Written by Carly Kester
With the last few weeks of the semester approaching, the Student Association has been discussing changes recently that could be made to improve student life next semester.
A big improvement the SA has made is working with people’s concerns about parking. It managed to get 30 more parking spots near the cafeteria.
It has also talked about changing some things in the Ganus Athletic Center. The idea of having free weights in the gym has been brought up along with making swim time for both men and women longer. Another suggestion was to have the gym open until 11 p.m.
“The gym is only open until 10 p.m. because curfew used to be at 11 p.m.” SA president Bryan Clifton said. “So we’re trying to make it change for the 12 a.m. curfew.”
Another aspect of student life the SA is trying to improve on is attendance at basketball games and the Rhodes’ Rowdies. The idea of planning costume-themed games based on the opponents, with prizes for best costume, was mentioned.
“We want to find ways to increase school spirit, and this was one thing suggested to get students more excited about sports,” Clifton said.
Chapel is also a big topic of discussion within the SA. One thing considered was changing chapel skips from 10 excused absences and five unexcused absences to 15 absences altogether. Another was to have students change chapel seats sometime in the middle of the semester.
“This would give students a change in surroundings and an opportunity to meet others instead of sitting by the same people all semester,” Clifton said.
Other possibilities regarding chapel include adding a Facebook page, an option for students to text or Tweet suggestions about chapel and have more student-led devotionals.
A service project idea that was introduced is MANA (Mother Administered Nutritive Aid), an organization whose goal is to end malnutrition in Africa. A campuswide devotional was also suggested for next semester.
Topics that were briefly discussed include having more men’s and women’s open houses, starting Public Safety golf carts at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m., and making changes in the testing lab.
Upcoming events are Midnight Breakfast on Monday, Dec. 14, at 10 p.m. and an open SA meeting at the start of next semester Jan. 14 in which students can give their input on SA activities.
