Student Council will host its first “StudCo Week” from Sept. 2 to Sept. 6, which will feature events designed to engage students and recruit new members. The initiative, led by Valentina Mendoza Gonzalez, Student Council president and fourth-year Batten student, coincides with the general member application period, which ends Sept. 9. Among the week’s events are an ice cream social during its General Body meeting and a scavenger hunt organized by Student Council's Support and Access Services branch.
According to Gonzalez, each day of the week will focus on different parts of Student Council, including events from the SAS, Cabinet and Organizations branches. Brookelyn Mitchell, vice president of administration and fourth-year College student, said that a large driver behind StudCo Week is to promote Student Council services to students.
“We have a lot of specific services for students who are [first-generation and low-income] or just from underrepresented communities,” Mitchell said. “StudCo Week is really to [highlight] the services we have, as well as all the great work our leadership is doing.”
StudCo Week is supported by a mix of Student Council’s allocated funds — including Student Activities Fee funding, which comes from the $58 fee included in tuition and fees that supports the core activities of the University’s Contracted Independent Organizations — and non-SAF funding, which comes from private Student Council funding.
The week will begin with a welcome back barbecue on the Lawn Sept. 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where students can meet Student Council members to learn more about what their roles entail. Student Council will also host its first General Body meeting of the semester Sep. 3, which will feature an ice cream social.
General Body meetings are always open to the public and include a public comment session, where students can raise questions and concerns with members.
Mendoza Gonzalez said the week will help students become more familiar with Student Council and its functions at the University, as well as how they can become involved in student self-governance.
“This is an opportunity to see how Student Council works behind the scenes [and] to meet the people in the positions that maybe you want to be a part of,” Mendoza Gonzalez said. “Public comment has been a way for students to voice their opinion, so we're hoping that we could show them that that's an option for them.”
When campaigning for the Student Council president position ahead of the Spring 2024 elections, Mendoza Gonzalez advocated for greater student engagement with the organization. Mendoza Gonzalez worked on planning Studco Week throughout the summer to help increase the Student Council’s visibility amongst the student body.
“There’s [a] long standing question that Student Council gets [from students] — ‘what does Student Council even do?’” Mendoza Gonzalez said. “The philosophy behind Student Council Week is [to show] everything we can do for you [and] the resources we provide for you.”
Student Council offers a range of resources available to students, some of which include providing funding to CIOs through its Organizations branch and free STI testing for students through its Cabinet branch.
One branch of Student Council that provides direct aid for students is the Support and Access Services, which offers services such as emergency grants from the U.Va. Mutual Aid fund and free textbooks through the Textbook Access Office.
The SAS received a major budget increase after the University administration allocated a nearly $750,000 three-year endowment to Student Council in November. The SAS branch will host a digital scavenger hunt across Grounds Sep. 4, where they will also inform attendees on available resources.
Some students agree that there has not been adequate publicity concerning Student Council’s role on Grounds. Third-year College student Meg Deasy said she is not very familiar with the function or services provided by Student Council.
“I don’t know what [resources are] attached to [Student Council] or what they are working on,” Deasy said. “It is not really advertised.”
Beyond just raising awareness among students, Mendoza Gonzalez said that StudCo Week is also designed to attract new members, as it is aligned with the general member application period running from Sept. 2 to Sept. 9.
She said she hopes that by increasing awareness of the services that Student Council offers, more students will want to become involved in the organization.
“In the past, the emphasis on recruitment has always been [to] join Student Council [and then] find out about the resources,” Mendoza Gonzalez said. “I honestly think that first we have to empower the General Body, and then have people actually want to be a part of the behind the scenes.”
Later in the week, Student Council will host Cabinet Appreciation Day Sept. 5, when Cabinet directors will gather on South Lawn to discuss their roles and distribute Student Council merch to students walking by. The Cabinet branch is responsible for implementing the president’s long-term plans and policy objectives, as well as lobbying for changes at the University. For example, the Cabinet successfully lobbied for University funding to provide free STI testing and free menstrual products in first-year dormitory bathrooms during February 2023,.
Mitchell said that Cabinet Appreciation Day will be both informative and collaborative. A tri-fold board with sticky notes will be set up during the event, allowing students to leave feedback on how the Cabinet can improve.
“The Cabinet [day] is definitely a mix of sharing what we're actively doing, plus gaining new perspectives on certain interests of students,” Mitchell said.
Lastly, Sep. 6, the Organizations Branch — which oversees the creation and budgeting for CIOs — will host a free coffee bar on the South Lawn. The event will provide information on the branch’s purpose and responsibilities.
The events will be promoted through Student Council Instagram posts and flyers across Grounds. Mendoza Gonzalez said that she wants the events to be well-publicized and convenient for students to attend.
“We hope that [StudCo week] is hard to miss and that it's accessible and low commitment for people to come to these events,” Mendoza Gonzalez said.
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