As the summer holidays come to a close and students arrive on campus for New Student Orientation, Penn Student Government is preparing to usher in a new school year and attract new members.
Much of the NSO recruitment process is the same as before, but PSG has made some changes to make recruitment more accessible and transparent this year.
As in previous years, PSG will set up booths at the activities fair and send representatives from all branches to hand out identical pamphlets, to ensure PSG builds a united image of its many different branches, said Carly Ragozzino, a College junior and the Nominations and Elections Committee's vice president of education.
Ragozzino added that interested students will be able to attend an information session where executives from each of the six branches of student government explain the responsibilities of each of the governing bodies and answer any questions.
But this year’s NSO is also proving to be a time for the student government to re-evaluate their recruitment process. Last semester, after meeting with many members of the undergraduate body, the Undergraduate Assembly and the Student Activities Council found that various student clubs were holding grueling recruiting processes that left potential members feeling discouraged.
Welcome back to school! Read our other stories on NSO including an introductory guide to Penn alumni in Trump's White House and a word of advice from international upperclassmen to incoming international students.
College junior Michael Krone, who is the communications director of the UA and an executive board member of the SAC, said students had said during the recruitment process that they felt they were rejected without an explanation.
In response, Krone said that senior members from both the UA and SAC had informed all campus clubs of new recruitment guidelines that were meant to increase transparency and due process for applicants. He added that both groups are partnering with the Office of Student Affairs to identify clubs that breach these guidelines in the coming months.
PSG is also changing its annual late-night held in Houston Hall. After realizing that many students were unable to attend the event due to prior conflicts such as parties and dinners, the organization decided to rebrand the event as a carnival held in the daytime, Ragozzino said.
“We want to make the recruitment process more open and fun for the Penn community this year,” she said. “By moving the Late-night earlier in the day, student do not have to choose between us and other activities they have planned.”
The PSG’s official NSO programming concludes with its annual ice cream social, which it hosts together with Penn’s Counseling and Psychological Services, Active Minds and Penn Wellness on College Green. Students can enjoy ice cream while meeting counselors and students to learn about maintaining mental health at Penn.
The UA wanted to partner with various mental health resource groups on campus for this event in order to prepare freshmen for the various hardships associated with life at Penn, Jordan Andrews, the UA communications director and College junior said.
Krone said PSG hopes for incoming students to feel welcome and accepted on campus.
“We want all students, especially incoming freshman, to feel like a part of our Penn community. It’s hard enough to get here as it is," she said.
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