The 2023-24 Student Senate has big ambitions
Whether it’s in the classrooms, on the campus, or at school events; the Student Senate is excited for Boxers to see some big changes this year.
Primarily, though, the Student Senate’s objective is streamlining their communication with Pacific students. Historically the student senate was reachable via email and occasional polls. This year, they hope more students will attend several new senate sessions. “We have a really big budget, and at the end of the year we have a surplus to spend. I think this year we would like to have students come and pitch $5,000 ideas to improve campus,” explained Senior Student Senate President Ava Johnson.
But this new connection won’t only be present in the open meetings. The senate is completely shifting their mindset, even going so far as to change the team’s motto. Ava explains, “Last year our motto was ‘Boxers, we are one’ because we were coming out of Covid and trying to rebuild the campus community. This year our motto is ‘Boxers lead the way’ because we want to hear more student input and have them lead us in the decisions that we make.”
Reflecting on previous years, Johnson emphasized the lessons learned. “Going into this year, our mindset is ‘we want change.’ Covid limited senate access, because everything was online. Coming out of that, we really just want people to know they’re being heard. I know a lot of people felt like they weren’t being heard before, or that things were just happening without them having any say in it. We want them to know that they do.”
The exact plan for the year is still to be determined after their first meeting on Thursday, September 7. However, when asked her hopes for the coming year, Johnson offered a few possibilities. Revamping the Boxer costume, building a rock climbing wall, and installing heaters for the outdoor seating were all ideas that floated around. Johnson also enters the year with a personal passion project in mind: “A big issue to tackle is lighting on campus. The lighting on campus is not very good, so at night it’s sketchy walking from classes back to my dorm.”
Ultimately decisions about this year’s projects will be left for the senate to deliberate as the year goes on, but the new open dialogue means senate leaders have already been hearing suggestions.
The student senate can be reached in UC-103 and in their email, studentsenate@pacificu.edu. Johnson aims to start a recurring, in-person event for students to reach the representatives easier. Details on this event are still undecided. Overall, her aim is to make sure Boxer voices are heard, whether that’s in a formal setting or just around campus. “If you ever see me walking, come talk to me. Just talk to us and let us know what you want and what we can do to help. We are here to get student voices heard in admin spaces.” — Rose Everingham
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