Student Senate Considers Holding Activity Fairs Twice Yearly

Nora Betts
Sower Staff

Student Senate officers and members this week discussed ways to encourage student involvement in the Senate and other clubs, including hosting future Student Activities Fairs in the fall and spring semesters and displaying club slideshows on TVs around campus.

Senate members showed interest in adding the fairs in spring semesters. The annual Fair, where students visit tables to learn about the variety of clubs on campus, is traditionally held in the second week of the fall semester.

Members said that most students who visit the fair, especially freshmen, are uncomfortable with their schedules or have no idea what their normal routine will be like so early. As a result, they either do not commit to any clubs or sign up for several clubs but fail to engage with them.

The idea was that a second fair in the spring would allow students to commit to clubs after having a semester to settle into life at college. In addition, many students’ schedules change by semester, so a second-semester fair would give them another chance to make a club commitment.

“We’d like to get student involvement up not only in the Student Senate but everywhere,” said President Julia Witt.

The Senate also looked at displaying club infographics on TVs across campus to raise awareness. The unused TVs in the Janzow Campus Center would be an option, as well as adding slides to the constantly circulating TV displays in the classrooms at the Thom Leadership Education Center or Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business. Simple graphics containing a club name, a description and a meeting time would reach students easier than flyers and with preexisting methods, members said.

These suggestions were moved to the Senate’s PR Committee, led by Witt.

Senate officers plan to meet with members of Concordia University Wisconsin’s student government, who will be at the Concordia Invitational Tournament this weekend, to see how they handle student involvement. The Senate may reach out to other local colleges, such as Morningside University and Doane University, in the future to see whether recruiting students is a widespread issue.

“[We are] trying to get ideas off of each other. I have the suspicion this isn’t just a Concordia problem,” Witt said.

The Senate has compiled its fall semester budget report, which is available upon request. The report details each club’s current budget and the amount of money spent to date. Treasurer Alec Johnston encouraged clubs to utilize their funds, as all leftover money returns to the Senate to be budgeted out in future semesters.

The process for the 2023-2024 school year’s budgets will begin at the end of February. Clubs will receive forms at that time to fill out regarding their budget proposals, Johnston said.