On Monday February 15 the Student Government Association (SGA) held their seventeenth Executive Council Meeting of the year. As a special order of business, Vocational Opportunity and Career Advising (VOCA) director Kim Pool and VOCA counselor Andrew Silbert gave a presentation detailing VOCA’s emerging concept called the Focus Program. The program would be oriented to prepare students for life after Houghton, similar to the way the Transitions class prepares incoming students. Details of the possible program included a pair of classes that would focus on topics such as professional development, preparation for job interviews, and how to articulate to employers the benefits of a liberal arts degree; as well as a possible online platform for students to keep track of academic and extracurricular activities for resumé building. Also discussed was the possibility of a leadership conference that would take place as a weekend retreat.
Additionally, students may not be aware, but the SGA devotes time during each meeting to the open public forum. According to Friesen, “[The forum is] a time for anyone with a concern or question to have a voice and make SGA aware of their concern. It’s built into our meetings intentionally: SGA is here to serve and represent the student body. I’d like to see the forum be used more often: it makes the meetings dynamic and student-oriented.”
