A forum of Adelphi University's first-class student leaders met this weekend for the annual Student Government Association retreat. In response to last year's successful "rant and rave" session, it was extended to explore further options for making Adelphi a more active campus.

Meetings and events provoked the most discussion during the two-hour caucus. As these nimble minds brainstormed ideas, leaders also contemplated why these topics were even an issue. Some suggested longer meetings, others wanted to see more flyers and mailbox memos. While ideas flew from one side of the University Center Ballroom to the other, neither side listening to the other, I realized that this is the sole problem at Adelphi: we lack communication.

Student Activities Board (SAB) organizes Homecoming every year. Similar to last year's unenthused, diminutive attendance and over-domineering Greek influences, this year's agenda was followed-up by little improvement. Clubs and organizations wishing to participate in the proceedings were left in the dark due to poor organization, not to mention one week deadlines to get materials and members.

While SAB proposes more movie nights and UC lobby events, they fail to listen to the other side. Like many smaller clubs, the Delphian was also disappointed with the Homecoming circumstances. Our function may be to publish a newspaper, but we did want to take part in our school's community and show our devotion to Adelphi. SAB gave us little opportunity for such things. With super-specific rules and tight deadlines, it was nearly impossible for the Delphian and other smaller-member clubs to participate.

The SGA retreat did help me realize one superb aspect of our school's student leadership. Adelphi is blessed with devoted, inspired student leaders with phenomenal leadership skills; but on the other hand, we are unable to use them. SAB may have enthusiastic people trying their best to make Adelphi a more social institution, but its their lack of communication with the Adelphi community which interferes with any possible progress.

For once, it's not a lack of membership and apathy among the student body: it's the unwillingness of student leaders to see beyond their own club to aid the school as a whole. The SGA retreat was informative, and provoked more conversation between clubs and organizations; however, these rare opportunities won't be sufficient for the rest of the semester.

Student leaders need to show their abilities by communicating. Attend more clubs - seeing a club in person and observing how it functions allows ideas to flow much easier than a session of email-tag. Schedule more meetings with club leaders - we're all in the same boat - with such a small school, its hard not to be. Try making meetings with individual club leaders. Co-sponsorship is a great way to break down the communication barrier - working with another club opens so many doors to alliances and similar interests.

Homecoming may have come and gone, but I hope SAB and other organizations have recognized their mistakes, and perhaps have learned from them. We are a community of strong leaders, not only individual clubs - we have to think as a larger team before seeing any progress.