The theme for this year's Student Confederation Strategic Plan is "For a Better AU," which identifies their mission this year.
Working alongside key faculty members, various on-campus organizations and clubs, and the student body, the SC is taking steps to improve life at AU for all students present and to come.
"The plan is a roadmap of which to be followed and a tool to track our progress," Terzulli said. "It explains to the AU community our plans for the year which could be summarized as Communication and Community Service."
Many programs and organizations have already been put in motion since the start of the new school year. The most basic services one would expect to find are often times the ones students take for granted the most. A great deal of consideration will go into how to improve things like campus safety, better lighting and more affordable meal plans.
Terzulli also hopes to, "establish the Student Confederation as a place that all students can come to for help, whether it be pedantic or serious."
Another main focus of the strategic plan is centered on an increased awareness of international issues, other cultures and societies. Compared to the average university, AU boasts one of the highest percentages of foreign students and students who decide to study abroad.
It's only natural therefore that a great deal of University resources go into cultural appreciation and consciousness, according to the plan. More resources will give attention to the international community both on campus and off.
Bringing prominent speakers and performers such as Dashboard Confessional, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev and comedian Margaret Cho to the back yard of AU simply creates a better quality of life for all students, according to the plan. Satisfying another goal within the plan, these events are meant to further enrich students' lives and also give a sense of community to the AU campus.
With several goals and a large array of resources and man power to implement them, the main and basic goal of the 2003-2004 Student Confederation's plan is summed up by its president, "to the SC with any and all of your problems at AU. We are here to help."
Terzulli's efforts to provide students with a helpful organization have not come with as much success as hoped. According to Terzulli, the SC Help Center, which is the foundation of the strategic plan, has seen a decrease in student use.
Several students stated they knew little, or nothing at all about the Help Center or the weekly SC e-mails. This is in contrast to Terzulli's statement that "We have found the weekly e-mails to be a very effective tool of communication."
The weekly SC e-mail was created as the primary communications tool of the SC to the student body, under Terzulli. Although it is often confused with Today@AU and discarded, it still shows the genuine desire of the SC and administration to make life a little easier and enriching for AU students, Terzulli said.
