New Student Body President, senior Cody Watson sees room for improvement in DePauw Student Government (DSG). He believes there is a better approach than has been used in the past.
“We’re trying to do less with events and more with being a resource and being available for ideas [for the student body],” Watson said
That being said, DSG still has some events on this year’s calendar, specifically reaching out to Greencastle in order to bridge the gap between the community and DePauw students. First on the agenda is the Diamond on the Square with the Destination Greencastle combination, an event that will take place in downtown Greencastle on Sept. 28.
“It’ll be a way for people, particularly freshman, and everybody else, to come down to hopefully learn about the resources Greencastle has to offer, as well as enjoy the new landscape that is going on,” Watson said.
However, before these events take place, Watson mentions the importance of the ongoing elections. With several spots opened for all grade levels, Watson hopes to have a good election season campaign.
“We just want people who come in ready to work and work hard, but also people who care a lot about DePauw and who want to try and make DePauw better," Watson said. "We will teach you everything that you need to know about Student Government, as well as help you along the way.”
For first-years interested in campaigning for election, Watson urges them to bring their desires to the table.
Running for Senate is first-year student Anna Funke, who is already aiming for improvement.
“If I end up being elected into DSG this year, I would like to find a better way to represent my class and the entire student body as a whole in order to better convey the needs of students to the administration,” Funke said. “I would also like DSG to work on ways to integrate the freshman class into the rest of the student body, particularly during the first semester of every year, in order to create a strong community rather than separate classes.”
She found herself drawn to run for DSG when she noticed the importance of getting involved on campus.
DSG mirrors Funke’s desires for improvement along campus as the group would like to see healthier smoothie and drink options and better lighting, all in hopes to improve lifestyles for DePauw’s students.
“I’m working specifically on just trying to improve the transparency, improve the organizations of student government as itself," Watson said. "Student Government is the funnel to administration; administration listens to Student Government because we are a voice for all the students. So, I really plan to utilize that for all the students."
For now, Watson wants one thing from the student body.
“We would love to have students come down to the student work space," Watson said. "The student workspace was created over the summer for studying and organizations. Currently, it is a working progress for students to utilize."
The student workspace, located in the union building by the mailroom, is a place for students to do walk-in studies or for organizations to conduct prearranged meetings.
Said DSG Vice President Courtney Cosby, “Everyone is welcome to stop by there whenever their schedules allow and see the DSG whiteboard that has updates from all chambers, or even just to talk to Cody and me.”
