SGA Hears Student Concerns Virtually

It’s no question that 2020 has been full of twists and turns due to COVID-19. With social distancing guidelines in place on campus, it has been challenging for student clubs and organizations to meet face-to-face.

However, the Student Government Association (SGA) at Bluefield College came up with an effective way for students to voice their concerns virtually. The SGA’s dedication to the student body does not go unnoticed. 

SGA president Laurel Romano has implemented an office hours system that allows students to meet with SGA members one-on-one to voice their concerns.

“We have a member of our SGA host their office hours each day virtually and/or in-person,”Romano said, “and if a student is not able to make it in-person, we encourage them to reach out to us via email.”

The office hours system gives students in isolation or quarantine an opportunity to contact a member of the SGA without having to worry about setting up an in-person meeting. 

In addition, BC students are known to be active on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, so the SGA took advantage of this information by creating a social media account of their own.

“We have started an SGA Instagram to help share and let our campus community know about what SGA is doing,” Romano said. “Our Instagram is @bc_studentgovernment.”

The Instagram account will be updated regularly to ensure that students are aware of the actions SGA is taking toward addressing student concerns. 

One of the concerns SGA recently addressed is the availability of gluten-free and lactose-free food items in the BC cafeteria. Romano said members of SGA have been working with the cafeteria staff to address this concern.

“SGA was able schedule a meeting and host both the student and the cafeteria to talk one-on-one about this concern,” she said. “This meeting was productive and brought to light the different options the cafeteria has for students with different dietary restrictions.” 

Romano added that the SGA is currently gathering feedback from students and analyzing the parking policy on campus. She said the SGA strives to be the voice of the student body and wants to encourage all BC students to communicate their concerns.

“SGA is here for you to be the bridge between students and our faculty and staff,” she said. “If you would like to join SGA or come and talk with us, please do. We are here for you.” 

SGA meetings are held every Monday at 6 p.m. Students are more than welcome to attend.