The Student Government Association (SGA) at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is holding true to one of their campaign promises this spring semester. SGA plans to open a new addition to the Career Closet specifically for rain gear like umbrellas, rain boots and raincoats. The intention is that this new addition will work exactly like the rest of the closet, where students will be able to take a certain amount of items per semester.
Additionally, SGA’s partnership with Career Services is going to allow SGA to use some of the space in the closet for their idea. The National Guard has also decided to partake in this new innovation by offering to buy umbrellas to donate to SGA so they can start off the rain gear section of the Career Closet.
Emma Merchant, a freshman majoring in nursing, commented, “I feel like SGA is pretty involved in more than us students realize but I do feel like adding rain gear would be really awesome to do. I know many students utilize the career closet as it is but I think that would be a great addition.”
The reasoning behind having this new aspect of the Closet stemmed from the unfortunate reality of having random rainy days on campus. Many students either forget to bring rain gear with them or simply don’t have any to begin with. Having rain gear at the Career Closet for students to use during these misfortunes would really help prevent a college student from going to class drenched in rain water.
Layla Campbell, a freshman majoring in engineering stated, “Even though I don’t know much about SGA, I think that adding the rain gear to the Career Closet is a really good idea.”
On another note, the location of the Career Closet also aids in the idea as well. Many college students at UL Lafayette ride the buses for transportation. Since the Career Closet is near a frequent bus stop, students will be able to quickly retrieve the rain gear they need upon getting off the bus.
UL Lafayette’s SGA team is notorious for helping the students on and off campus. They make it their mission to make sure that all student’s needs are met and that their voice is heard. They stand prepared to listen to and handle any situation that is brought their way, and they actively look for solutions to or ways to fix them.
Miami Johnson, a sophomore majoring in English, mentioned, “With how often I get caught in the rain on campus, having rain gear that I can grab in a pinch would be a lifesaver. It would definitely turn an annoying day into a better one. I appreciate SGA working to do things that matter to us on campus, as opposed to stuff that most students may never see.”
SGA works similarly to an actual government; they have their three branches, which includes the executive, legislative and judicial branches, with corresponding leaders and senators for each branch. The current president of SGA, who works within the executive branch, is Cade Roy, a graduating senior majoring in political science. Roy is a leading force with the new rain gear addition to the Career Closet and is actively working within SGA to make the idea a reality.
SGA as a whole contributes to the campus in more ways than one, however. Their mission is to support unity, teamwork, diversification, acknowledgement of excellence, mutual respect and a dedication to the positive development of each and every individual. Their goal is to meet the news of current Ragin’ Cajuns and lay the groundwork for those to come.
Makayla Dugas, a senior majoring in finance commented, “Honestly I don’t pay much attention to SGA since I’m not really involved in any organizations other than Chi Alpha, but I think having the rain gear at the Career Closet is a really good idea.”
SGA has student elections, so students have the ability to vote who they want apart from SGA. So, once again, SGA ensures that all the power is from the students. SGA noticed an issue with students not having what they need on rainy days, and is providing a solution to help fix that issue. Soon, all students will be able to reap the benefits of the new addition to the Career Closet in the semesters to come.