot make our general meetings, we are starting to post our general meeting and senate meeting minutes in the Daily Digest so that students can stay updated on what is being discussed. We encourage all students to come to the SGA office at SC-223 (located on the second floor of the Student Center next to J. Lee’s) and talk with SGA representatives during office hours. We recently extended our office hours to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays to try and reach out to more students. Follow Ramapo SGA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on what events we are hosting and what initiatives we are taking. Please also feel free to email us at sga@ramapo.edu with any questions, concerns or ideas. We all want what is best for this campus, community and each individual Ramapo student, we just have to work together more to get there.
Erica Colavito, Vice President
Lauren Fuhring, President
David Ermann, School Senator for SSHGS
