SGA ran Initiative in Derthick for students to have the opportunity to voice their opinions.
-Andrew Stauffer
Claire Miller and Mandi Mooney
Reporter and Editor-in-Chief
March 5, 2005
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SGA ran Initiative in Derthick for students to have the opportunity to voice their opinions.-Andrew Stauffer |
A poll of Milligan students showed that they are in favor of added laundry facilities for men and extended open dorm hours for upperclassmen dorms.
The initiative was sponsored by the Student Government Association and was held in the Derthick second floor lobby. One hundred and sixty-eight students took the poll, according to data released by junior Parliamentarian Ryan Allcott.
A large majority, 96.43 percent stated that they believed Webb Hall should add washers and dryers, and 88.69 percent voted for a wash-card refill machine in Webb. An email sent by the SGA stated that this change was proposed because male dorms had over a dozen fewer washers and dryers than the female dorms. In addition, the wash-card machine would give male students the ability to add money to their cards after Sutton lobby was closed to males.
For added open dorm hours, 92.26 percent voted that Erhman Honors Housing, the portions of MSA set apart for upperclassmen, should have longer visitation hours on weekends. The proposed hours were 5:30 p.m. till 1 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. till 1 a.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. till 11 p.m. on Sunday. Current weekend hours are 5:30 p.m. till 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. till 6 p.m. on Sunday.
SGA also proposed that Kegley, Quillen, and Williams be given visitation hours on both weekend evenings, which 96.43 percent of students voted for.
Jaime McConnell, current junior class representative and the newly elected SGA President for 2005-2006, said that the purpose of the initiative was to discover “what students want and don’t want.” She also stated that, “We need [students’] feedback before we go ask the administration for things.”
The big questions are when and whether the changes will occur. McConnell said that part of this depends on the SGA elections. “Basically, right now we’re waiting on next year’s SGA to be set up,” she said. “Right now it’s kind of chaotic in the transition. We’re getting this data together for next year’s SGA, and hopefully the council will take that and put it in a format to present it to the administration.”
The success of the initiatives does not guarantee that the changes will occur, as “the administration does not have to enact any of the measures,” Allcott said.
With 20 percent of the student body voting, Allcott said that the results from the initiatives show support from students and will be used to present “tangible results” to the administration.
McConnell said she hopes the initiatives are continued every semester.