Thursday, Oct.12, Student Senate met for their weekly meeting in Hoover 212. In lieu of their usual meeting set-up, this week’s session consisted of three special orders, which preceded Student Senate’s usual updates and discussions.
The first special order was the new constitution and bylaw adoption to the Senate. Senior president Sean Fielder suspended Student Senate’s previous constitution, allowing the senators to formally vote in the new constitution. Fielder stated that this new constitution was written by Student Senate’s Judicial Committee, and following the official vote-in, senators could start submitting any amendments or changes that they would like to see adapted to the new constitution and bylaw documentations.
The second special order brought to the floor took up almost the remainder of the meeting. In this special order, representatives from four different departments on campus came to answer any questions the senators had regarding the specific departments, as well as take any suggestions or concerns the senators brought to the discussion. The first department to take the floor was Campus Security.
Director of Campus Security Andrew Powell welcomed any questions the senators posed. The first question was related to the reoccurrence of false fire alarms in the Founders Residence Hall. Powell stated that Campus Security has been working closely with the company who produces the fire alarms to identify the root cause of the false alarms and prevent more false alarms from occurring. The remaining questions were directed toward Campus Security’s online satisfaction survey, the LiveSafe app and the availability of ALICE training for clubs and student organizations on campus.
In response to these questions, Powell stated that the online satisfaction survey has been helping Campus Security to improve their interactions with the campus community while shaping their training sessions, focusing specifically on what they could be doing better. As for the LiveSafe app, Powell stated that although there are lower amounts of users and downloads than expected, the LiveSafe app continues to be a platform for students to make anonymous reports and use the “Safe Walk” feature of the application. And for the ALICE training sessions, Powell said that there are a few scheduled training sessions coming up in the coming weeks, with smaller sessions available on an ad-hoc basis.
Next to the floor was the Director of Student Wellness Dr. Bruce Lynch. Lynch answered questions pertaining to the potential opportunity for evening hours in the Wellness Center, the candidates for the open counseling position in the Wellness Center and the feasibility of adding extra counselors for the first-year orientation weekend. Other topics included the increase in appointment requests following Fresh Check Day, the plan for the Wellness Center once the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Wellness is complete and the possibility of collaboration events with other departments on campus in the future.
Lynch expressed his excitement for the Wellness Center’s place in the new Bowers Center, while he wrote down some of the senators’ suggestions for evening counseling hours in the Wellness Center, stating that the suggestion is appreciated and will be further discussed.
Then, Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Student Success Stephanie Rankin opened the floor for any questions related to the Learning Zone or the Center for Student Success.
Regarding the new Starfish Program, Rankin detailed both the positives and negatives, touching on the ideas of timely feedback and “real-time reporting.” Rankin also stated that there has been much more interaction with the Learning Zone this semester than there had been in previous semesters under the name Learning Services.
Lastly, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life and Student Activities Allison Bridgeman opened the floor up to any questions and discussion about upcoming residence life plans and renovations. As main points in the discussion, Bridgeman discussed the ideas of more opportunities for off-campus housing within the coming year, dorm renovations starting in Myer Hall, the addition of more apartment and quad style housing options, the potential expansion of the SDLC programs, the development of the CARE committee and the need to make the College more compliant to students and faculty with physical disabilities.
Once the second special order adjourned, Student Senate moved into the Administrative Reports and the Executive Cabinet sections of their meeting.
In the Administrative Reports, Student Senate proposed the idea of adding a fire pit to the sketches of the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Wellness. In the Executive Cabinet, Fielder announced that the Faculty Assembly approved the offering of a Data Sciences major within the upcoming semesters.
Student Senate meets every Thursday at 3:40 p.m. in Hoover 212. All students are welcome to attend and voice their opinions. Any additional questions or concerns can be directed to studentsenate@etown.edu.
