Thelmo is beginning to use constituency groups in an effort to strengthen the relationship between students and the student government. However, students and senators have different expectations for the initiative.
The emails that students received from their respective senators explained what the purpose was for the initiative. In her email Thelmo Senator Carley Nolan ’22 wrote that throughout the semester she will be sending emails to her group to update them on the news and events of Thelmo.
Additionally, these emails will include monthly reminders concerning open forums where students can share their concerns. The constituency groups will be made up of one senator and a group of students that the senator will update frequently.
The initiative is an attempt to increase Thelmo’s presence on campus as well as updating students. “We feel that this will allow Thelmo to build more personal connections with SLU students and make Thelmo seem a little less intimidating,” said Nolan. In the past there have been issues with the student body and the student government.
Some students do not feel as if the student government accurately represents them. “I would say the initiative would be a good idea if students cared more about their student government,” said Zachary Effman ’22. Effman explained that students are not inclined to care about the government since they feel so distant from it.
Thelmo has not done constituencies in several years, and some Thelmo senators such as Nolan are looking forward to this initiative.
“I currently have high hopes for the constituent groups as of now, I know that it is new for everyone and there may be some things that need to be tweaked overtime, but as of now I feel that they are working well,” stated Nolan.
Other senators on Thelmo do not share the same belief. “I think in theory it sounds great, but for a school where Thelmo is not a big part of the average students life it does not make sense to assign students to senators,” remarked Anniesa Atischand ’22.
Atischand also explained that since her constituents do not know her, there is no reason for them to feel comfortable enough to approach her with questions and or concerns.
Atischand recommended that Thelmo should have done something else before becoming this intimate with students by spreading the kinds of help they already have on campus. “Maybe there should have been an event where students can get to know their senators,” said Atischand. “As a newer senator, I was not aware of who was on Thelmo before joining.”
President Molly Thompson ’22 hopes senator constituencies will help students engage better with Thelmo. “It is our hope that assigning every student a Senator will start to improve our relationship with the Student Body,” she said. “Every student has the right to know who their Thelmo Representative is, and to rely on their Senator to effectively respond to their concerns.”
Thompson also wants students to interact with Thelmo. “I encourage all students who have thoughts and recommendations for Thelmo to reach out to their Senator directly, come to one of our monthly open forums, or come to our open discussion periods which will begin at the end of the Senate meeting on February 26,” she said.
Thelmo will also release its spring policy platforms on March 2 through the online newsletter emailed to students. The constituency groups are beginning this semester and students should be expecting emails from their senators in the near future if they have not already received them.