Students’ concerns addressed at SGA community affairs meeting
Representatives from various organizations and clubs on campus gathered to discuss their issues and concerns at the first SGA community affairs meeting of the school year. Photo by: Deja Ross
By Eric Wallace// Staff Writer
The first Student Government Association community affairs meeting of the 2016-17 school year was held on Aug. 25 in Phillips School of Business. During the meeting, students had the opportunity to address concerns and ask questions to a board of faculty members including Gail Tuttle, senior vice president of student life, Dennis Carroll, provost, and Stephen Potter, director of facility operations.
Also addressing the meeting was John Champion, chief information officer, who was there to discuss and take questions about the new printing system on campus. This year, HPU has added 84 new multi-function devices that allow students to print from anywhere on campus by simply swiping their passport and entering their ID and password.
Some of the concerns that the panel addressed included questions about the rising costs of passport replacements, limited parking and campus safety.
Many students also had very high praise for the recent dining hall changes, especially at The Point. The panel appreciated the compliments, noting that the service teams at HPU are always looking for new ways to improve both the quality and speed at which students receive their food.
The strengthening of the honors program was also discussed at the meeting. In the near future, the school has the intention of creating an integrated humanities class that would reduce the number of required general education classes.
The faculty also plans to experiment with students being able to receive an honors degree in their chosen field of study.
“This would be an opportunity to graduate with an honors degree,” Carroll said. “For example, if you major in chemistry you could get an honors degree in chemistry, an honors degree in business, an honors degree in history or an honors degree in English. HPU could in fact potentially move toward becoming an honors college.”
Another initiative brought up was the annual canned food drive. This year, clubs will compete to see who can raise the most canned goods and the winning club will receive a prize.
It was also announced that the school will have a voter registration booth placed in Slane Student Center outside The Café within the next few weeks.
“With the election in November, we feel it’s important for students to be able to get registered to vote,” Tuttle said. “With all the new freshmen on campus who are 18, they’ve never voted before and it is a perfect chance for them to get registered.”
The Community Affairs meetings are held every semester and students are encouraged to attend so that they can ask questions or learn more about new changes to the school.
“As the Student Government Association, we hold the University Community Affairs Board to be able to voice our concerns and have direct contact with university officials,” Rachel Callaway, SGA president, said. “We invite all students to be able to have their voices heard and make positive change on campus.”