President Mary Ellen Mazey made an appearance at the first Undergraduate Student Government meeting Monday night.
Mazey identified one of her personal goals for this year as implementing strategic planning. Another goal involves stabilizing leadership at the University, as there has been extensive turnover in the administration. She said she also wants to ensure the administrators are working together.
Mazey said she would bring a new leadership style.
“I’m very open and transparent,” she said.
New ways to make Mazey more available to students were discussed, including Mazey’s suggestion that she take groups of students out to lunch or dinner.
Building the image and visibility of the University is also a concern, Mazey said.
Mazey said one thing she heard students complain about at the University was how cold it got in the winter, and, though she couldn’t change the weather, she said there might be a solution.
Her solution was to renovate the inside of the three buildings that are connected on campus – Mosely, Hannah and University Halls. The renovations would make it possible for incoming students to take most of their classes in the three connected halls. She said Notre Dame University had a similar system and had approximately 99% retention.
She then asked the USG members for their questions and advice, as well as asking them a few questions.
Other topics covered at the USG meeting:
Undergraduate Member of the Board of Trustees:
Beau Slater is the new undergraduate student representative for the University Board of Trustees, and he said he is looking forward to working with USG and beginning to identify what the students want. Slater is an Applied Health Science major and a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He has worked in Greek Life and is currently the Vice President of Judicial Affairs for the University’s Interfraternity Council. Slater takes part in planning “B!G Event,” a community service event that takes place annually, and has been on the Dean’s List for many semesters as well as being a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. He will serve for a term that began July 13 and ends May 17, 2013.
Whipple Recognized:
USG also unanimously passed a resolution to thank and recognize Dr. Whipple for his services to the University. The resolution specifically thanked Whipple for his work in creating the Office of the Dean of Students, renovating the student code of conduct, bringing the athletic program into the Division of Students Affairs, along with other accomplishments. Whipple is the former vice president of student affairs and worked closely with USG. He left the University on July 1 to be a senior fellow at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in Washington, D.C.
TARTA:
USG President Emily Ancinec spoke about TARTA (Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority) and the rumors of them possibly having a bus travel between Bowling Green and Toledo. Ancinec conveyed information about it from the administrators and said the effort of a group of students, not TARTA, had begun the discussion on campus. Administrators contacted TARTA and asked if they were interested in coming to the University. TARTA said they were not interested at the time. A group of students started a Facebook group called “BGSU students for TARTA service” and began the movement for it on campus, said Ancinec. The group of students asked for USG to endorse them, but Ancinec was wary of the request, and said they wouldn’t endorse the group without more information. Ancinec said she wouldn’t respond without the input of the other USG members. She also said the University was wary about the logistics of working with TARTA. She did want to disprove rumors that if TARTA did come to campus, that students would be charged an additional fee. She said students would not have an overall fee, but they would pay bus fare on a trip-by-trip basis. Ancinec said USG is contemplating inviting a key person with knowledge of the issue to speak at a future USG meeting.
Note: Updates are soon to come concerning TARTA in The BG News.
