DCGA plans to increase senatorial outreach to student body

TORRIA CATRONE, Arts & Life Editor—As the 2021 fall semester begins and schoolwork, clubs and organizations kick into gear, the Denison Campus Governance Association is working to keep up with an evolving student population. 

DCGA’s current Speaker, Maddy Murphy ‘23, discussed the group’s plans for the future and where student government is headed.

One of the first steps for DCGA this fall which Murphy outlined is changing the culture within the group itself. “We are planning to institute a more familial culture in DCGA, one where people feel more engaged, more like they have ownership over what is going on,” says Murphy. 

To achieve this, the group is hoping to implement community dinners, increase free time for work for the senators and executives within DCGA, and engage in more bonding activities to foster closer relationships among members. 

“Every member of Denison is a member of Denison campus government,” Murphy says. Making sure that each student feels represented and like an agent in their governing body is an important goal for the group this year. The biggest way in which they are working towards this is by “trying to be a better voice for student issues’’. 

DCGA is an intermediary between the student body and administration at Denison, and wants to focus on having more conversations about the real topics which concern students. 

“This year, we’re starting something called constituents”, Murphy says of one of the ways DCGA will look a bit different this year than it has in the past. Every senator’s class has been divided evenly, with each group being assigned a specific senator to represent them. Advocating for their constituents is the main duty of the class senators this year. 

Murphy also wanted to remind students to reach out to members of the executive board like herself, Daniel Seely ‘23, or Zora Whitfield ‘24, among others, if they have pressing issues or do not know who their senator is yet. 

DCGA meetings are open for everyone to attend and are held every Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. in Higley Hall. Follow DCGA on Instagram  (@denisoncampusgov) for updates.