Dear Students,

Welcome to the University of New Haven! My name is Patrick Kelland and I am your Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) President.

The USGA is a student-run organization designed to allow students to voice issues or concerns regarding the university and have them addressed accordingly. Every undergraduate student is a member of the USGA and is strongly encouraged to attend our meetings held every Friday in the Alumni Lounge (located in Bartels Hall) at 2 p.m.

Like you, I am also a student. This year I will be a senior, studying Criminal Justice and Political Science. In the past three years, I have been involved in several different organizations which represent just a small portion of the clubs/organizations we have here on campus.

There are over 150 recognized student organizations on campus, including sororities, fraternities, special interest groups, cultural, professional and even religious organizations. There are also class officer positions to be filled. Class officers are responsible for fundraising and, most importantly, planning your Senior Week.

If you are interested in running for a Class of 2016 officer position make sure to keep an eye out for information! I can assure you that you will find something on campus that interests you, and if not, let me know and I can help you out with creating your own recognized student organization.

The USGA has a website called Charger Connection, which is a way for students to voice their concerns and find out what’s going on around campus. If you have a concern or a general comment regarding the university, you can go onto the website and post it for one of the established USGA committees. These committees will then contact the proper administrators and address the issue to the best of their abilities on your behalf. Some issues that have been resolved in the past include fixing computer-related issues in classrooms to getting air conditioning installed in Sandella’s, and all the construction that has been done around campus. Take some time and check it out at Chargerconnection.newhaven.edu!

I would strongly encourage you to use your newhaven.edu e-mail account, as it is vital for you to know what is going on around campus. Through this e-mail account you can find out about campus events and receive important messages from the university.

The USGA has a budget of over $1.5 million of your money, and if you want to have a say in how that money gets spent, I urge you to get involved. Getting involved will make your time at the university much more enjoyable and rewarding.

Please feel free to stop and say hello if you see me around campus. You can also contact me via e-mail at [email protected], by phone X7300, or in my office (located on the 3rd floor of Bartels Hall).

I wish you the best of luck here at the University of New Haven, and I look forward to seeing you around on our campus!

Best,

Patrick Kelland