With the new academic year, the Student Association is moving forward with plans to incorporate while also expanding on some of its old programs.

The major goal of this year’s Student Association Executive Board is to finish the incorporation contract between themselves and the University. The SA hopes to have their request submitted to Albany by the end of the semester.

Members of the SA e-board said they hope to increase transparency between it and the students, and better engage with student government and various student clubs and organizations.

Some plans are in place to expand and improve late-night service for Off Campus College Transport buses to ensure incoming students are able to return to campus.

The charter process for new groups has also been made less subjective and will focus more on consolidation and group building than it has in the past.

Samson Widerman, executive vice president of the SA, hopes to improve student involvement on campus through the new student group website, B-Engaged, to help students find and join clubs.

“Students get the most out of their college experience when they get involved in a campus activity or organization, so the SA is committed to encouraging students to try out different involvement,” Widerman wrote in an email. “B-Engaged launched this year, so we’ll be teaching students how to use it to find involvement and teach groups how to take advantage of all its functionality.”

The Student Group Spotlight program is returning through the EVP office. The program highlights a different student group each month which has excelled in its efforts and activities on campus.

The New York Times Readership program has come back this year with papers being delivered Monday through Friday in each of the dining halls, the New University Union and the Old University Union. Derrick Conyers, the vice president for academic affairs, said he hopes students will make use of the program as much as possible.

“My predecessor worked very hard last year to secure funding for the program so that it could continue this year, and it really makes Binghamton University stand out in terms of the quality of programs we bring to the students,” Conyers said. “I really hope that students will read the newspaper and be able to engage with the world in a better way as a result.”

The multicultural magazine PRISM is also returning this year. Isis McIntosh, the vice president for multicultural affairs, said the magazine is important in showing the many different perspectives highlighted at BU.

“The purpose of PRISM is to feature articles, personal anecdotes, photos, art and other pieces that showcase diversity and cultural forays of the student body,” McIntosh wrote in an email.

The VPMA office is planning to work much more on collaborations with other parts of the administration including the International Student and Scholar Services, the Educational Opportunity Program, the Center for Civic Engagement, the office of Diversity and Inclusiveness and the Services for Students with Disabilities.

Students will have an opportunity to ask questions of the e-board at upcoming town hall-style events.

Eric Larson, president of the SA, said he is excited about this upcoming year and hopes to make it the best it can be.

“I feel that this year’s executive board has a strong team mentality and is motivated to provide the best services from each of their respective offices,” Larson wrote in an email. “I look forward to working with all of them and am interested to see what we are able to contribute to campus this year.”