Introducing The DCGA Fireside Blog

Fellow Denison Students,

Quality communication is essential to the success of any organization, and the Denison Campus Governance Association is no different. While great strides were taken during the 2009 Senate term, there are still fundamental problems of communication that will need to be tackled in 2010. Efforts such as the DCGA Updates listserv have met some success, but still many students are aware of neither their role in the student government nor the projects and policies their representatives are implementing.

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first in a series of radio talks that helped hold the United States together throughout the Great Depression and World War II. These talks were known as the "Fireside Chats." Initially, my idea was to create a similar radio program to update the campus weekly; however, since radio does not draw the same audience as it did over half a century ago, it is decidedly prudent to use a medium more convenient for exceptionally busy Denison students. It is from this that I derived the idea for this blog.

The DCGA Fireside Blog is easily accessible and can be easily incorporated into the DCGA website, and it could be constructed so that any DCGA Representative can publish updates. It also allows for comments, which provides a simple feedback mechanism. It is also accessible by student media sources, and could improve the quality of DCGA coverage. Essentially, it provides a vehicle of communication that can directly connect students to their representatives.

It is my hope that this blog will play a strong role in better incorporating the student body at large into their governing body. Better incorporation of the student body into student governance is not only a gain for the student body at large, but it empowers student representatives also. A student Senate that can speak for the student body holds real power. After all, the students are still the primary source of funding for the university; let's make the administration work for us.

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011