By Jacqueline Arroyo / Jambar Contributor
Youngstown State University students have a new way to voice their concerns. The Student Government Association has established a resource for students to directly contact it.
“Share Your Voice!” is a new option on the SGA website where students can submit complaints, both academic and non-academic.
SGA Vice President Sofie Myers said the idea grew out of concern for how students could communicate effectively with them.
“We really started playing around with the idea of a student suggestion box, or a student concern box,” Myers said. “We figured out how we were going to make that plan go into action, and we ended up putting a little box on our website called Share Your Voice!”
Most of the complaints are about YSU and vary from concerns about campus life to academics to grievances against professors.
“We’re able to just move them in the right direction,” Myers said, noting some complaints aren’t necessarily issues SGA can handle.
Myers collaborated with SGA Vice President of Public Relations Alysa Oswald to market “Share Your Voice!” on campus and social media.
“I love it and I really want us to expand upon it this year,” Oswald said.
In the past, Oswald said SGA marketed a suggestion box on Instagram, its most popular social media platform. SGA is hoping the “Share Your Voice!” program will receive a greater response.
Oswald said that in addition to offering “Share Your Voice!” through its website, SGA will market the program through its Instagram stories to make it convenient for students to access.
She also manages the Instagram page and is responsible for maintaining SGA’s presence on Facebook and X. Besides media management, Oswald is in charge of marketing SGA initiatives, which are resources for students and events.
“We also have the step-by-step guide on the website because we want to promote taking [complaints] to your professor or whoever you’re having the grievance with first before submitting a full-fledged academic grievance,” Oswald said.
The SGA meeting schedule can be found on its website, along with the type of meeting it will be, body or financial affairs.
Body meetings are open to the public, while financial affairs committee meetings are invite only for organizations who fill out a Student Government appropriation application.
In addition to creating new resources for students, SGA spearheads numerous activities and events on campus.
Last fall, it hosted an academic advisory panel where students could speak to advisors from each college. After the panel, they posted students’ questions and advisors’ answers or guidance through its Instagram story.
To access “Share Your Voice!” students should visit the SGA website, click on the menu, then on resources.
Source contact info:
Alysa Oswald, She/Her, Vice President for Public Relations, 330.941.1727, [email protected]
Sofie Myers, She/Her, Executive Vice President, 330.941.3382, [email protected]
Cutlines:
For photo 1: The Student Government Association offices located in the Kilcawlecy center are hard to miss with its colorful wall. Students are able to walk right in during office hours and speak with a representative.
For photo 2: The Share Your Voice! form is completed through a google form where students have the option to submit their name or be anonymous. While also providing an email address and listing their complaint.
Social media teaser:
Got a gripe about something on campus? Check out this story from Jacqueline Arroyo about student government and its new resource.
