Extended library hours. Check.
A bigger budget? Check.
A skills development program for student organization
leaders. Check.
Over the course of a very productive summer, Eastern Michigan
University Student Body President Regina Royan and Vice
President Josh Lelonek have already put a significant dent
in their to-do list. As they head into the academic year,
the two hope to use their term to make more campus resources
available to students, overhaul the way Student Government
works and prepare the next wave of student leaders.
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ADVANCED AGENDA: Student Body
President
Regina Royan and Vice President Josh
Lelonek
take a breather from their busy summer
schedule outside the Student Center. The school
year is just starting, but the two already have
accomplished some of their goals, including
extending
library hours to 24/7 during finals;
increasing
the Student Government budget and
creating a Summer
Surge program to help EMU
students build leadership
skills. |
"It's a one-year term and we've tried to utilize all the
time we have," Royan said.
Royan, who ran for student body president in 2008 and
lost by just 66 votes before triumphing earlier this year,
has been advocating for 24/7 library service since her
first campaign. That made it especially sweet when, in
July, they finalized an arrangement with Halle Library
administration, public safety and dining services to keep
the library — not just the computer lab — open
24/7 during exams. They're working with University
Marketing on a campaign to make sure everyone knows about
the extended library service.
"Right now, it will be in two waves, during mid-terms
and finals," Royan said. "Hopefully, we can use that data
to make it 24 hours all the time, or at least maintain
it during exams."
Extended library hours, they say, helps combat the idea
that campus shuts down after 5 p.m. The two surmise that
having more people on campus after hours creates not only
a safer campus, but also a greater sense of community.
Likewise, they see how student organizations and club
sports help students forge stronger connections to the
University — and how those two line items represent
a big chunk of the Student Government budget. Recognizing
the effect of student organizations and club sports on
student experience and retention, Lelonek and Royan asked
for — and received — a $75,000 increase
to their organization's budget. Pending the Student Senate's
approval, much of that money will probably find its way
to those areas.
"We are so grateful for this increase because, as any
student organization leader can tell you, a little bit
can go a long way," Royan said.
When some student organization leaders said they wanted
more opportunities for networking and leadership training,
Student Government worked with Campus Life to organize
Summer Surge, an August program that brings together student
organization leaders and key faculty and staff from around
campus.
"We're very very proud that students wanted it and students
are running it," Royan said.
Both Royan and Lelonek are seniors from Howell. Royan,
a political science and biology/pre-med major, loves politics
and the challenge of making a case for her cause. Lelonek,
a social work major with a minor in health education, finds
Student Government draws on his interpersonal skills — working
with everyone from students to regents.
"I would say the thing that makes Regina and I such a
good team is that we complement each other exceptionally
well, a sort of yin and yang," Lelonek said. "Regina is
more proactive in spearheading projects and seeing the
bigger picture. I do more of the 'fine print' or smaller-picture
type work."
Almost from the moment they took office in April, Royan
and Lelonek started paving the way for their eventual successors.
To help Student Government transition from one administration
to the next, they created, for their positions, manuals
— binders that detail responsibilities so future leaders
won't have to learn on the fly.
With the executive board, they started conducting bi-weekly
meetings — meetings they say have been well attended, even
over the summer. The two stress teamwork and high expectations
and, so far, they say, everyone has risen to the occasion.
"The approaches the last couple of years have been very
silo-ed," Lelonek said "It was, 'This is your job; this
is all you do.' We're approaching it as, 'These are the
things you need to do, but you may sometimes need to pick
up the slack over here.' (This) makes the most of everyone's
skills."
"When you feel utilized, it makes you want to work harder,
and you enjoy it more," Lelonek added.
