The Nevada Sagebrush

➤ To contact Jonathan Moore about joining the task force, send an e-mail to senatormoore@asun.unr.edu

Student government leaders have organized a task force to gain insight into student concerns on campus.

The Task Force on Student Engagement is part of a developing effort to reform the Associated Students of the University of Nevada to better connect with constituents, said Brandon Bishop, ASUN’s speaker of the senate.

Reynolds School of Journalism Senator Jonathan Moore chairs the group, which connects senators with constituents to hear their concerns.

Moore said the group serves to address a lack of student input in student government.

“ASUN has been severely disconnected from the student populace,” Moore said.

Moore contacted students via Facebook to ask for participation in the task force and gathered eight students and five senators.

Approaching students first rather than waiting for them is important to extending  ASUN’s reach because it involves those who aren’t already active, said ASUN President Charlie Jose.

Commuter students and older students usually have ideas about what they want their government to do but don’t articulate them, he said.

Darryl Deraedt, a 21-year-old psychology major and task force member, said the group is his first formal experience with ASUN.

“There have been a lot of things going on in ASUN that I find out just because I’m friends with senators that you wouldn’t know if you were just any other student on campus,” Deraedt said.

Bishop is exploring the idea of caucuses — town hall-style meetings with the constituents of several colleges at once — as another way of improving communication.

The executive branch of ASUN will launch a series of town hall meetings twice a month to target specific groups of students such as on-campus, transfer and older students, Jose said.

The task force consists of subgroups concerned with student government engagement, student resources and student employment.

One idea from the employment group is to hire students for event security rather than outside companies, said Deraedt, a member of the student employment group.

Moore hopes to use the group’s ideas to develop senate legislation after the task force has concluded. The group is scheduled to run until Feb. 28, but Moore said he will ask for an extension if needed.

Ben Miller can be reached at bmiller@nevadasagebrush.com.

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