Student center funding denied
By Michele Thompson & Brendan Baker, staff writers
... Do students want the proposed Student Center? The vote is in, and it's a resounding "NO"! Out of approximately 8,000 students on North's campus, 1,619 submitted their vote electronically. You might be thinking that's only 20 percent, but it should be noted the Student Administrative Council is pleased by this number, which quadruples the average voter turnout of five. By November 20, a whopping 1,231 votes, or 76 percent, turned down the facility.
The leading reasons? The cost is too high and the timing is wrong for such a project.
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Fix It! Fixed!
By Tom Smeeth
... Two issues in previous issue were addressed by appropriate NSCC departments:
... - Tipped & damaged art structures were taken down, pending re-design.
... - Handicapped stall in Wellness Center men’s locker is now operational.
In further developments, this column will be given over to North sophomore Christopher Murdock, a business major working toward transfer. Murdock fields all inquiries to NowPolaris@gmail.com. Without a school ombudsperson, questions regarding school & community resources, it is hoped this column, in whatever form it continues, will be of service to address needs & queries.
... So, Dear Chris ...
... There has been a lot of backlash against the student government regarding this project, which Alexis Baranov (SAC Director) claims is unfairly grounded. According to Baranov, the Student Center was not originally an SAC idea. The administration felt that there was a distinct lack of strong community on campus and turned to the Student Center to solve the problem. Administration then handed the idea to the student body and urged them to champion the cause. It was the SAC's decision to hold a vote. In the end, it came down to poor marketing - Baranov claims many students misunderstood the proposition. Now would have been the cheapest time to undertake the project, as the construction crews are already on campus renovating the Technology building, and due to discounts in other variable costs such as labor that are due to the economic environment.
ReplyDelete... Students will be glad to hear this isn't the end of the discussion; the SAC really stepped up their game. On November 27, our student government emailed a follow up survey addressing the issues the proposal brought up. An excerpt from that letter follows:
... "It was often asked how a project like that could be initiated when some other particular, more critical student concern was left seemingly unresolved. In collective response to these concerns, the Student Council is asking that you help us identify what initiatives we should be pursuing that would most broadly affect the quality of campus life. This is a deliberate shift by SAC to move away from a reactive posture, as in the Student Center, towards proactive developments.
Specifically, we are looking for tangible efforts that can be accomplished by the end of this academic year. Listed below are several ideas that we are immediately prepared to initiate.
... --Clean, accessible water fountains to drink from and fill my reusable water container.
... --To have more social events on campus.
... --Improvements in study areas and lounges, to include new and comfortable furniture.
... --To have a campus composting program established to reduce waste.
... --To have clean, clear hot water readily available.
... --To submit my own suggestion.
... This proactive approach is hoped to lead to better outcomes in planing a student center, according to Baranov. Hopefully, student supported initiatives for the improvement of our campus will catch on until it's a place we can all be proud of. Finally, student involvement is as simple as selecting a bubble and clicking "submit," so student leadership has found a plan that isn't doomed from the start. However, the people-perspective is not to be lost in the political process, as well.
... It will likely be a while before North considers such an undertaking again, but renovations of existing areas for this purpose are under consideration. To express how we feel about such remodeling possibilities, I'm sure we can count on future surveys to help us out. Proactive communication is always helpful, as well.
Now, it is hoped, a keener ear from among the student body will find greater participation there.
... (Special thanks to Sabina Tomkins and Alexis Baranov, for their contributions in tracking the processes throughout covering this story.)