My Fellow Students,

In many ways, it is surreal to think that this is our last week of classes. The weeks go by so quickly, and just like that another year has flown by. I’m sure this year was a monumental one for each and every one of you. For some, you have successfully completed your first year of college. For others, your time here is wrapping up, and in a week and a half you will be walking across the stage as a college graduate. You may even fall in between these two classifications going through the middle of your college experience. One thing is for sure, it has been an eventful year.

The USGA has seen many changes this year and we successfully added a new Vice President position and debated many hot topics as they arose. Every accomplishment proved to be a learning experience for all.

As always, Spring Weekend was a fun and exciting time with all events providing entertainment at its best.

I truly am going to miss corresponding with you all through the Charger Bulletin as my term as president is waning. It has been a pleasure serving you, but I know you are in good hands for next year. Keep working hard and make it through finals. Seniors, make every last minute count, and in a few days our college experience will culminate with a huge life milestone.

See you all very soon, and make the most of your summer.

Patrick Kelland

USGA President

My Fellow Students,

As each week passes, we edge closer to the end of the year. The beautiful weather continues to provide a somewhat needed distraction to the classroom. With that though, be sure to stay on top of your work. It is imperative we all finish the semester off strong.

The end of this week brings one of University of New Haven’s biggest spring traditions—Spring Weekend. Filled with fun for everyone, the carnival, concert and comedian have served as a great way for students to make lasting memories on campus.

Enjoy the coming excitement before finals!

Patrick Kelland

USGA President

My fellow students,

April has nearly passed. Finals will soon be upon us, and sounds of summer are in the air. Keep working hard so you can enjoy the nice weather we continue to have.

Last week was USGA’s annual Last Man Standing competition. Thanks to all that took part in the event and congratulations to Paul Taylor, Lou Maiocco and Joseph Duthie on placing in the top three.

This weekend, UNH also hosted its 30th Annual Alumni Scholarship Ball. The USGA was represented by a small delegation of students. Those of us who went had the unique opportunity of seeing how our alumni directly give back to the university through monetary contributions. Their example is one we all should strive for as we look back on our years at the University of New Haven.

Enjoy the next few weeks!

Patrick Kelland

My Fellow Students,

The spring weather has continued to treat us well. Hopefully you have been able to enjoy it over the past few days. Last week many of you observed our Greek Life Organizations taking part in their Greek Week, a week filled with fun and entertaining competitions.

This past Thursday was the annual Roast of the USGA President. If you attended, you were likely enlightened with some of the hilarity that had occurred in my life over the past four years.

Our campus also hosted our annual international festival over the weekend. Our diverse and unique population of international students was able to educate attendees on the nuances of their cultures.

Keep an eye out this week at night for the competitors in USGA’s annual spring competition Last Man Standing.

Enjoy your week!

Patrick Kelland

USGA President

My fellow students,

Spring is here. As April has finally come upon us, the weather has come with it. With that said, the end of the semester is approaching fast and for all, it will be bittersweet.

For all of the graduating seniors this month, this marks your last full month at UNH. For others, whether you are finishing your first year or are somewhere in between, the year is coming to a close. However, you still have much more time to make memories.

Try not to let the warmer weather distract you as it is crucial to stay focused for the remainder of the semester and through finals. With all of your work and other priorities, make sure you are enjoying yourself as well.

Spring athletic events are always exciting and sometimes needed distractions from the hard work we all do. Be sure to support our varsity and club teams as they showcase their talent as they compete against worthy adversaries.

Keep up the good work,

Patrick Kelland

Whether you are a member of Sigma Chi, Phi Sigma Sigma, or have no affiliation with Greek life, it is clear that though our school’s Greek life may not be as outspoken as other schools’, the Greeks are still a core group of dedicated individuals. With Greeks being highly dedicated individuals, it may not come as a surprise that so many of the USGA Senators are also Greek (more than 50 percent). With only 6.8 percent of the student population being members of Greek-lettered organizations, this dichotomy may appear surprising.

There are many faces to this difference in the percentage of student body Greeks and USGA Senator Greeks. Sophomore Mitchell Davis, member of Kappa Gamma Rho, said this is because “many members of Greek life are very ambitious and aim to better the school and themselves by joining the governing student body.”

Junior Arnold Lane said that the Greeks’ involvement “isn’t really anything new,” and that it is something that has always been around.

With so many Greeks being involved in USGA when it makes up such a small percentage of the student body, some may worry that this small group of students have such a huge presence in student government.

Sophomore Ashley Winward said that she “could definitely see that being a conflict of interest. Greek life may not have Greek housing but they still have a huge presence on campus. I would hope that UNH wouldn’t turn into a scene of Revenge of the Nerds or anything.”

On the other side of the coin, freshman Marcos Jimenez, USGA Senator, said, “Of course it affects the workings, but I believe in a positive way. These students want to do something that’s bigger than themselves, that’s why they’re part of Greek life. They are all part of something that is bigger than them, that if they put the effort in they will all get a great reward. In the case of USGA, the reward is giving back to the University that gave them the opportunity of higher education.”

At the end of the day, it is not necessarily a fair decision to make, whether the surplus of Greeks in USGA is a problem. They ran, students voted, and now they have the power. Is there a chance that their decisions may be biased? It is perfectly reasonable to make that statement. But Marcos Jimenez puts it best, saying that the Greeks are “leaders, they love being involved, they enjoy giving back, and they all want to be a functioning cog in some great machinery.”

My fellow students,

This week we have kicked off an exciting month of the school year—April. As I’ve written in the past, the spring is always eventful. April surely holds this true as so much happens every day.

Last week, as you know, the USGA Elections occurred. I wanted to thank all of those who ran and played a role in the process. In addition, congratulations to all of the elected Senators and a special shout out to the next USGA President Zani Imetovski and new USGA Treasurer Isaak Kifle.

With only a handful of weeks left, enjoy the time left in this semester. Be on the lookout for events held by many of our organizations and try something new!

Patrick Kelland

USGA President

My fellow students,

Welcome back from spring break! Whether you enjoyed the beaches of the south, the lands of another country, the snow of the north, or serving others, it must feel great to be back for the last leg of the semester. The snow has almost fully receded, another sign that spring and the exciting things that come with it are almost here!

USGA Elections are wrapping up this week and ballots will close Thursday at 12 p.m. Get your vote in and be sure to read about the candidates in this issue of the Charger Bulletin.

Last Man Standing is coming up, and if you’re interested in learning what it takes to be the Last Man (or Woman) Standing keep your eyes peeled on the USGA Facebook Page!

As always work hard and have fun.

Stay classy New Haven,

Patrick Kelland

USGA President

 This week, the Charger Bulletin Staff asked Presidential and Treasurer candidates to answer a question regarding their perceived goals. We graciously thank all of the USGA candidates for their willingness to demonstrate their dedication to the UNH student body. Please do not forget to vote!

Question: “As President, how would you seek to improve communications between the USGA and the general student body?”

Zani Imetovski

As USGA President I will improve communication between the student government and the students we represent by first always making myself available to the student body. This will be done by going table to table in Bartels and asking directly from the students what issues they feel need to be addressed. For a large part of the student population they don’t even know what Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) actually is or does, so I believe I must also not only improve communication but also create channels of communication between the USGA and those students, therefor making the USGA transparent and available to everyone. Advertisements and social media will help us in getting the word out about the USGA, but it also needs to be personal interactions between the USGA President and the students we represent. In the end USGA needs to listen to the issues brought forth by the students and then voice those concerns to the administration. The USGA president must also provide ideas and be proactive in solving those issues.

Ryan “RJay” Irons

If I was President of Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA), I would seek to improve communications between USGA and the general student body by using all popular social media that the students use. Popular sites and resources like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Charger Bulletin, WNHU, Campus TV services in each building, and more are the go to places for students. By having a USGA account that students could follow or information at places readily accessible, would allow for the students to see what’s going on with the University and with USGA as a whole. A lot of times, students do not want their inboxes flocked with emails and by using these social media sites, it will allow for quicker access to the information students are seeking. By posting important topics that will be discussed at the upcoming USGA meetings, would enable the general student body members who normally do not attend meetings to attend and voice their opinion which I believe would be a change from previous semesters. As a small campus, our students are able to have their voice heard and are more of a name than just a face in the crowd and if elected, I challenge myself to seek out to meet as many of you as I can so that I can properly represent you as your elected student body official.

Arnold Lane

Communication is key in any organization. My hope for the USGA would be to get student involvement promoted in the classroom. The dynamics of social media and email messages are overwhelming, so much that people bypass important events, workshops, dates, etc. If we as a University start talking about the student government, leadership development, and getting involved in classrooms throughout the different colleges, it would be the best way to get the word out and communicate what’s happening in the USGA. Students use Facebook and Twitter to complain about campus issues, but if University professors provide them with the necessary outlets of where to go and who specifically to speak to it would serve our organization to the fullest. Campus involvement has to come from everyone, keeping the University staff and faculty in the loop is probably the best way to improve communication with the student body.

Question: “What is the biggest challenge facing USGA in the next academic year and how would you work to solve it?”

Isaak Kifle

The biggest challenge that USGA will face in the next academic year will be to keep up with the rapid growth of the university and, consequently, the rapid growth of RSOs on campus. Within the past year, three more seats have been added to the senate, the budget committee chair position was established and most recently, there have been discussions about adding an additional position to the executive board. All of these things have happened because a larger number of RSOs are utilizing the services that USGA provides and, while this is great news for the organization, steps must be taken to ensure that every organization will continue to be adequately served.

If elected USGA Treasurer, I will work on improving the channels of communication between RSO treasurers so that newer and less experienced treasurers will have access to the knowledge base and resources of more experienced treasurers for both mentorship and collaboration purposes. While I plan to myself available as much as possible, I believe that this will go a long way towards ensuring that newer treasurers have swift access to answers and advice in the event that I am not available. Additionally, this will make it easier for newer and smaller RSOs to co-sponsor events with older and larger RSOs and in the process make the campus community more aware of the presence, purpose and opportunities provided by these newer and smaller RSOs.

Enrique Cruz

I believe that having new student leaders that are not familiar with USGA will be the toughest challenge next year. To address the issue from a treasurer point, I will have mandatory treasurer training sessions in the beginning of the academic school year that will outline the basics of being a treasurer. For example the Do’s and Don’ts of filling out forms. This will help Recognized Student Organization’s become more familiar with USGA.