Members of the Government of the Student Body’s executive and legislative branches gathered in Memorial Union for a six hour training retreat on Saturday, Sept. 21. This is the first retreat and official training session GSB has held for its members.

GSB President Spencer Hughes, Vice President Hillary Kletscher and Public Relations Chair Zachary Bauer came up with the idea of a retreat when they determined that to improve the organization they had to improve the members of GSB by providing them with more training and a better understanding of their positions.

“The retreat’s a way to get everyone on the same page, educate them about GSB so that they can in turn go out to their constituents and then inform their constituents about how we impact their experience here at Iowa State,” Bauer said.

A total of 34 senators and cabinet members attended the retreat. GSB’s four advisors were also present.

At the retreat, all members of GSB participated in leadership activities. GSB Financial Director Daniel Rediske taught members about GSB’s finances. Bauer led a session about public relations and internet etiquette.

Members of the legislative branch also attended sessions on writing bills, parliamentary procedures, outreach programs, university committees and standing senate committees. These training sessions were led by leaders within the senate including Bauer, Kletscher, Speaker Gabrielle Williams and Vice Speaker Barry Snell.

In addition to the educational aspect, another goal of this retreat was to bring all members of the government together. Members participated in team-building exercises, learned about the roles of other GSB members of and determined strengths and weaknesses within the government.

During their last meeting, the student senate seated eight new senators. Senators generally go through a short training after they are seated. This retreat provided a more extensive education for these new members.

Hamad Abbas, one of the new senators, attended the retreat and said he feels more prepared as a senator and ready to reach out to his constituents in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“I am more confident moving forward as a senator,” Abbas said.

Following the retreat, feedback surveys were filled out by those in attendance. These surveys showed that many senators attended the retreat hoping to learn about the internal workings of GSB and outreach efforts. After the retreat, senators said they felt that they had a stronger connection to GSB and their concerns had been addressed.

In a follow-up e-mail Bauer expressed that he felt the retreat went very well.

“With the outcomes of today’s retreat, GSB will function more effectively, which will help us serve students better,” Bauer said.