President Harvey Stenger: B-

We’ve praised President Stenger in past report cards, awarding him with fairly high grades and acknowledging his effort to maintain an active presence on campus. He has this semester as well, but his interactions with Students for Change detract from his overall performance.

Stenger has performed fairly well in SFC’s presence. Looking back, dropping the microphone wasn’t the greatest idea, but he’s kept a brave face when dealing with the rather aggressive actions taken by SFC. The Stenger-SFC debacle, however, has shed some light on how transparent we’ll need our president to be in the future. He needs to be more open with what’s being done to address the issues SFC raised, and explain the precise purpose of each administrative position. The administration has still failed to deliver meaningful timelines for when changes on campus will take place, or even publicly addressed. There is no denying that there are serious issues of diversity at this University, and we have thus far been disappointed with progress.

Student Association: B+

This year’s elections were as contentious as they were confusing. The short period of time between announcing the list of candidates and voting itself left the student body largely unaware of the contestants and their campaigns. The tension surrounding the vice president for multicultural affairs position, coupled with the Planning, Research and Elections Committee’s decision to void Epiphany Munoz’s results and subsequently approve Ruslan Klafehn’s, resulted in a messy election season. Ultimately, elections became way too personal, and we’re hoping for a better and smoother process next year.

We’re also concerned about the state of training for our newly elected officials. We fear that Klafehn, who was elected to his position merely four weeks ago, isn’t being instructed as well as he should be. The current VPMA, Isis McIntosh, has been conspicuously absent from Student Congress meetings and campus life this year, and we are worried that next year will be no different. A lack of communication between our current VPMA and our future one will only lead to a succession of poor positions, and we don’t have any space for faulty administrations.

Student Association Programming Board: C+

Spring Fling did not go well. Yes, the SAPB puts on successful programming events all year and deserves praise for bringing Nick Offerman and Trey Songz to campus, but Spring Fling is the most important and well-attended event of the year.

There are no doubt factors outside of SAPB control, such as schedule conflicts with surrounding universities and the need to allocate resources toward paying back outstanding debt. Even with those challenges, these artists didn’t excite many students, especially when neighboring schools with smaller student bodies book more high-profile acts.

A poor-quality sound system dampened the concert experience. Many students in close proximity to the stage could barely hear the vocals. What fun is that? Binghamton Sound, Staging and Lighting and SAPB need to work together to create a contingency plan so that doesn’t happen again. It’s a waste of money to book artists if students can’t enjoy them.

Gym: D

As we discussed earlier this semester, the gym is overcrowded. The TRX contraption that takes up a wing of the gym may as well be a paperweight during high-traffic hours — while lines form for squat racks and benches, a significant amount of square-footage sits unused. The fact of the matter is that we need a bigger gym. All the shiny new equipment in the world can’t disguise the fact that actually completing a workout in a timely fashion is nearly impossible in the afternoon. Expansion of the old building or construction of a new gym altogether may require the University to spend more money and cut through more red tape, but it is the only way to fix this, especially as the student body continues to grow.

Off Campus College Transport: B+

OCCT has done a mostly excellent job meeting student needs this semester. The inbound/outbound system works well, and though buses are sometimes really late, the transportation service has been consistently reliable. The scanning system is pretty pointless right now — but we look forward to the improvements that it will bring next semester as the data analysis goes into effect.

Sports: A-

The athletics department has done a fantastic job in supporting women’s athletics this semester. BU hosted the women’s basketball and women’s tennis America East Championships and featured Rebecca Lobo as a speaker for the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon for three extraordinarily well-planned and impressive events. The climate surrounding women’s athletics at this University is particularly supportive, something we’re fortunate enough to take for granted.

That said, sports doesn’t get a flat A. Three players, including Jordan Reed, the face of the program the last two years, transferred from the men’s basketball program. That’s concerning, as men’s basketball is our biggest program. But the softball team won the conference title and Jesse Garn, Tyler Deuel and Keishorea Armstrong have made presences on a national stage, so some programs are excelling.