Last week the Undergraduate Student Government Association sent four students to College Station, Texas for the Conference on Student Government Associations (COSGA). Wilfred Burrows III, Heather Brown, Kat Onorato and Chris Rinck were chosen to represent the University of New Haven at the conference at Texas A&M University.

While at the conference the delegates learned valuable methods that can be used here with our own USGA to help it grow and better serve you as students. The conference was also a great way to network with other colleges and universities so that we can remain in touch and continue to learn from one another.

The delegates attended workshops on working with administration, getting involved on campus every day, new ways to keep the students feeling safe, recruitment and campus beautification. These workshops were put on by other colleges/universities from across the country. There were also roundtable discussion sessions during which delegates could share personal anecdotes and different techniques that worked or ones that didn’t. It was great to be able to gain different perspectives on everything from how e-mails are sent to the students to how much money actually gets spent on the students.

Every night there were “nightlife” events geared toward networking and having a good time while in Texas. The first was a casino night geared toward meeting new people. Even though no real money was lost or won, it was a great way to talk with people and get comfortable with speaking up in the sessions. The second night was full of music and dancing at a local hot spot. After a long day of sessions it was great to unwind and continue to talk about the issues brought up throughout the day. The final nightlife was at Hurricane Harry’s. That night was filled with country line dancing and two-stepping. The event was a great way to have one last night in Texas with everyone and also experience a little of the culture that is so prevalent in the south.

All in all, venturing the College Station was an unforgettable experience. Make sure to keep an eye out for new and great things coming from your USGA!