For the Student Government Association (SGA), the typical Town Hall meeting is a platform in which students, faculty members and administrators all gather to discuss the issues facing Seton Hall and often try to remedy them. On Feb. 24th, the theme of the annual Town Hall meeting will be updates on the Strategic Planning Process, according to SGA President Rishi Shah.
SGA member and senior biology major Angelo Cadiente broadly defines the Strategic Planning Process as a method of “formulating, orchestrating and enacting the future of the university.”
SGA President Shah plans to invite members involved in this process, such as students, faculty and related consultants, to update the university on this process as it will define the future of this community.
The ability to attend a Town Hall meeting allows the Seton Hall community access to express their concerns and suggestions about the conditions of the campus to the administration of the school in a public and approachable setting.
In October, the SGA established, during a Town Hall meeting that month, the five “overarching themes” that would shape their legislation. These themes included but weren’t limited to issues of campus affordability, parking, accessibility, advising and utilization of facilities.
These themes suggest that the SGA plans on installing more topic-focused meetings in the future.
Shah explained that upcoming meetings are meant to be more structured to allow those joining to deliberate specific questions to ask. These questions will be dispensed in the presence of university administrators such as President Nyre, the school’s CFO, the Vice Presidents, and several Deans to answer the various questions the public may ascertain.
According to Cadiente, in the future, the SGA anticipates discussing topics related to the daily lives of students and they plan to provide possible solutions in reference to the troubles students face.
Whether it pertains to academia, parking, residence, accessibility, etc., the association is working towards alleviating some of the problems that may hinder the student body’s education.
As these Town Hall meetings are meant to serve as a medium between students and administration, the hope is that students, along with their respective representatives, voice their concerns with regards to their experiences here at Seton Hall University.
The SGA believes that through meaningful dialogue, students have the opportunity to meet with their Dean, as well as express their interest in other instances that may affect others at the university.
Caitlin Gartley can be reached at caitlin.gartley@student.shu.edu.
