In response to common concerns students raised during the UGBC election season, the UGBC Senate is exploring ways to improve transparency with the student body, according to student senator Makayla Boxell, MCAS ’28.
“One thing I heard a lot was, ‘Oh, you guys don’t do anything,’” Boxell said. “That’s just not true. There’s a lot happening, but I think we can get better at getting out what exactly we’re doing.”
During last Wednesday’s debate, presidential candidate Jack Adams, MCAS ’26, brought up the fact that the UGBC website had not been updated in over a year. Senators addressed this comment in today’s meeting, specifically the fact that there is only one administrator who can update the website.
“Maybe part of the issue of the website is that the person who does it is so far removed from us,” said Mariame Diop, student senator and MCAS ’27. “Would we have permission to make a Senate website?”
In response to Diop’s comment, Cami Kulbieda, UGBC president-elect, academic affairs chair, and LSEHD ’26, suggested that the Senate create its own Instagram account.
“I would highly encourage that we consider an Instagram over a website only because then our [communications] team is very familiar with using Instagram, and we don’t have to learn the logistics of a new website page,” Kulbieda said. “We can make it something that students are actually going to see on their feed, and it’s probably going to get more traction.”
During election season, Aidan Krush, student senator and CSOM ’27, said many students asked him whether UGBC has asked Boston College Dining about switching to a declining-balance meal plan system—a student senators have discussed repeatedly.
“We’ve asked about that as a Senate, but no one knows that we have,” Krush said. “So, if there would be a way to somehow inform people, include in the newsletter, or have a section on our Instagram of frequently asked questions that the Senate has asked for you, I think that would be really helpful.”
Andrew Mimmo, student senator and MCAS ’25, said that a major theme he noticed during the election season was that students feel they are not being heard and represented by UGBC.
“I think the big theme with this is just more outreach to the student body and just asking, ‘What do you want to see out of us?’” Mimmo said. “I think it can’t hurt to do more outreach, and I think that’ll help those concerns of what I noticed during the election season.”
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