Last Wednesday’s Town Hall Meeting allowed students the opportunity to question and express concerns to members of the University’s administration regarding any aspect of campus life.
While the event was scantily attended, averaging no more than 40 present at a time over the course of the nearly hour-and-a-half long session, Student Association president Michael Schiffman considers the event to have been a success.
“I was actually quite pleased with the turnout,” Schiffman said. “Especially because we got the word out so late on this, I don’t think we could have expected much of a better turnout.”
Schiffman said he viewed attendance as a vast improvement over the last Town Hall Meeting held in April by then SA president Mike Smyth, with an audience of around 20.
The event enabled students to submit questions to be asked to members of the University administration. The administrators in attendance, Vice President for Administration James VanVoorst, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mary Ann Swain and Vice President for Student Affairs Rodger Summers, then responded to these questions in front of an audience of students and faculty.
“The meeting as a whole went smoothly, with a combination of questions that were written ahead of time and ones that the audience members gave during the meeting,” said SA Academic Vice President Rebecca Kaufman.
Topics ranged from the apparent impossibility of a BU football team to the controversial art exhibit currently on display in the Fine Arts building.
Swain fielded questions regarding class availability in popular majors, the growing need for classroom space and plagiarism enforcement.
“I think it’s important for everybody to learn how to conduct your own intellectual work without infringing on the rights of others,” she said. “It is the most fundamental principle about a university … that you do your own work.”
VanVoorst answered questions regarding both current and future construction taking place on campus and urged students to be patient with current construction plans.
“There is so much activity going on, on campus, with rehabilitation, alterations and just general cleaning that we have a list that’s very long,” he said. “We have a staff that works very hard and very long at getting through all of those projects and getting it done right. It just takes time.”
Summers addressed issues students had with residential life and campus programs, answering questions specifically on extending Health Center hours and the Alcohol.edu program.
While Schiffman considers the evening to have been a success, he emphasizes there is room for improvement. One such way would be to increase student participation and attendance.
“If students want the administration to listen to us, we have to hold them accountable by showing strong attendance at these meetings and then give them feedback,” he said. “They like attending these kinds of events, and they actually do listen to our suggestions and what we have to say.”
Kaufman echoed this sentiment and suggested that an increase in attendance would lend greater power to the event.
“I feel that the Town Hall [Meetings] would have greater impact if students who often complain about issues on campus to the Student Association came out and voiced their complaints directly to the administration instead of always through us,” she said.
Send any suggestions or questions for upcoming Town Hall Meetings to townhall@sa.binghamton.edu.