On behalf of the Student Government Association we hope that your mid-term grades are pleasing to your eye sight and you are prepared for the sprint to the end. We also know that for many seniors these final days represent the final lap of a race you have running for a while now. Many expressed concerns of what will happen in the midst of this broken economy, but we encourage you to stay focused. As the clock ticks away at the Semester that is spring 2009 this is a mid-semester briefing to inform students what we have accomplished, where we are thus far and where we need to focus.
We began this semester by addressing growing concerns of the food court. Members of SGA met with Mrs. Shakira Hardsion and here food Service staff to address concerns of the early closure of the sitting areas of the Tiger Express Food Court.
Out of this meeting we mutually agreed that the food court may partially shut down sitting areas early but only if the crowd is small and it is not forcing student out before schedule time of closing. We also discussed concerns regarding a 2nd cashier being trained to begin operating the 2nd register in the food Court. Earlier this semester the SGA hosted a town hall meeting where students and administrators shared issues concerning GSU and how we could collectively move forward together.
It has been a long time coming but we have purchased three vans to transport students to Ruston and the Monroe area. At this point we are still working out the details such as scheduling, routes and hiring drivers. This project is taking time so that we are able to provide students with the highest quality of service without interruption once the service begins. Please note that the vans have arrived on and is secured on campus!
On March 20, the SGA finalized a project to modernize Campus Communication this project is aimed at reducing paper flyers and outdated methods of generating significant messages and events (i.e. Convocations, Rising Junior Exams, Final Exam Schedules, and Deadlines).
The project consists of three 42 inch monitors, and a host server to generate messages to the network. The project would place the monitors in three of the most populated academic buildings. Jacob T. Stewart, Carver Hall, Woodson Hall, and We intend to add more monitors in fall 2009.
With the collaborative effort of the Student Union Board students now have the opportunity to enjoy a state of the art gaming/recreational facility and the movie theater should be finished soon. These two projects had been stalled long before this year; with the collaborative leadership of the Student Union Board, Coach Ponton and Dr, Duhon simply remained consistent to seeing its completion.
We are also pleased to note that The SGA Senate has accepted and approved all application submitted for organization funding thus far. This funding program assist student groups that are seeking to travel to conferences, conventions, research projects, competitions, and study abroad programs to receive skills and extra training during college. This SGA has been committed to the idea of assisting students in interacting and networking beyond the Grambling campus.
Now as we begin to transition into another academic year here are some simple but task consuming things that I encourage students to focus on. First and Foremost! Continue Holding Student Leaders Accountable to their Commitment to serve you.
I can stress that enough. Another critical aspect to student life and learning is we deserve a 21st century library and it is time to get on track to begin securing one.
If we can add a fee to our tuition to get a game room and movie theater we should take priority investing in a library that meets our needs while reflecting the age we live as well as demanding the state to pitch a helping hand. Or explore options of privatization, but some may argue that option may be too costly.
We should also focus on recycling, energy conservation and green initiatives. There are too many millions in federal money for GSU to pass up the opportunity to meet these needs. Enhancing our classroom environment; the tools we use in our class room have become too worn out and outdated.
It is time for to throw away the chalkboard and invest in digital smart boards. We should view our class as if it is our work environment. Studies show that people learn better when they are learning in an environment that complements their goals. Finally but simply put increasing school Spirit and enjoy GSU. Trust me GSU is changing more than ever before.