Freshman Forum provides the opportunity for incoming freshmen to contribute to campus by serving as legislative leaders.

Members plan campus-wide events and make decisions about how a portion of the university’s money will be spent.

“Freshman Forum is the branch of SGA made up of freshmen for planning events, passing bills and debating topics we want to see done on campus,” said Freshman Forum president Carson Hagood. “When I came to UNA, I wasn’t sure how to get involved on campus until I joined Freshman Forum.”

Last year the Forum organized a campus glow party, partnered with SGA Senate to host a carnival and teamed up with the University Program Council branch of SGA to host a mixer for students.

Community service is also an important part of being campus leaders, they said.

The Forum established a goal of completing 1,830 service hours during the 2013-2014 school

year to commemorate the university’s founding in 1830. The students surpassed their goal by spending 2,620 hours in service to UNA and the Shoals community. A “help-o-meter,” located in the SGA office, was used to track the number of hours completed as the year went on.

“Freshman Forum really gives you the opportunity to make a difference on campus and in the community,” said Erica Blackstock, Freshman Forum service committee chairperson.

Forum members went trick-or-treating for canned goods last fall and collected 452 non-perishable food items to provide a holiday meal for needy families in the Shoals area, adding 92 hours to the help-o-meter.

During the spring semester, Forum members hosted a dance party for residents at a local nursing home, organized an Easter egg hunt for children in the community and spent a day volunteering at the Florence Lauderdale Animal Shelter.

“All of our service projects were a big success,” Blackstock said. “We were able to make a difference in the community and actually have a lot of fun at the same time.”

The Forum promoted campus health by hosting “Wrapping Up the Semester” in April. Members handed out wrapped gift boxes filled with resources for safe sex including informational pamphlets and condoms to students in the Guillot University Center.

As last year’s Freshman Forum members reflected on their successes, they provided feedback and advice for anyone interested in taking part.

“Joining Freshman Forum is the best decision I’ve made since I’ve been here,” Hagood said. “It was a good initial experience at UNA that really got me involved on campus and in the swing of things.”

Freshman Forum is a good way to meet people while also becoming a campus leader, said Freshman Forum Student Issues Committee Chairperson Mollie Schaefer.

“My advice is don’t be scared — just be yourself,” Schaefer said. “I think I came in really fearful about joining. I thought, ‘I’m not an SGA person. That’s not who I am,’ so it’s a really great place to test yourself as person.”