In light of lagging student involvement, Point Park’s student government is looking for better ways to connect with the student body, which may soon allow students to submit their concerns to USG via the popular social networking app, Snapchat.

At Monday’s United Student Government (USG) meeting, President Julian Singleton presented the idea and while it has not yet been voted on, if approved, students would be able to quickly snap a photo of issues anywhere on campus and send it to USG’s Snapchat account.

“It would have to be something that’s cleverly monitored and really kept track of,” Singleton said. “I just want to get people thinking about how best to connect with students or let students know how they can connect with us [in a way] that doesn’t take too much time.”

 The proposal was met with much discussion from the legislative body. USG Treasurer Thaddeus Covaleski opposed the idea because Snapchat photos disappear after, at most, 10 seconds and he would prefer to receive an image or written concern that does not go away. 

Other senators, such as Riley Benson, who is also the Graphic Designer for The Globe, feel Snapchat could also prove to be a beneficial way for USG to market events, as the organization could take photos of their event graphics or promotional features to post to USG’s “Snapchat Story,” so that all students who have added USG on Snapchat can view the image.

USG has been working all semester to gain a better interaction with students. While Snapchat is one way to make this possible, the organization focused on that same issue at the annual USG forum last Thursday in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom.

Shanah Hupp, Recording Press Secretary of USG, conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) survey at the legislative body meeting on Monday, which allowed USG to analyze all aspects of the forum.

Although there were many strengths, such as the Disney theme and the presence of Point Park’s student-run radio station, WPPJ, the legislative body highlighted a number of weaknesses.

Some of the weaknesses included issues such as advertising, which most USG members felt should have been handled further in advance, and food other than Pittsburgh Popcorn Company and pizza. The overarching weakness, though, was turnout.

“There were a lot of people there, but there definitely could’ve been a lot more,” Zack Durkin, Senior Representative of the School of Communication, said.

Several senators acknowledged a lack of student involvement University-wide, noting that most students only attend events if food and free T-shirts are available. Singleton noted that student involvement does not fall under USG’s jurisdiction, but several senators voiced their displeasure with the lack of involvement.

“I went to college to be a part of something,” Stone Swiess, Sophomore Representative of the School of Communication said after the meeting. “If nobody wants to get involved here, then what’s the point of taking out the time to plan these events? I feel strongly about it because I want it to be a cool experience for everyone else; not just for myself, but for the people around me.”

Emily Jamison, Sophomore Representative of the School of Arts and Sciences, pointed out the lack of a “Pioneer mentality” at Point Park.

Growing up near Penn State, Jamison acknowledged the school spirit drawn in by athletics at larger universities, which Point Park has yet to achieve.

 “USG is here to make University life better for students in any way that we can,” Jamison said in an interview after the meeting. “Unlike Penn State or Pitt, we don’t have as big of a sports aspect, which gets a lot of people really involved. I think [greater student involvement] would make…it more of a community-based campus.”

 Also at the USG meeting, Singleton outlined some suggestions to help USG better connect with students.

Among those suggestions is the implementation of an International Student Representative within USG because “international students have to deal with a lot of stuff that other students don’t – it’s a way to get our international students involved,” according to Singleton. 

The USG President also encouraged the Communications Committee to post more on social media, aside from just USG events or promotional events.

 “It’s not just our job to tell everyone what we’re doing, but all the great things the University is doing as well,” Singleton said.