For Central Connecticut’s Student Government Association’s executive board, Fall 2018’s launch means leaping straight into implementing new initiatives. With this semester’s focus being “connectedness” between the SGA, clubs and students, President Kassandra Fruin is “excited.”

“We will have our office doors open during regular business hours for people to pop in and ask questions or get information,” Fruin said. Establishing an open-door policy had been a promise in her presidential campaign last year.

“I hope this will achieve a better understanding of what the SGA can do for students, and how we can better assist clubs to properly ask for a financial request,” Fruin said.

Drawing from her experiences as a part of previous administrations, Fruin said she wants this new measure to make clubs feel more comfortable coming in for advice on funding than ever before and to ensure that students are at ease when arriving with questions or grievances.

“I believe this will be an improvement to what past SGAs have set as a goal. In my time on the senate, we have always attempted to be transparent and open, but I believe opening ourselves to the community is a step in the right direction to truly make our organization represent the people who voted for us in the first place,” Fruin stated.

Transparency runs as a theme throughout Treasurer Kristina DeVivo’s goals as well. Like Fruin, she also views transparency as an important factor in bringing the SGA closer to the students it serves. On DeVivo’s end as treasurer and as chair of the SGA’s Finance Committee, that means having information and budget request forms readily available online, as well as having a structure of training for clubs in place. She, too, said she is excited about diving into these steps at the start of the semester.

“There’ll be no paper copies of anything. Everything will be online [on TheLink],” DeVivo explained. “At the training, we’ll be working a lot with how to deal with TheLink, how to submit the request forms on it and just basic knowledge about accounts and what we have to offer them.”

“TheLink system is going to be very awesome,” DeVivo continued. “Getting clubs the money they need and answering their questions, transparency and being there for them, [is what it’s all about].”

Vice President Dante Solano is jumping on board with the trainings, saying it will be “extremely beneficial and productive” to show club officers how to use TheLink efficiently. In addition, Solano said he will be working to change the SGA Liaison program—a process he began even before the semester commenced.

“This summer, I reached out to our club officers to hear who they’d prefer to have as a liaison. I did my best to accommodate these requests, and unlike in past years, attempted to disburse the liaison assignments based on the type of club,” he said. “In the very start of the school year, I look forward to employing this new perspective, and working with the SGA’s senators to bring more to our relationship with clubs.”

The SGA’s office is located in room 211 of the Student Center. Fruin, DeVivo and Solano are eager to let people in, or to have them contact the SGA through email, as Fruin elaborated that the senators will now be pushing to have their contact information public.

“The door will always be propped open as long as one person is inside the office,” Fruin said.