Walk into the room on a Tuesday night and you’ll see it packed with students. Sometimes, you won’t see them leave until the early morning.
- Mira Levitan
- Galardi
It might sound mysterious, but the Michigan Student Assembly chambers on the third floor of the Michigan Union are where the student government representatives meet and get work done.
After a summer apart, the representatives met last night to work for their constituencies and plan upcoming events such as a vigil on Sept. 11 and several “Rock your Vote” events, bringing speakers and bands to campus to draw students to the polls.
“We have all worked hard this summer to ensure that students will have a lot of opportunities to get involved with organizations and events on campus,” said MSA Rep. Courtney Skiles, who took office last spring. “Our first priority is to the students, and doing what we can to make the University of Michigan a place where its students actively participate in their community.”
President Angela Galardi said she is proud of MSA’s accomplishments, such as the new fall break and the cheap busing to the airport. This year, Galardi wants MSA to be even more effective.
“We are encouraging the representatives to put in even more time this year,” said Galardi, who spent the spring and summer terms on campus meeting with University administrators and regents.
“Since MSA has to work with administrators to actually implement our ideas, it’s important to have good working relations with them,” she added.
This fall, MSA representatives will be working with The Career Center in the Student Activities Building to promote the center’s services to students.
“Students can really benefit with help on finding future careers,” Galardi said. “The career center is like us – they serve all the students – and we want to push for students to use what they offer,” said Galardi.
Representatives are also working to inform new students of what MSA does and how students can get involved. In an upcoming open house in the MSA chambers, students can meet and talk to the elected representatives.
“We want to encourage students to get involved with MSA,” said Student General Counsel Jason Mironov. “You don’t have to be elected to get active.”