Cabinet Chat: What’s Going to Change on Campus

Grace Williams, Business and Social Media Manager

   On Thursday, October 24, Students posed questions to several members of the cabinet: Melany Kyzer, Provost, Mike Redwine, Vice President Student Development, Terry Toler, V.P. for University Advancement and Church Relations, Linda Cantwell, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Scott Strawn, Chief Financial Officer. Michael Houston, Associate Dean of Students, also attended and offered insights. Instead of sitting on a panel, the cabinet was dispersed among the student tables in order to foster a better discussion environment.

Can the Health Center be open during Chapel and lunch?

   Redwine said, “The reason that the health center is closed during chapel is so that we can show that our campus truly values chapel. We don’t want students running on campus errands during chapel hour. Additionally, we have seen an increase in health center usage. In August and September 2011, 242 students used services, in 2012, 501 and this year 699. However, enrollment has stayed flat, and the health fee has remained the same, so the staff is seeing more students without more resources. If students want to pay more in health fees, then we could consider opening it during these times.”

Can SNU contract a Masseuse?

   Strawn said, “We have hired a masseuse during finals week and other such events. We are willing to look into it.”

   Redwine said, “I will look into options and talk to the health center about it.”

Can the WIFI be improved?

   Strawn said, “We are working on the wifi. We moved to the new snu wifi, which is better but has less coverage. We have worked to improve specific areas where internet access wouldn’t reach at all. If someone is having a problem with coverage, please fill out a work order. The hard thing about improving the internet is that every time we buy more bandwidth more is used. We recommend students bring ethernet cables to plug in items like video game consoles, computers and tvs in the residence hall.”

Can webprint.snu.edu be improved?

   Strawn said, “We are moving to a new printer system that will be implemented by next semester called paper cut. All the on campus printers will be replaced with smarter printers that require the person printing to tap their ID to pick up their print, which can be done on any printer on campus. Students will be able to pick the pages they want to print, print double sided, turn the documents, print up to 5 documents at once and print color on any printer for a larger fee.  All prints will now cost 5 cents, and students will be given $25 worth of credit each semester.”

   Can we have a forum on my.snu.edu or a place where students can pose questions to the right person and get a timely response?

   Strawn said, “It is technologically possible, but it may not be the best option for what is wanted. We will discuss the option as we develop the new computer system.” The cabinet chat participants discussed different possibilities that could improve this option.

   Can we post the order number on the tv’s in Pops rather than having an employee yell the orders, which does not create a good environment in the commons?

   Strawn said, “That is a great suggestion, and we will keep it in mind as we evaluate a new food service plan.”

   Can the dinner hours be adjusted in Pops?

       Strawn said, “As it is set up now, the staff stays here in the afternoon. With the new contract we can change the system completely, and with upcoming focus groups, we hope to know what the students want for a provider.”

    Can the Snowbarger boys get something to dry their hands on?

   Houston said, “The reason we no longer provide paper towels is because an entire stack of paper towels were stuffed down a toilet on three different occasions. This cost SNU $18,000 to repair all the damage associated with this. We have been researching hand dryers and found that all hand dryers made before 2008 are not hygienic. They spray the germs all around  the bathroom. The new dyson ones are sanitary but cost $3,000 each. Ron Lester in facilities management has bids on hand dryers currently. We hope to have some soon but cannot say when we will get them.”

How can we involve the whole campus in recycling efforts?

   Strawn said, “Our current waste management provider is now offering plastic recycling. We will soon have a bin for plastic, paper and aluminum outside of Hills and Chapman. People can bring their recycling bins outside to these areas, and it will be recycled. Someday, I hope SNU can purchase single stream recycling, where we would throw everything into the trash can, and a company would sort our trash for recyclable products and recycle them.”

Will SNU install ‘Hero’ lights when replacing and installing outdoor lights to combat light pollution?

   Strawn said, “We really don’t think about light pollution very much. On the new science building, the lights are dark sky compliant, and we try not to buy lights that throw light 360 degrees around. However, our main focus when it comes to lighting are having cost efficient lights that lit an area appropriately so that it is safe at night.

Why were people chopping branches on the Shoe Tree?

   Houston said, “In order for the tree to be healthy, we must prune it. If an ice storm comes while it has many branches, the tree will die. We will have to prune the shoe tree again. The shoes will also be put back on the branches.”

Why were R.A.’s replaced with people that did not go through the application process and chosen as alternates?

   Redwine said, “We do not choose the best 28 people to be R.A.’s; we choose the best 8 to work in Bracken, 4 to work in Chapman etc. Each residence area has different needs that can be met by different people. We will be changing the alternate system for next year so that will not be an issue. We will either have alternates by residence or not have alternates at all.”

   If you want to discuss any of these issues or bring up something new, come to the Campus Conversation Club on October 29th on the 3rd floor of the library.