From time to time, the Student Government Association collects data from the student body to present to departments or administration within the University to display a problem and provide potential solutions. You can find all previous Student Government Reports here!

Student Advising Report

The number one concern that the Student Government Association hears from our fellow students is feeling unsupported in the undergraduate advising experience at Catholic University. Every undergraduate student deserves a personalized and well-functioning advising system that guides them through registering for their courses, navigating internship applications, and searching for many post-graduation opportunities. Until now, student concerns about advising have largely been passive remarks about personal challenges with the system.

Over the past two months, the Student Government Association has conducted a survey that sought to determine the scope of student concern, as well as pinpoint exact problems students are facing so we can work with the University Administration in making improvements. A statistically significant survey for the undergraduate population of Catholic University is approximately 400 responses, and we are proud to announce that our student advising survey received over 600 responses. Thank you to all the students who participated in this survey — your responses will be the key to creating change in the student advising experience.

This report is designed to detail the findings of the data provided by the survey responses. By dividing the responses according to advisor, Academic School, major, and enrollment in the Honors Program, this analysis presents an in-depth analysis of the student advising experience at Catholic University. The final section of the report details a series of pressing and fitting changes to the student advising experience that the administration should implement to address the concerns outlined in the survey report. The Executive of the Student Government Association is looking forward to continuing to advocate on behalf of students and working with the University Administration to enact necessary improvements to the student advising experience.

You can read the full report here.

Menstrual Equity Report

The Student Government Association’s Menstrual Equity Task Force implemented a five-week trial in the women’s bathrooms across the Catholic University campus in main and academic university buildings from October 11th to November 19th, 2021. The motivation behind this five-week trial was to estimate the usage of free menstrual products by female Catholic University students. This trial would provide the data necessary for the University to determine if it is feasible to provide these products free of charge in the women’s bathrooms for those who need them over the course of an entire academic year. The data presented is an analysis of the number of the products distributed and used throughout the five-week trial period as well as student feedback after the trial was completed.

In the Spring of 2019, the idea of providing free menstrual products in the bathrooms on campus was first initiated in the Senate by Senator Gemma Del Carmen. She brought forth a piece of legislation that urged the University to offer these products in order to support their female students on an emergency use basis. The term “emergency use” serves as an important clarification to the purpose of the resolution and trial that would follow. We are not asking the University to provide products to support each and every woman’s entire, individual menstrual cycles, but rather instead to create a safety net for women who are in a bind and are unable to obtain a menstrual product from their bag, home, or a friend. 

Through meetings held with university personnel after the passage of her resolution, it was decided that a trial needed to be conducted in order to assess the usage and cost of the full-scale implementation of the resolution. As detailed in this report, the information collected demonstrates that there is a significant need for emergency use feminine hygiene products on our campus. Furthermore, the survey we launched underscores that if the administration were to enact this initiative, female students would feel significantly more comfortable and supported by their university.

In pursuit of executing this trial, the Executive Director of the Menstrual Equity Task Force, Isabella Pardino received a generous grant from The Pad Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on issues related to menstrual equity. These funds were utilized to purchase products and materials for the distribution vehicles as well. This project was led by Isabella Pardino and her team of committed peers: Justin Ancheta, Nicole Campos, Catherine Darcy, Jordan Gehrig, Claire Keller, Adriana Kwiatkowski, Julia Pandolfi, and Maisy Sullivan. Each one of these Task Force members played an integral role in collecting data on the usage of products and restocking the women’s restrooms with pads and tampons throughout the course of the trial. Oversight of the execution of the trial, creation, and distribution of the survey, and writing of this report was conducted by Vice President Monica Wallace.

You can read the full report here.