Representatives from West Virginia University’s Student Government Association will deliver the University’s first State of the Student Body address on Tuesday (Sept. 7).

The address will be given by President Chris Lewallen, Vice-President Ron Cheng and Liason to the City Council Nelson France. They will speak at a Morgantown City Council meeting, held in City Hall at 389 Spruce Street. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

“The goal of the address is to build the foundation for a better partnership between the students of WVU and the city of Morgantown,” said Daniel Brummage, SGA chief of staff. “We want to talk about where we’ve been and where we’re headed, and what the SGA and the city can accomplish together.”

Examples Brummage gave on how the student body and city can work together include students shoveling snow for elderly citizens and making sure that local businesses are not taking advantage of WVU students.

“We want to show everyone that Morgantown and WVU are one entity,” he said.

By definition of the U.S. Census all of the students at WVU are citizens of Morgantown, as they reside in the city for at least eight months of the year. By that definition, the WVU student body makes up roughly half of the population of Morgantown.

The speech will touch on a few of the issues where students and the city are both concerned including towing, housing and tenant rights.

“The city of Morgantown needs the students of West Virginia University to continue to respect the community and the neighborhoods we live in,” France said. “It is critical that students take pride in the city as if it were their hometown. At WVU we are more than just Mountaineers, we are residents of the greater Morgantown community.”

This fall, the SGA has plans to start a Community Relations team, France said.

Members of the team will be assigned to attend various city boards, commissions and committees to learn what is going on in the city. At the end of each month the team members will discuss issues that the SGA should take a unified stance on.

A second State of the Student Body address will be given on campus during the spring 2011 semester.

-WVU-
jm/09/03/10

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