Structure was the focus of the first Intercom meeting of the semester Thursday night, Joshua Simpson, the student body president, said.

Intercom is a group of student leaders who represent several organizations on campus. The first meeting of the semester was private and for Intercom members only.

“We talked about the structure and purpose of Intercom. I believe as a group we came to an agreement that Intercom plays a role as an advisory group of sorts to the Student Affairs departments,” Simpson said. “And the goal is not to make policies or make decisions or to vote, but rather it’s a place of discussion for student leaders.”

Simpson said he feels that if people feel safe in the meetings, it will help them make more progress on many issues.

“As a whole, I think that because Intercom is getting back to its original purpose, which is being an advising group and a place to share ideas, I think [it is] a support group for student leaders,” he said. ”That means that at times when someone is being recorded or reported on, we may never get to the true depth of an issue because people may not be willing to be completely, unabashedly honest.”

Simpson said he will be creating a proposed formal structure for Intercom within the next two days, and the structure will include the role of a “convener” who will chair the meetings.

Senior political science major Pearce Edwards, who is also a member of Intercom, said he is excited for the changes they will be implementing this semester.

Sophomore biology major Manoj Chelvanambi, who is in his first semester of representing Student Development Services in Intercom, said he thinks the group is headed in a positive direction. He also said there is great representation of the university among the group.

The next Intercom meeting will be held Thursday and will also be private, Simpson said. He said he thinks all the meetings will continue to be private, but as a group, they still have not decided.