Leading the Way: CDS Students Building Community Through Student Government
The Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) officially opened its doors to students in January of this year. In an effort to support CDS' growing student community, Elizabeth Rosen, a sophomore data science major with a public health minor, joined forces with Asianna Haughton, a sophomore data science major with an applied human development/education minor, to launch CDS' inaugural Student Government. Their vision is succinct: to ensure that the voices and needs of CDS students are represented and heard.
"I want to create a stronger community amongst CDS students and provide them with resources to be successful. I also want to represent their needs and interests to make sure their experiences here are the best that they can be," said Rosen.
Beyond organizational development, Rosen and Haughton set their sights on a leadership role. During the first general assembly meeting, the duo announced their interest in serving as co-presidents. Their community-driven platform is two-fold: 1.) to provide a strong leadership foundation for the new organization and 2.) create a form to advocate for equitable education.
"I would like to set the foundation for equitable education within CDS as it is in its infancy," Haug
hton said. "I would like to build a close-knit community within the college to make sure students feel well-supported."
As newly elected co-presidents, first on their agenda was to elect its Senate allocation for the upcoming semester and begin discussing CDS students' needs for the future. They also hosted two general assembly meetings (March and April) and their first social event, a speed dating night for CDS students, which was a fun way to bring students together.
"We have had about 30 students overall participate in our events and about 15 participate in our meetings," said Rosen. "Looking ahead, we are hoping to have about 10-15 percent of CDS students participate actively in the government and hopefully have everyone come to our events."
To further enhance the student government experience at CDS, Rosen and Haughton are launching a new website, which will serve as a hub for events, meetings, news, resources, and other important information pertinent to the life of a CDS student. They plan to launch the website this fall and are in the process of assembling a committee to help with its design and content creation.
"We want to advocate for student's needs and make CDS the best it can be," Rosen said. "As a faculty, we have a lot of potential to do really cool things."
CDS Student Government holds monthly general assembly meetings and hosts events throughout the year. Students can get involved by attending meetings, participating in events, and following their Instagram page @cds.stugov for updates.
CDS Student Government: Who We Are
- A group of passionate individuals majoring in computing and data science, with a wide range of interests in the use of technology and data.
- We serve as a platform for CDS students to voice their concerns, and a forum to work together to identify effective solutions.