DePauw Student Government is on the verge of change after dealing with some minor setbacks.
Last fall, the public relations officer stepped down, leaving DePauw's student government lacking communication with the student body.
"I don't know what student government is doing" said first-year Vyvian Borse.
Borse is not the only student that is completely unaware of what student government has accomplished. This year, a lot of changes are occurring within student government and on campus that many DePauw students are unaware of.
First-year Mallory Benson shares the same feelings as Borse.
"I believe student government holds great opportunities and is really great for DePauw students, but I feel like there is a great lack of communication between the two," Benson said.
Public relations is in charge of the majority of the student government's social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as, graphics, posters and the TV in the basement of the Union Building.
Student government president Walker Chance said the loss of their public relations officer caused a lack of communication between the student body and student government because this information was not being transferred to the students via these methods of communication.
"Last semester there was a time when we did not have PR so we couldn't let everybody know what exactly we were doing." Chance said.
This semester, student government is actively trying to bridge this communication gap by making changes within student government and on campus through different committees created by senators.
"It's a little unfair to say we haven't done anything" said first-year Student Senator Perrin Duncan. "[The thought that] we don't do anything has to do with not having PR. A lot of committees are still in the works. There are things that students have done but they don't realize it was student government."
Duncan cites the changing of the Hub hours and the altering of the menu to try to improve the taste as changes that student government was responsible for.
Duncan's own work on the sanitation committee involves putting hand sanitizer stations in the Hub. The committee is also working on getting feminine wastebaskets in the freshmen dorms and meeting with Dick Vance, associate vice president for Facilities Management, to start a pilot program.
Committee work, however, is not all that the student government has been working on this year. Currently, there is talk about amending the current constitution of student government, which would help students with goals for student life.
"We are holding an open conversation about amending the constitution that would improve student government, allowing us to be a better advocate for the student body," Chance said.
For example, in April, student government will be hosting "UPushStart Startup Institute," which will allow DePauw students to work with mentors in small workshops and bring new ideas to the table.
Student government's goal is that, with senior Lizzie Hineman in charge of Public Relations this semester, projects like UPushStart will be more advertised.
"We had students apply and submit resumes, and as an executive board we looked over them and did two things," Chance said. "First thing was checking qualifications and experience, because we wanted to make sure that this semester of PR would be a big thing."
Hineman was hired for the position because she had the most experience out of all of the applicants, as she had already been doing Public Relations for a nonprofit organization in New York, according to Chance.
After hiring Hineman, first-year Claire Halffield was named assistant public relations officer.
Since the additions, many senators have spoken positively about bridging the gap between communication student government and students.
"I feel like the fact that a PR person was missing last semester distanced students from senate," said first-year Student Senator Charlie Douglas. "Having Lizzie and Claire will bring student government and students together and help the student body understand what student government does on campus."
Sophomore Student Senator Colleen Whiting expressed the same sentiment.
"I think it has made student government more visible and transparent because a lot of things that happen no one really knows about because we haven't had an effective outlet to share what we have accomplished," Whiting said. "Lizzie has done an excellent job and it has enabled students to feel more confident about what we are doing."