By Skyler Magnoli

Senator Ashley Foy was appointed as the first Student Government Association Community Engagement Officer last Wednesday, a position she created in hopes of increasing community engagement and student involvement in the New Britain community.

Foy has been concerned with SGA not representing CCSU’s core value of community engagement lately and intended the new officer position to  help focus on engaging students in the New Britain community with community service, as well as having the SGA turn its focus to all of CCSU’s desired elements of distinctiveness.

“There is no level of SGA representation for that, which is why we have initiated this new position,” said Foy.

The SGA has never had a position like the new Community Engagement Officer. Foy created the new position herself with high expectations of its outcome.

The officer will work as a connection between the CCSU campus and community service programs around New Britain.

“I will be working with the Town and Gown Task Force and Community Central downtown,” said Foy. “And I will be working with them in specific areas to get students involved and to represent SGA at a community level.”

The position will overlook and direct both campus clubs and individual students for local community service opportunities as well as inform the SGA of all happenings in the local community. Foy hopes that the new position will help bring community service for students in general and for the CCSU campus to the forefront.

Foy was inspired to create the new position after working with Community Central in downtown New Britain, a program created to bridge CCSU and New Britain, and having attended the Conference on Student Government Associations in Texas last month. Through her work at COSGA, Foy brainstormed many ideas to help get students and the SGA involved in community service. Foy is very confident in the new officer position because the position is fully supported and encouraged by all of the senators at the SGA.

Foy was appointed the position solely by Interim President Jamie Canny and will be serving on a trial basis, but Foy hopes that the position will become official and put in the bylaws after this semester. The position will be appointed by the SGA president each semester. While Foy did create and describe this position by herself, she is very open to input and suggestions from anyone.

“This is something I’m hoping we will have in the SGA for years to come,” said Foy.

Foy hopes this new officer position will help the SGA break out in to the community.

Foy would like to have the SGA play more of a role on aspects that CCSU prides itself on. She also expects that this new position will provide many opportunities for the SGA in the local community.

While the Community Engagement Officer position is designed to help get students involved in the surrounding community, Foy hopes for a lot more.

“Getting the SGA out there on a community level, not just club funding,” said Foy. “We are much more than that as a student government body.”