A few weeks ago, when I walked into the Student Government Association office for the first time this year, I noticed just how many doors there are into our office.

There’s one in the Student Union stairwell adjacent to us, and three more down the hallway, always locked. I also noticed the blinds on them, and how they are almost always closed.

This is symbolic, I think, of how people view the SGA; there are many ways to get involved, but no one can see in.

For years, successive SGA administrations and Senates have championed the idea of reconnecting with students, of opening the channels of communication and of really getting in touch with constituents. I think we can largely say that this has become a routine issue, which no one really attempts to tackle in the end.

That ends now.

As the first vice president of the SGA, my central goals focus on two words: communication and collaboration. And I mean it. This year will see a broad-based campaign of outreach to the student body, beginning with the new SGA Coffee Hour, which will take place in the SGA office lounge every week, Monday to Thursday, from 4 to 5 p.m

This hour is dedicated to welcoming anyone, from students and faculty to staff and administrators, to connect with student representatives and air any issue, ask any question and find opportunities to get involved.

Is this enough to communicate with the thousands of students on this campus? Absolutely not. However, it is my sincerest hope that it is a start, a way to make an inroad into connecting with our oft-ignored constituents, and create a platform for true involvement and problem solving.

The first thing I did after I walked into our office was pull up those blinds. My colleagues and I in the SGA are determined to present an open front to the student body, not just welcoming input but actively seeking it. Please stop by our office anytime you have a question or an issue. The key to our relevancy is, at its core, communication, and we can only go up from here.

Garrett Gowen is the SGA vice president. He can be reached at [email protected].