On Wednesday, Vanderbilt Student Government will host the first of what will be a monthly series of “coffee chats,” in which students will have the opportunity to speak with various members of VSG over coffee at Local Java. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and students who choose to spend some time talking to the VSG representatives will have their coffee paid for. There will be four reserved tables for these conversations, and members from all different branches of government will be available to listen to student concerns, share ideas and take feedback.

“[The purpose] is just gaining new perspectives from students, so that we might inspire them to have a new idea that they could work with us on or they could learn more about VSG, how to get involved if that’s what they want to do, and let them know what’s going on,” Tariq Issa, VSG Director of Campus Outreach said.

The coffee chats are part of an ongoing goal of this year’s administration to be more visible and engage more students in the process of student government. While the organization does have a “What to Fix” section on their website for students to request changes, VSG Chief of Staff Olivia Solow-Niederman said that this event is a way to give a physical presence and voice to VSG.

“This is just a place where people can come and have someone to listen to them,” Solow-Niederman said.