In previous town hall meetings, students have brought up concerns about a need for increased awareness of mental health and physical wellness resources on campus, as well as respecting and elevating the diversity of FAU’s student body. 

On Oct. 21, Student Government hosted a town hall where updates on solutions meant to address those student concerns from previous meetings were addressed. 

“In the beginning of each town hall, a report on the feedback and action taken on the feedback will be addressed to ensure full transparency and accountability to the Boca Raton House of Representatives and advocating for the wants and needs of the student body,” said Nicole Abreu, the secretary of the House of Representatives.

The purpose of a town hall is to allow student leaders from different organizations an opportunity to give updates on programs and services that students have access to after concerns were brought up in past meetings. 

During these meetings, feedback is given from the student body, which allows the representatives to make improvements in going forward.

President’s Administrative Cabinet 

“I’m finally in a position where I can unleash some real change among the student body,” said the chief financial officer of the student body, Pierce Kennamer. 

He utilized his panel time to introduce a project titled “SG’s Efforts Against Sexual Assault: Committing to a Safer Student Experience.”

The main goal of the project is to be a rideshare safety program and raise awareness of the dangers that may come from using ride-sharing apps. 

In conjunction with the university’s Lyft program, which offers discounted rides to students, Kennamer explains the initiative to create rideshare zones both on campus and around the community. 

There is also an emphasis on safety tips to adhere to when using ride-sharing apps, including asking the driver for your name, matching the license plate digits of the vehicle to what’s shown on the app, and letting others know where you are and where you are going.

“If you’re looking to get involved with this [initiative] please let me know, there are a lot of moving parts and it’s probably the biggest package of anti-sexual assault initiatives that we’ve ever proposed,” said Kennamer.   

The Student Government preparation discount program is meant to aid students looking to continue onto higher education and can be accessed on Owl Central. 

Students looking to apply to the program must be registered for 6 credit hours or more, achieve consistent high-level academic on the 4.0 scale, and provide a letter of recommendation by an employer, instructor, or advisor. 

The program will help students prepare for the GMAT, GRE, GK, MCAT, LSAT.

Owls Care 

“I would just like to highlight the health and wellness section in the myFAU app,” said graduate program facilitator for Owls Care, Peyton Henry. “It has all things health and wellness that FAU has to offer to our students.”   

Henry addressed students looking for resources in regards to their mental and physical health. 

Henry explained that students can obtain free menstrual products, sexual health products, and stress coping tools at the Owls Care office located in suite 158A of the Schmidt Family Complex, next to the stadium and parking garage.

Owls Care also offers free HIV testing to students on select dates within the semester. The remaining testing days for the fall semester are Nov. 2 and Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Multicultural Programming 

Director of Multicultural Programming, Mariana Vallejo, presented upcoming events designed to provide the student body with free on-campus entertainment, all of which tickets can be reserved through Owl Central. 

Vallejo highlighted the upcoming spooky movie night, featuring “The Forever Purge” taking place on Oct. 29 in the Live Oak Room B. Another event advertised is the upcoming karaoke night which is taking place on Nov. 11, the location has not yet been determined. 

Vallejo also utilized her time to expand upon the creation of a new committee through Multicultural Programming. 

She said the committee will seek to discuss occurrences on campus and ways to address or find solutions to problems in regards to diversity. 

“I want people from every organization or even individuals that are interested in focusing on diversity,” said Vallejo. 

PEP Talk 

Psychoeducational Programming Talk, also known as PEP Talk, is a group tasked with offering student support education, resources, and destigmatization of mental health aid for students. 

“A lot of our events lately have been collaborative because we are trying to work with other organizations to address mental health concerns… it’s important for everyone,” said Director of PEP Talk, Alyson Winderbaum.

Winderbaum focused on providing information for students specifically looking for mental health resources, utilizing events to work with student organizations and raise awareness.   

PEP Talk will be collaborating with the school of social work for the upcoming National Alliance on Mental Illness Walk, taking place on Nov. 6, to advocate for those struggling with their mental health. 

Talk Saves Lives, a suicide prevention discussion is taking place on Nov. 17 is another event being hosted by PEP to advocate for those struggling with mental illness. 

Students can sign up to attend these events through the organization’s Instagram @faupep. 

Owl Perks 

The Owl Perks Advisory Committee has been conducting outreach with local restaurants and stores to create new marketing plans, such as front window stickers to indicate the business is a part of the program.

 The committee is also working to redesign the myFAU Owl Perks map and is looking for students to help with seeking out new business partners that may willing to join the program. 

Student Government created Owl Perks to further integrate FAU within the community and enhance the local economy by informing students and faculty of specific places they can visit and receive a discount by presenting their Owl Card. 

“In the last three weeks we’ve partnered with 10 new businesses, so we’re continuously seeking new partners, we’ve so far had over 100 partners,” said Owl Perks outreach coordinator, Ivana Andjelkovic.

Supporting business partners offer discounts to students and faculty such as Pure Barre Boca Raton, Boca’s Best Pizza Bar, and the UPS store.

She explained that the university is looking to create a separate app specifically for Owl Perks businesses to be shown on a map. 

“If you have any friends or if you know any businesses owners that would like to become partners let us know,” said Andjelkovic. 

SG will be continually hosting town hall meetings that allow students to voice their opinions and questions about upcoming and current initiatives. 

Kayla Ortiz is a Political Reporter for the University Press. For information regarding this story, email her at [email protected] or DM her @kayla.ortiz1 on Instagram.