A goal-oriented organization on campus, VISION, acts as a living suggestion box to put into action the ideas and proposals of Binghamton University students.
“Students can submit an idea, a suggestion or a proposal to VISION and no matter how developed or underdeveloped the idea is we can provide the student with the necessary tools to make it a reality,” said Nick Wan, the president of VISION. “Our motto is ‘make it happen.’”
According to Amanda Hunte, a senior marketing major who submitted ideas to VISION, many students on campus have ideas that they want to see happen on campus, but since they are not on the executive board of the Student Association they assume it is not worth discussing.
“VISION is the solution to that problem, because this organization is meant to take students’ ideas and make them actually happen,” she said.
VISION also accepts proposals from students who are not interested in working to put the plan into action.
“We usually refer the students to the right people who could best get the project done,” Wan said. “The person who originates the vision has no obligation to see it through. We have people here to do it for them.”
Currently there are around 30 students involved with VISION, as well as Student Association President Adam Amit, Wan and four vice presidents.
Although VISION was started on campus this semester, they already have eight programs that started as ideas from students and are currently works in progress.
Wan, Amit and the vice presidents meet once a week to discuss program ideas. The rest of the members are split into groups depending on the number of programs that are in the works. Within each group, a coordinator is chosen and then these individual groups meet to make the ideas happen.
“VISION is a grassroots effort,” Wan said. “There are many projects going on at one time. They are all assigned to a different coordinator and foster student creativity.”
The groups are currently working on a series of projects.
There will be a parking ticket raffle through C.O.P.S. — Concerns of Police Survivors — and the Rainbow Foundation Charity Event, which will help develop and execute a charitable event promoting cancer awareness. The advertising and marketing for this raffle will also take place through the marketing and advertising sections of VISION.
Another program that VISION is working on is to have a mural painted in the hallway that connects the Old University Union to the New University Union. Members of VISION plan to work with BU Physical Facilities, administration and student artists to create a mural on this blank wall.
According to Wan, VISION is currently exploring themes for this mural.
“Shout Out!” a BU outdoor chalk event, is also in the works through VISION.
According to Wan, they want to bring in 3-D chalk artists to draw on an area of pavement somewhere on campus. Students working on this project will collaborate with Physical Facilities to allow students to draw artwork and graphic messages on a slot of pavement.
Events planned for the spring are already in the works through VISION as well. These events are still in their developmental stages but include organizing an all-greek philanthropic event such as a dance marathon, and a student talent showcase.
According to Amit, VISION is helping put together a haunted house out of the SA vice president for programming’s office.
The coordinator of the haunted house was doing well but needed some help to finalize and organize everything, so she reached out to VISION who helped her make it happen, Amit said.
Hunte came up with two ideas over the summer that she has already started working on, and hopes to see them happen at BU. One of the programs is a cultural awareness program, where cultural groups in the SA will have a chance to share their cultures with other students.
“Even though this is my last year here at Binghamton, I am very excited to be a part of VISION,” Hunte said. “It may sound like a stretch, but any student’s idea that is brought to VISION could in fact become a tradition here at Binghamton.”