The Student Government Association (SGA) held a Town Hall meeting to showcase what it has accomplished and current ongoing projects. They also opened the floor so students can express their comments, questions and concerns.

The event took place last night at 7 p.m in the John F. Kennedy building located on campus.

“Pretty big occasion,” said Alex Peruso, President of SGA. “We get to show you what we have been working on for the past few months.”

Some of the major things that SGA has worked on to better the student body and meet student needs include: Red Flash DVD, charging stations located around campus, the ice skating rink, the tubing park, access to an air compressor behind physical plant, and the latest an ATM in Torvian.

In response to a concern expressed last town hall, Peruso also addressed the issue of students only being paid once a month. After collaborating with administration, he was proud to announce that starting in June payroll will be every two weeks.

Executive Vice President of SGA, Gretta Ghaner, also emphasized the point that SGA is dedicated to OrgSync, and any SGA funded organization is required to use OrgSync.

“[OrgSync] is a great way to show case your organization,” said Ghaner.

Ghaner also discussed about Shop24, which is a 24/7 vending machine that could be accessed at any time to meet the needs of students requesting everything from food to laundry detergent and other needs be available after 11 p.m.

Meghan Studds, Vice President of Communications, said that SGA is also meeting the needs of the student by moving room draw to online. Online room draw was implemented due to student requests.

Room draw will begin March 31, and is based upon the amount of credits a student has earned. Students who are uncertain of the process are encouraged to look for an e-mail regarding help sessions that will be held in the residence halls.

Cecelia MacDonald, an SGA senator, spoke on behalf of the First Year Experience Task Force. The faculty committee is currently focused on incorporating the eight Goals of Franciscan Higher Education into students’ everyday life as much as possible.

“Sometimes students are exposed to the goals without realizing it, so they aren’t gaining as much from the experience as they could be,” said MacDonald during her presentation.

To combat this issue, FYE is working to highlight the Franciscan values in both the curriculum and co-curricular offerings. MacDonald announced a contest to design an icon to represent each Goal of Franciscan Higher Education. The winner for each icon will earn $50, with the possibility of $400 in total. The contest is open to all students; the deadline is Friday, April 18th.

“It’s important that students and administration come together at events like this,” concluded Peruso.