Holt SGA Displays Visibility
Greg Evans
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: News
After my column "Are Holt Students Too Busy for Student Government" appeared in the Oct. 2, 2009 edition of The Sandspur, I immediately began to receive feedback from SGA officers, members and numerous Holt students. Now that several months have elapsed, I would like to reexamine the role of the Holt SGA and its visibility to the Holt students it governs.
As the Spring 2010 semester got underway, the Holt SGA established a commanding presence through numerous communication channels. A flurry of e-mails barraged the Holt school, and students quickly came to realize that the increasingly familiar "00000.HOLTSGA" tag at the end of an e-mail's subject line meant the communication originated from the Student Government Association.
Students who access Blackboard for class assignments and information also found the Holt SGA both more visible and more accessible. Through its own course-like Blackboard listing, Holt SGA now makes its meeting minutes, general information, and senator contacts available in a familiar, easy to use format. A lively discussion board also provides an avenue for members and students to discuss upcoming events.
Certainly, the Holt SGA has taken great measures to keep itself at the forefront of student life, but all of this visibility did not come easily.
"The Holt Student Government Association is aware of the challenges that we face due to our students' busy schedules and lives," said Jen Atwell, the association's publicity editor.
Through email-a primary communication method for many busy Holt students-Atwell pointed out that the association continues to explore new and innovative ways for students to get involved.
"Video chatting in HHSGA meetings is encouraged," she said, "so students who live far from campus can still participate in meetings." In addition, students serving in senator positions take the association directly to fellow students.
Atwell recognizes that the challenges the Holt SGA faces will not subside, and she remains optimistic that the association will continue to flourish. "The HHSGA has begun to plan for our future in every way, shape and form," she declared. To embrace the changing dynamics in the modern economy, for example, the association is in the process of creating a program that will allow students with an interest in student government to fill vacant positions as they become available rather than waiting until the beginning of the next term.
The Holt SGA also continues to relentlessly promote itself. In her e-mail to The Sandspur, Atwell mentioned the association's involvement in an upcoming golf tournament, the twice-yearly Winter Park Arts Festival and even an upcoming car wash fundraiser.
This high visibility, coupled with the HHSGA's newly streamlined accessibility, will undoubtedly give the association a much-needed boost. It will also, perhaps, help HHSGA members and students meet their own directive, according to Atwell; "As the Rollins College vision encourages us to 'Find your purpose. Find your place,' all HHSGA members -- Executive Board members, Senators, and Holt students -- are directed to leave their individual mark on their time at Rollins and the lives of Rollins students."
As the Spring 2010 semester got underway, the Holt SGA established a commanding presence through numerous communication channels. A flurry of e-mails barraged the Holt school, and students quickly came to realize that the increasingly familiar "00000.HOLTSGA" tag at the end of an e-mail's subject line meant the communication originated from the Student Government Association.
Students who access Blackboard for class assignments and information also found the Holt SGA both more visible and more accessible. Through its own course-like Blackboard listing, Holt SGA now makes its meeting minutes, general information, and senator contacts available in a familiar, easy to use format. A lively discussion board also provides an avenue for members and students to discuss upcoming events.
Certainly, the Holt SGA has taken great measures to keep itself at the forefront of student life, but all of this visibility did not come easily.
"The Holt Student Government Association is aware of the challenges that we face due to our students' busy schedules and lives," said Jen Atwell, the association's publicity editor.
Through email-a primary communication method for many busy Holt students-Atwell pointed out that the association continues to explore new and innovative ways for students to get involved.
"Video chatting in HHSGA meetings is encouraged," she said, "so students who live far from campus can still participate in meetings." In addition, students serving in senator positions take the association directly to fellow students.
Atwell recognizes that the challenges the Holt SGA faces will not subside, and she remains optimistic that the association will continue to flourish. "The HHSGA has begun to plan for our future in every way, shape and form," she declared. To embrace the changing dynamics in the modern economy, for example, the association is in the process of creating a program that will allow students with an interest in student government to fill vacant positions as they become available rather than waiting until the beginning of the next term.
The Holt SGA also continues to relentlessly promote itself. In her e-mail to The Sandspur, Atwell mentioned the association's involvement in an upcoming golf tournament, the twice-yearly Winter Park Arts Festival and even an upcoming car wash fundraiser.
This high visibility, coupled with the HHSGA's newly streamlined accessibility, will undoubtedly give the association a much-needed boost. It will also, perhaps, help HHSGA members and students meet their own directive, according to Atwell; "As the Rollins College vision encourages us to 'Find your purpose. Find your place,' all HHSGA members -- Executive Board members, Senators, and Holt students -- are directed to leave their individual mark on their time at Rollins and the lives of Rollins students."
Be the first to comment on this story