The Southern Utah University Student Association held their monthly town hall meeting on Thursday, Nov. 2, in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Living Room. Attendees listened to their student government discuss what they have been working on for the school.
Student Body President Carson Brown opened the meeting by talking about the very building it was set in. He described how, back when the student center was first built, SUU only had about one-third of the students it currently has. With future numbers looking to continually rise, an expansion of the Student Center is something that the student government wants to look into.
Brown and his team visited nine different higher education campuses, where they got a feel for what SUU’s campus might need. They also want feedback from current students and faculty.
SUUSA created a survey where students can express their opinions on what they want to happen in the future.
Executive Vice President Courtney Glad brought up MySUUVoice, another resource students can use to give the university feedback.
Another issue regarding campus that was brought up was the possibility of expanding the campus gym and even reducing costs to where it could be free to all students.
Brown has seen the benefits of having a free gym to all students on campus but knows that it would take some time to get to that point. He made that clear by saying, “When it comes to having a free pass, the current option we have is reducing the fees for the next couple years.”
While this project will take some time, it is something that SUUSA is actively working on to better fit students needs.
Vice President of Academics Alexis McIff spoke on pressing issues concerning students and midterms. She and her team recently passed an idea to implement midterm feedback surveys. These will help let faculty and staff know where students are in the middle of their courses.
She also said there are ideas regarding a few different things around campus, such as a potential ice cream machine, free flu shots, more vending machines and even buying out the Bread and Soup Nite event.
Buying Bread and Soup Nite stirred lots of questions. One attendee asked, “How will HOPE Pantry benefit from Bread and Soup Nite if the student government buys the event?” It was then explained that the HOPE Pantry has a set limit of money they can spend on the food for the event. If the student government bought the event, they could instead buy the food for the HOPE Pantry so that they would make a more significant profit off donations and grow the pantry.
Vice President of Finance William Harrison spoke about a pressing issue that has been brought up around campus regarding funding for school clubs. He explained that policies are being written to fit Utah’s standards better, and club presidents will learn more about this at the upcoming club presidents meeting on Nov. 8.
Many exciting events were also brought up throughout the meeting, including one beginning next week. Vice President of Spirit and Community Levi Blad encouraged students to participate in Red Week, which begins on Nov 6.
Throughout that week, there will be a sports event each day, and students that attend every game can enter a giveaway. Prizes include an iPad, a helicopter ride with the aviation team and much more.
The Involvement Fair was also discussed as something similar to Paint the Town Red. The fair will be held Nov. 15, and participants are invited to come see all of the opportunities offered on campus.
Overall, SUUSA felt like the event was a success. When asked why she thought this was an important event for students to attend, Glad answered, “Students know that their voice has power, but they don’t really know how to use it, and we’re the people who are able to get their voice to really mean something.”
McIff also explained that the event’s transparency is something that they deeply value. She and the others hope that they continue to get valuable feedback from the student body so that they can continue to grow the university.
Story: Savanah Torgersen
Photo courtesy of SUU
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
