Student interest and involvement with Undergraduate Student Government this semester is growing, as demonstrated by the filling of all commissioners positions so early in the year, some USG members say.

Makela Clay, co-commissioner of Student Affairs, said the positions were filled so quickly because more upperclassmen are becoming involved.

In the past, upperclassmen couldn’t participate as much because of time conflicts, Clay said.

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Clay said students are now prioritizing and making more time for participation.

Dave Vingren, USG President, said that students attitudes have changed and they want to get more involved.

Last year the positions were filled off and on, Vingren said. USG has been very active in new student orientation, and we have been very successful in getting the word out about USG.

Vingren attributes USG’s success to Jackie Smith, USG chief of staff.

Smith said USG wanted to focus on getting the positions filled early and finding the most qualified individuals for the positions.

Each commissioner must have a grasp of the specific area they are representing, Smith said. We had a high turnover rate last year mainly due to a lack of communication with the senate.

Smith said that this year the commissioners will have an incentive for participation.

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The positions are non-paying, so many people have interference with jobs, Smith said. This year for the first time, commissioners will be given volunteer credit for their service. If they complete over 30 hours, they receive one hour of academic credit. This looks great on transcripts and a resume.

Smith said she is trying to make the commissioners a more self-sufficient group so that there is no need for constant supervision.

Smith said the Student Affairs commissioners are working with Carbondale Police Chief Don Strom and the Carbondale Police Department to devise a party patrol. This is an attempt to decrease the tension between students and police and help eliminate tickets.

Kristie Ayres, executive assistant to the president, said the party patrol will consist of a group of students trained and paid by the Carbondale Police Department. These students will be dispatched to the locations of complaints to try and resolve disputes. This allows the police to not get involved, which Ayres said is better for the students.

Ayres said the program is in beginning stages and has been used at University of Illinois and Illinois State University.

The housing commissioner deals with student complaints with their housing, and the city affairs commissioner is working with the Communiversity project.

Communiversity is a joint venture created by student government officials and City Councilwoman Maggie Flanagan to improve relations between students, city officials, SIUC administrators and residents.

The governmental affairs commissioner is working closely with Student Trustee Pat Kelly and Gov. Jim Edgar.