Dear Class of 2022,
Welcome to Fairfield University’s June Orientation and your soon to be home away from home.
We’re Danielle Rice and Matt Marshall, the 71st Fairfield University Student Association President and Vice President! Looking back on our own orientation four years ago, it was both an exciting and extremely scary time. It finally hit and felt real: we’re becoming college students. Both of us very distinctly remember the New Student Leaders cheering us on as our cars drove down Loyola Drive heading towards the Quad and our stomachs continued to flip upside down with a nervous excitement for the start of our college experience. Looking back, those two days seemed to both drag on for what felt like both as long as two years and as went by in as quick as a blink of an eye.
Now four years later in our roles as FUSA President and Vice President, we are tasked with
representing the entire undergraduate student body through advocating for student issues;
promoting diverse array of social, educational and cultural programs and initiatives; to be a
valuable partner in the administrative processes of the school; to aid development of student
clubs and organizations; and to govern ourselves in a manner that is both respectful of
individual rights and consistent with the needs of the University and the larger community. While
this seems like a mouth full, it ultimately means that the two of us represent an organization that
is accessible and transparent to all students, including all of you!
Similar to our own United States government, we have three branches in FUSA: executive,
legislative and judicial. Our executive branch, led by the two of us, is the largest branch and
includes the most boards. Within the executive branch is the following boards:
Programming Board: Programming is tasked with planning events on campus, the Fall
Concert, President’s Ball, Broadway shows, major league sporting events and late night events.
Marketing and Public Relations Board: Marketing and PR are responsible for advertising all
programming events, senate initiatives and the overall PR efforts of FUSA.
Treasury Board: The Treasury plans a large organization budget that helps to run a wide range
of student body events on campus and maintains budgetary and spending goals for students in
FUSA.
Diversity and Inclusion Board: The Diversity and Inclusion Board develops and supports
innovative programs and policies relevant to the student community as it relates campus
diversity and inclusion and address the needs of underrepresented/marginalized students or
historically oppressed groups.
Council of Student Organizations (COSO): COSO helps approves or denies organizations
seeking approval and accreditation from the University and Student Body. COSO works closely
with clubs and organizations to help them with club development, finance, marketing,
programming and community development.
The Second Branch of FUSA is the Legislative Branch. The FUSA legislative branch is made
up of the senate, which consists of five elected senators from each active undergraduate class
year.
Senate: The senate is responsible for soliciting and deliberating upon student issues, using the
legislative process as a means to advance or resolve such issues, and to serve and protect the
interests of the student body.
Finally, the third branch of FUSA is the Judicial Branch. The FUSA judicial branch consists of
the FUSA court, which consists of five appointed justices, with one serving as the Chief
Justice.
The FUSA Court determines the constitutionality of laws and executive actions,
has the authority to review cases regarding impeachment, and serves as the Election
Committee for all FUSA elections.
While there are so many different boards and branches within this organization that may seem
overwhelming, each of these boards/branches has an opportunity for you to get involved right
away including being a senator, programmer, or Court Justice! Check your email soon and look
for an opportunity to learn more about joining FUSA!
Sincerely,
Danielle Rice and Matt Marshall
FUSA President and Vice President
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