BLAKELY HEATON | STAFF REPORTER

Butler students, faculty and alumni can now subscribe to the new Student Government Association newsletter, the Carillon. SGA  released the first issue of The Carillon, on Nov. 1, 2015. The newsletter will be a way for all who subscribe to stay up to date on what SGA is doing on campus and more.

The idea for the newsletter was born this summer, along with SGA’s new brand. The brand is how the organization is perceived by the entire campus and what the image and actions of SGA are. Grant Meyers is the director of the marketing and communications board of SGA and is also a junior marketing and finance major.  Meyers said the new branding for SGA revolves around three main goals: to improve SGA’s brand identity, enhance the organizational image, and improve upon inter-board collaboration.

The specific goal of the Carillon is to connect SGA and its events with the students in a clear and concise way.

“We want to increase the transparency between the student body and SGA,” Meyers said. “SGA is so much more than just a programming entity. On a daily basis, weekly basis, we are fighting for students and coming up with new initiatives to make the whole Butler student experience better.”

Part of SGA’s new brand is the logo. It will now feature the bell tower on Butler’s campus. The bell tower also provided the inspiration for the newsletter’s name, the Carillon. The carillon are the familiar chimes that all Butler students hear throughout the day. Meghan Haggerty, associate director of student affairs and advisor for the marketing and communications board of SGA, explained the significance of the newsletter’s name.

“The structure of the bell tower is a carillon, and there is someone who plays it with a title and position here at Butler,” she said.  “I think the symbolism of the bell tower being heard across campus and hearing it no matter where you are is not lost in the fact that wherever you are on campus, SGA is a part of campus in some capacity.”

The Carillon will be sent via email on Sunday evenings to serve as a look-ahead to each week. Each issue of the Carillon will include a feature SGA-related news article, a letter from SGA President Katelyn Sussli, a weekly calendar, and other features.

Ryan Krueger, SGA Website Designer & Developer, takes care of the tech-element in the Carillon. The Carillon is an opt-in newsletter, and is not sent to all students. This way, SGA can measure the usefulness of each edition based on the new subscribers and unsubscribers per issue. This method also helps eliminate potential complaints made by students who do not want to receive the Carillon.

As of Nov. 5, the Carillon had 163 subscribers.

“As we continue promoting it on social media and as awareness spreads, the Carillon has been on the rise with at least 10 new subscribers a day,” Krueger said

The first Carillon was disbursed on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. It included a teaser video to SGA’s new brand, as well as an introduction to the Carillon. Meyers said the upcoming Carillon will have the full video, revealing SGA’s new brand.

The word is still getting out to students. Lauren Hannemann, a first-year computer science major, did not know what the Carillon was. However, after being informed, Hannemann was excited about the opportunity to hear more from SGA each week.

“I like SGA events, so yes I will probably subscribe soon,” Hannemann said.

There is a lot of excitement within SGA for the newborn newsletter.

“I’m looking forward to seeing The Carillon continue to grow in the upcoming weeks and can’t wait to see what this issue brings,” Krueger said.