Campus transportation
Our SGA sponsors a shuttle to help students get from our suburban campus to downtown Boston. The shuttle will either go from campus to the city or to the railway station depending on our agreements with the shuttle company. It is intended to provid e our student body with more affordable transport options (it is free as opposed to Taxis and Ubers also there is no worry about parking) as well as encourage connections with the city of Boston, an excellent environment for students. The shuttle can also be deployed to pick up students at the airport on a common day when students may need pickup (i.e. day back from Winter Break, day back from Thanksgiving Break etc...)

Mentoring
About three times a semester, our SGA hosts a Program Council, in which a representative from each of the Clubs and Organizations are asked to send a representative from their leadership board. This is a mandatory council. Here the VP of Clubs and Orgs and VP of Finance help club leadership understand the SGA procedures for student organizations as well as funding guidelines. It is a mentorship program that offers clubs a chance to ask questions as well as network with leadership in clubs that they may want to partner with. Often times we even get a sponsor from a local company to guest speak. This serves as an opportunity for recruitment as they are immediately in the company of student leaders who are desirable from an employment perspective.

Campus traditions
We host an SGA Facebook page where we post all of the events that are happening around campus. The students who 'like' our page have access to all of the information that we put out. This helps improve intra campus communication and keeps our students informed. Such events may include certain professional opportunities, events hosted by organizations, big speakers coming to campus, SGA giveaways and more. It is ran by our VP of Communications.

Source: SG Signature Programs Smart Form submitted by 15-16 SGA Vice President of Clubs and Organizations, Arjun Rajesh, on 7/6/15

Mentors Achieving Positive Success (MAPS) The purpose of this club shall be:

 

1. Provide peer-to-peer mentorship.
2. Provide information to Veterans and non-veterans on services offered.
3. Maintain Academic integrity. MAPS Provide mentees with knowledge and assistance, but will not be held responsible for student success.
4. Provide resources that supplement learning to members.

1. Safe-ride program

The SafeRide program is one of the premier programs that Student Government offers the student body. This program affords students the opportunity to receive a free ride to their residence if they are either too intoxicated to drive or simply find themselves in an unsafe situation. The annual cost of the SafeRide program is approaching $45k, and is funded from the SG operational budget with the help of a recently renewed $8k sponsorship from Budweiser. Given the national scrutiny and vulnerability of similar programs, the SG Executive Board has interacted with all levels of university officials to ensure continued support of the program. SafeRide is well known and respected by the faculty, administration, and even the Board of Trustees. The university attorney indicated that cutting the program might be more of a liability than continuing to provide its services. What makes the Embry-Riddle program unique is the fact that it inherently insulates itself from liability suits by not funding the transportation to the bar district. The SGA has negotiated a flat rate that students can take advantage of for non-SafeRide calls. The SGA President continues to work closely with the Assistant Vice-President for Development to establish an endowment that will eventually sustain the costs of the program. This summer, a decision was made in SG joint session to use $100k of SG restricted funds as seed money for the endowment. Also, local establishments frequented by students have been identified and will be solicited for support and sponsorship beginning in the spring semester. The goal is to reduce the burden on the operational budget.

2. Mentoring

Last year, Task Force One was developed in an attempt to accommodate the first-year student's overwhelming interest in Student Government. Task Force One is an executive council that reports directly to the SGA President, and is responsible for advising the SGA President on a variety of issues, planning and helping out with events, coming up with new ideas, and offering support for the day-to-day issues that Student Government deals with. It is designed to introduce these students to SGA and expose them to leadership opportunities across campus. This year, Task Force One has been actively involved in campus activities. Members have met with university administrators and have discussed issues particular to first-year students. The group has further discussed issues such as housing policy and dining services. This freshman council is a fantastic way for Student Government to recruit manpower, brainpower, creativity, ingenuity and a plethora of other characteristics that can never come in too much abundance. It is important to engage and cultivate the future leaders of Student Government, and Task Force One is an excellent tool.

3. Student Government Association Service

Just as a real government serves its constituents, Embry-Riddle's Student Government Association serves the student body by providing services that transcend year to year as a tangible symbol of continuous service to the students and university community. These services include but are certainly not limited to banner printing, beverage service, color copying, locker rentals, faxing, general copying, and free local newspaper. In addition to these services, the Student Government programs events at the beginning and at the end of the semester. These programs have consisted of initiatives that are intended to entice new students to get involved at the beginning of the semester and others are intended to motivate the students to finish strong academically at the end of the year. Examples of this are Eaglemania, a student outreach and recruitment program in the fall and Stress Relief Day at the end of the semester to motivate and relieve exam anxiety. Future plans include coordinating resources with the athletic department to sponsor spring athletic events. An ad-hock planning committee will orchestrate and implement a program at the beginning of the semester to welcome the students back from holiday essentially mirroring the orientation of the fall. The developing trend related to the ongoing services is to make the students feel important on campus and that their choice to receive their education here is appreciated.