The Student Government Association held its spring town hall meeting with the university president, vice presidents and representatives in Grambling Hall Wednesday night. Not many students were in attendance, possibly due to the lack of promotion.
But students weren’t the only people missing. Notably absent among administrators were Police Chief Craig Nance and Aramark manager Chuck Paterson.
University President Dr. Frank Pogue urged students to attend the spring convocation, which will be held April 5.
He will give updates on his administration and what they are doing to move Grambling State University into the future.
One of the first issues addressed was the glitch in the Banner Web system.
It caused confusion on Monday, the first day of early registration for the fall 2011 semester. The glitch caused a lot of classes to not be visible and some class schedules were incorrect.
Dr. Paul Bryant, interim vice president of Enrollment Management and Retention assured students that the glitch was fixed.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Connie Walton then answered a bulk of questions dealing with academic matters. Students brought up the lack of help they receive in some departments and the disrespectful professors they encounter.
“Come and see me in my office. I will personally meet with any professor and try to sort out the problem,” she said. She also noted that the academic affairs is working with the deans of each department to create new curriculums.
“We are working on lowering the number of hours you have to obtain to receive your degree. Around 120 credit hours is the goal, but some may be slightly higher,” Dr. Walton stated.
She said that the office is in the process of writing a $2 million dollar grant for the college of Arts & Sciences. The grant would help get academic coaches to help students to be more successful in the classroom.
Vice president of Student Affairs Dr. Stacey Duhon, told students, “We need your input, tell us who you would like to see come to Grambling.
“We are currently working on getting Cornell West to come speak in the fall,” Dr. Duhon said.
If students have a problem with a professor, department or any part of their experience at GSU, they can fill out a student complaint form.
The complaint form can be found online or they can deliver it to student affairs. A response will be received within two weeks.
Students also voiced their concerns on the air conditioning being off in the café and the lack of food options. Aramark representative was not present, so those questions were left unanswered.
“Don’t be afraid to voice your concerns. We are here to help you,” Dr. Pogue said.