As rapidly as the snowfall began to cover the sidewalks, classes for the 2016 winter semester have started. As with every new semester, Grand Valley State University’s student senate has started to make plans for these few upcoming months.

They’re starting their year off well by planning new events, meetings, projects and by discussing ways to expand their presence on campus.

As president of the student senate, Maddie Cleghorn plays a large part in organizing new projects, event plans and making sure the student body is well-informed about new things to do on campus. To do this, Cleghorn has expressed her desire to broaden the senate’s presence on campus and making sure the students understand how the senate benefits them.

“We (want to) spread awareness of what we actually do so that students know we are a resource and always willing to consider projects or issues that they bring to us,” she said. “We are, first and foremost, here to make Grand Valley the best place it can be for our 25,000 peers, and we are constantly striving to reach out so we can best represent student interest.”

In addition to getting the word out about senate, Cleghorn is also excited about projects that she will be working on this winter. A collaboration she is participating in is, although in the preliminary stages, is “democratic dialogues.”

“The idea is to create a space for students to learn and practice tools of dialogue,” she explained, “while (also) delving into critical and relevant issues that call civic action.”

The State Funding Advocacy Committee is another committee that Cleghorn sits on and hopes to see take off during this semester. The senate group includes senators from every committee and is working in hopes to “increase awareness of the issue of funding for higher (education) and the way funds are allocated in the state.”

Another person largely involved with the state funding committee is Andy Oeffner, vice president of external relations committee. He has had help from his senators in setting up a meeting with Rep. Robert VerHeulen who sits on the appropriations subcommittee on higher education.

While also being involved in subcommittees, the senators on the external relations committee have two big projects: working on getting sidewalks on Pierce Street and increasing voter registration. Oeffner notes that while these projects aren’t the easiest, he believes they will move in a positive direction this semester.

The campus affairs committee is also working on a plethora of ideas. One idea Vice President Sean O’Melia is working on is a project made for resident assistants.

“I think it’s important for resident assistants to get better as they go, as it is a learning experience,” he said. “I would like to see something like that developed and I’m currently just getting a template of what it could look like then taking it to housing in the near future.”

Meanwhile, O’Melia has his senators working on a wide variety of different projects and events. They are working on a mental health awareness week, expanding the ATM options for students on campus, making a 24-hour facility for students to go at any time and possibly finding more space for non-dance majors to use dance studios, to name a few.

The biggest event O’Melia stressed was the idea of an open discussion for students on campus.

“(An) event that the campus affairs has been looking at is doing an open discussion on ongoing issues on campus that we might not be aware of,” he said. “This would be a great way for student senate to work on problems that are urgent and constantly affecting students.”

Each committee vice president will get to report to their senators and the rest of the senate when they meet on January 14 at 4:30 p.m. to reconvene after the winter break.