In an effort to better connect and communicate with students, Student Government launched a new town hall system Tuesday. Members of the student senate gathered on the Russell House Patio to talk to their constituents and collect data on what they want to see from their representatives.
For third-year political science student Kevin Boyd, a student senator who chairs the Student Services Committee, participating in the new initiative is a way to get better at his job.
"In order to have the ability to govern," he said, "we need to know what the people of USC want."
Although the townhall system is new, Boyd has relied on student input throughout his time in Student Government in order to get a feel for what the students he represents want.
"There are some projects that I'm working on that I never would have thought of unless I heard people at USC just complaining about it ... It really makes a real difference," he said.
Fourth-year history and political science student Jereme Hines, a fellow student senator, shared a similar philosophy.
"One thing I've learned throughout my first year in Student Government is that you can't really do this alone ... The only way to really know what [students] need and want is literally to go talk to them," he said.
He described the town hall as a chance for Student Government to examine "how far we've come from this semester, what we can do next semester to make things better for students and what we can do ... over the next few years."
Hines also believes that events like Tuesday's town hall provide students a chance to hold their representatives accountable. As part of the event, students could fill out a survey to share their views on recent initiatives and possible future plans.
"Student Government essentially does work for the people," he said. "In order to get to know those people, you have to be out here and about and talking to them."
Fourth-year exercise science student Loi Le was one of those students who came out to make his voice heard. Le learned about the event from Hines when the two met at another event. He jumped at the chance to share his views on the topics that are important to him.
"I think it's a good way for us to reach out to people and make an impact on the school individually," he said.
Both Hines and Boyd are optimistic that Tuesday's inaugural event will lead to more town halls and better communication between students and their representatives. And in an era where trust in government is at historic lows, Boyd hopes the initiative will also enforce an important lesson about getting involved in civic affairs.
"It helps us learn how to participate in our own democratic institutions," he said.