Vice-President's Message

It is with great pleasure that I begin my position as Vice President of the Student Association for the 2012-2013 term. Words cannot express the gratitude and excitement I have for the work ahead as the academic year rapidly approaches. With my final year at NIU right around the corner, I am optimistic that my time with the Student Association will be of great benefit to the impressive student organizations on campus, student leaders, and our diverse student body.

My focus this year is centered around communication. I would like to maintain more efficient communication between myself and the 200+ SA recognized student organizations on campus, as well as communication between the SA and the campus as a whole. In order to address this issue, I am in the process of partnering with the Student Involvement and Leadership Development (SILD) offices to provide workshops to all student organizations in which expectations from the SA are outlined and addressed in a handbook we have created to encompass current university, SA, and SILD regulations.

Additionally, it is my goal to organize a SA Week to be held in March. The week will consist of events and programming organized by SA Directors, a day dedicated towards a campus wide community service initiative, and promotional efforts to publicize Student Association Executive Board Elections.

My first project since taking office has been working on reorganizing our filing system to ensure all of our student organizations have their proper forms updated and readily available. By updating our method of searching for student organizations, I believe that in the future, the SA will be better prepared and knowledgeable when it comes to assisting students. Throughout the academic year, it is the SA Executive Board's goal to shift from paper to electronic forms. This paperless system will save the SA from using countless copies and updated forms and add to the idea of organization and easy online access.

Currently, I am planning this year's Organizational Expo which is an annual event that provides the 200+ SA recognized Student Organizations and Departments the opportunity to promote themselves to Northern Illinois University's student population. First year, transfer, non-traditional, and student leaders alike are awarded the chance to interact with each other as well as introduce their organizations at a campus wide event. The focus of the Org Expo remains entirely on the student body and serves as a way to promote involvement on campus.

I am so excited for the year ahead of us and the improvements that will brought upon the student body here at NIU. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Gina Gregolunas
ggregolunas1@niu.edu
Vice-President, NIU Student Association