By Clare Sherman —
For Regional students who want to see changes on campus, Miami Regional Student Government (RSG) is here to help make it happen. RSG represents the student body by putting their concerns and needs into action. The organization was reinstated in the Fall of 2024 by then-Vice President Amaunie Wilson and President Antonio Sanders. After Sanders resigned one year later, Amaunie Wilson took over as president, tasked with paperwork, meetings, and most importantly, convincing students to use their voice.
Three committees make up RSG: Election, Marketing, and Financial Affairs. Members primarily stay busy with behind-the-scenes work, including reviewing suggestions, brainstorming ways to utilize funds, and attending administrative meetings. Their goals come directly from student input, as members of each committee are tasked with reaching out to different departments and speaking with students. This feedback is then communicated to the executive board members, who build their agenda by doing further research or taking action. The power they have to advocate for change, however, comes directly from the motivation and support of the students themselves. Despite the apparent passion and organization of the RSG, taking action on campus frequently involves overcoming some obstacles.
As a recently reinstated organization, RSG sometimes struggles to be taken seriously by students and administration alike. The recent destruction of MUH’s community garden led to an RSG resolution advocating for proper communication between the student government and the Dean’s office. The resolution expresses concern that the university administration cleared out the garden without prior consultation, despite $500 of RSG’s funds spent towards upkeep since the fall of 2024, and also despite consistent communication that the garden was in use by multiple student organizations. Since then, RSG has requested that Miami Regionals promote reliable student and administration collaboration in all actions taken towards student-use spaces. Since many RSG events were planned around the community garden, they have been delayed, with a recruitment table being one of the only RSG events this semester. Despite the setback, Wilson says that RSG is committed to moving forward with plans tailored to student engagement.
Despite RSG’s reinstatement, many students don’t utilize its existence, with Wilson saying that students believe their ideas will take too much effort to bring to life; however, RSG is more than capable of doing the heavy lifting. When an idea is voiced, RSG has the resources to communicate with administration, complete paperwork, and navigate the university rules and regulations when needed. Recently, students requested a pool table on campus, and the administration originally planned to add it to the list of polytechnic campus reforms. Students were disappointed with the slow timeline, so RSG sped up the process by visiting different organizations and inquiring about the table until it was added. Although they get tasks accomplished, Wilson says students speaking up is the most crucial part of the process.
Another issue Wilson noted is the lack of student participation on campus. As a commuter environment, students often leave by 5 p.m., despite the campus being open until 11 p.m. Contributing to this “empty” atmosphere is the sentiment, expressed by some, that all worthwhile clubs are on Oxford’s campus. Wilson plans for RSG to promote the excellent organizations available at Regionals, saying, “Oxford has an Outdoor Club? So do we.” To help with promotion, a large food truck event is planned for next spring, where all students can come and check out Regional organizations. RSG also plans to replace flyers with videos to help campus events stand out.
Other future RSG-hosted events include a cooking competition between local businesses. Wilson described local businesses visiting campus to present their products to students, who then vote on which business they like best. The hope is that the competition will be a temporary solution to the short cafeteria hours. Local businesses will promote themselves to students, and students will have an idea of where to go when they leave campus to get food.
Something students may not see is RSG’s steady involvement in talks concerning the Regionals’ change to a polytechnic model. Amaunie Wilson and other RSG representatives often sit in on administrative meetings that discuss things like curriculum changes, asking, “What does this mean for students?” RSG aims to keep student desires at the forefront during the transformative phase, advocating for student apartments and brainstorming what they should include.
Miami’s Regional Student Government is clearly working to increase its presence and impact. Despite a lack of student engagement and the struggle to establish a respected presence, RSG continues to advocate for student needs. When asked about how she hopes RSG evolves in the coming years, Amaunie Wilson stressed her desire for students to feel comfortable using their voice. At the end of the day, students are the ones who most frequently walk around campus, and decisions won’t include student input if they stay silent. To anyone who questions what power RSG has, Amaunie Wilson responds, “What power are you going to give us?”