By Paul A. Anthony, A&E Editor

The Students’ Association will begin moving toward advocacy under next year’s administration, said the recently elected executive officers.

Executive president Jeremy Smith said he would like to see SA move away from its current practice of planning parties and retreats to begin asking what the student body wants from its representatives.

“When we ask people about SA, they ask, ‘What has SA done for me?'” said Jeremy Gordon, executive vice president. “We want people to know what SA does. We want to have a big emphasis on listening to students.”

Smith said some things are already set for next year’s agenda. Among them is the addition of an amendment creating a seat for an International Students Association representative to the fall election ballot. Elections for freshman officers and residence hall and academic representatives will take place during the second week of the year, and the amendment will be on that ballot.

Also planned is the addition of a chief financial officer to help treasurer Jonathan Wilkerson as he attempts to overhaul SA’s budget setup. The position is not new; a financial adviser was used two years ago.

Likewise, the Campus Entertainment Committee has split into two parts-concerts and events. The concert portion is once again trying for a big concert next semester. Likewise the Student Rights Committee and Advocacy Committee are expected to play big roles next year, Smith said.

“A lot of it right now is sitting down and talking to people who have been elected,” Smith said. We’re going to work for the students.”

Smith said he would tell class officers to focus more on representing their constituents, as opposed to planning class projects. Gordon agreed, saying he planned to make building representatives work harder next year than in the past.

“Next year the representatives will come in and tell me what they’ve been doing,” Gordon said. “I’ll be thinking of ways for reps to be asking their whole groups what they want.”

Smith and Gordon also said they planned to put up a SA board like the Fred’s Napkin Board that was in the Bean until earlier this semester, possibly put SA suggestion boxes in the residence hall lobbies and begin getting in touch with various campus services to make sure SA can contact them should students need them.

“SA’s purpose is to plan activities and advocacy-two-fold,” Smith said, adding that recent years have seen SA move away from advocacy. “You get a lot more done if you have elected members focus on advocacy.”