The Southern Utah University Student Association (SUUSA) hosted a Shark Tank event on Nov. 15. Students had the opportunity to present ideas that would improve campus. More than 30 students submitted ideas and five were chosen to presented their ideas to a judges panel.
Judges included SUU student leaders, professors and deans who questioned the presenters on their plan and ability to implement their ideas.
”Our main goal in doing this event is to empower the student body’s voice and ideas,” Jonny Zillgitt, SUUSA Vice President of Academics, said. “Just think, how amazing will it be to look back in five years and see the different changes actual students made to this campus?”
Bailee Lamoreaux and Adetoun Alarape were crowned winners and each received $1000 from SUUSA to implement their plan.
Lamoreaux is a sophomore studying business management and marketing from Nashville,Tenn. She hopes to implement a mobile ordering app that connects with SUU’s dining services.
“I propose we partner with (SUU’s Dining service) and make an app where students can order food on their way to class and pick it up from the business,” Lamoreaux said. “This will cut back on the long lines and allow students to get to class on time.”
Alarape has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and is pursuing her second Master’s Degree in Professional Communications. She is originally from Nigeria but has spent the last 4 years in Cedar City.
Alarape proposed the idea of adding more baby changing stations on campus.
“Out of 168 bathrooms on campus, only eight of them have changing stations,” Aparape said. “I know what it is like to have a baby crying and have to walk all the way to the student center just to change the baby’s diaper.”
With 20% of SUU studnets being parents, Alarape hopes to take the winning money and double the number of changing stations in major buildings on campus.
Honorable mentions included Jordan Garbett, Nicholas Sepulveda and Brooklyn Whitney.
To read more about SUUSA and their events, follow the link here.
Story by: Easton Bowring
news@suunews.net
Photos by: Easton Bowring
