Administration, SGA meet to talk campus improvements over lunch.
Bettering campus life was one of the main focuses during the Student Government Association’s Lunch with the President event Friday.
Lunch with the President is a once-a-semester event where SGA senators eat lunch with administration and discuss university issues.
Most of the issues brought up at this year’s event had to do with enhancing the on-campus experience for all students. First, Senator Trey Jones suggested that more activities take place on weekends so that students have something to do other than leave.
“Students have been telling me on the weekends that they don’t have much to do, and they feel like they need to go home,” Jones said.
SGA Adviser Laura Jennings said that SGA and CAB have already been working on that. Recently, CAB hosted a “battle ball” tournamen
t on a Saturday, and they are ordering equipment that will allow for some “recurring weekend activities.”
Some events are being moved to different days of the week to encourage students to stay on campus. For example, the annual Ms. ULM pageant is being moved to a Friday this year from its normal Thursday spot.
Another issue brought up was food selection at the SUB. Senator J’Lyn Henderson said many students have to quickly get food from the SUB between classes due to time crunches, but they are dissatisfied with the higher prices. Henderson suggested adding a cheaper food option such as McDonald’s or a pizza place.
Tommy Walpole, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises, said that he would ask Robert Hoag, director of dining services, about the idea.
One other food-centered problem brought up was that Schulz Cafeteria is only open until 8 p.m., but on Tuesdays many students have meetings back-to-back that don’t get out until after closing time. Walpole also agreed to look into possibly extending cafeteria hours on Tuesdays.
SGA and campus administration are working on reducing litter and adding more lighting. Camile Currier, vice president of Student Affairs, said a lighting assessment is in progress, and students can expect improved lighting all over campus soon.
Currier also addressed several comments from senators about adding crosswalks to several parts of campus as well as raising some painted crosswalks. He said while nothing can be guaranteed, it can certainly be looked into. New painted crosswalks in front of Hemphill Hall are the products of last semester’s Lunch with the President.
