AU student leaders convened for the first Student Government-sponsored Leadership Forum to share upcoming plans for the year and discuss pertinent campus issues Sept. 21 in Mary Graydon Center.
The forum was based on an idea last year’s SG President Nate Bronstein implemented on an as-needed basis, current SG President Tim McBride said.
“The idea originated with those meetings, but we wanted to make this broader,” he said. “We wanted the dialogue and discussions to be deeper and more far-ranging.”
Wednesday’s event welcomed about 20 student leaders from organizations such as Eco-Sense, AU Quiz Bowl, Women’s Initiative, AU Students for Israel and others.
McBride had each representative briefly introduce and explain their specific group’s efforts and goals.
Though some time was used discussing topics such as WONK, the leaders created a few concrete goals and ideas that will help them to stay connected throughout the course of the year.
Some of those ideas include an internal newsletter among club presidents with contact information and requests for co-sponsorships or a master calendar to conflicts between events.
Through the discussion, lesser-known groups were able to establish themselves and promote their current projects, McBride said.
With over 250 organizations at AU, it is easy for groups to lose their voice, SG Deputy Chief of Staff Jonathan Sherman said.
“It is one of our biggest priorities to get student leaders together,” Sherman said.
SG is aiming to make the gatherings a regular and open event, available to anyone interested in making positive changes on campus, McBride said.
“We got more people than expected and a lot of interest in coming back,” he said. “I’m happy with the turnout.”
