With a new programming board, the Undergraduate Student Government has big plans for the 2008-2009 school year.

USG is now made up of 25 members, compared to the nine members that made up the Undergraduate Student Senate, allowing senators to create personal relationships with the deans of their different colleges.

“We want to have senators make deans excited about meet the dean week,” Executive Director Jonathan Bey said. “We hope to see close relationships with all the colleges.”

Meet the dean week is just one of the events that USG plans on enhancing. With the new programming board, USG hopes to appeal to all students.

“The goal is to appeal to all segments of the student population at least once,” Bey said.

Another task Bey wants to see completed before his term as executive director is over in Spring 2009 is opening a video rental store in the student center.

The plans for this project are not yet finished, but USG hopes to see this in place before the next school year.

The programming board will also be planning large events.

“USG will be hosting a concert/lecture series that will be larger than what students have seen in the past,” said Thomas Simpson, assistant director for the Center for Student Involvement.

The concerts are meant to keep students involved on campus.

“The goal is to offer students concerts that would play at Blossom or the Q for considerably less or free if possible,” Bey said.

With a larger student government and more tasks to complete, Bey believes more viewpoints can be expressed at meetings and events.

“It is a lot easier for nine people to agree than it is for 25,” Bey said. “I hope that with more people at meetings there will be more conversation and diversity.”

Contact student affairs reporter Katie Garland at [email protected].