While hundreds of Ohio State students soak up the sun on the Oval, Micah Kamrass and Brad Pyle are doing the same.
But instead of taking a snooze, they’re fulfilling the one Undergraduate Student Government presidential and vice presidential duty that means the most to them — listening to students’ opinions.
They can be found once a week sitting behind a booth with USG promotional items, such as T-shirts and pamphlets, to give to students who take advantage of their “office hours.”
Kamrass and Pyle were inaugurated May 5 and held their first office hours May 11. They spent two hours on the Oval and were able to speak with about 40 students, said Kamrass, a third-year in political science.
“Since the weather was less than ideal, we expect this number to rise in the coming weeks,” he said.
The Oval office hours will vary week-to-week “so we can reach out to as many students as possible,” said Pyle, a third-year in business.
They will market their hours on a new USG website that will be available in the summer or fall. They will also announce the date and times of their Oval visits in the Student Organization Insider and on Buckeye Net News.
At their first office hours, many students spoke to them to find out what USG is all about.
“Far too many students are unaware of who we are and what we do, and one of my primary goals is to fix this,” Kamrass said.
Students also voiced opinions on the semester transition process and the possible requirement to live on campus two years. Some students expressed their feelings about the university’s construction projects and the many trees being cut down.
“We love to hear from any student who has questions about issues at the university or suggestions of how USG can help solve these issues,” Pyle said.
Kamrass and Pyle said they also want students to share their OSU experiences and perspectives so the pair can help represent as many students as possible.
Whether it’s venting frustrations or voicing excitement, the USG leaders said they want to make sure they are being responsive to students’ needs.
“I thought it was weird at first for them to be in the Oval, but it makes sense, and they’re easy to find,” said Katie Heffernan, a second-year in geography. “I have questions I’d like to ask and I would never ask them if they were in an actual office.”
This is the main reason Kamrass and Pyle wanted to be more creative with their student interaction.
“We should not expect that students will bring their issues to us,” Pyle said. “Instead, we must seek out students.”
Although some students think their Oval visits are a good idea, others wonder about the weather conditions.
Kamrass assures students they will be on the Oval every week, and they will plan their office hours around the weather. They will continue next year and plan to deal with Winter Quarter office hours when the time comes.
Kamrass and Pyle have spent the past two weeks putting together their USG cabinet team.
“A big goal of ours was to expand the representation of students we have in our cabinet, for the same reasons we tried to create new ways to listen to students,” Kamrass said. “We want as many perspectives as possible.”
USG received 102 cabinet member applicants — twice as many as last year. After an interview process, 11 directors and about 70 associate directors were chosen.
During Autumn Quarter, Kamrass and Pyle will do a recruitment push for all undergraduate students interested in USG, not just freshmen.
“Brad and I firmly believe there’s a place for everyone in USG, for any student who wants one,” Kamrass said.
They have also been meeting with administrators from different organizations and departments to develop relationships and give student input on the projects, such as the semester transition.
On Friday, the OSU Board of Trustees approved the Student Legal Services Clinic, a USG initiative the organization has been pushing for two years. Although Kamrass and Pyle did not propose this clinic, they will be working throughout the year to get the service ready for students. The clinic will be available in autumn 2011.
Kamrass and Pyle will hold this week’s office hours from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday.
