Guest speakers on ombuds, website changes at SGA
At a Student Government Association meeting on Nov. 29, two guest speakers from different on-campus organizations gave presentations and answered questions from students.
After Vice President Dylan Baker opened the general meeting with the newly introduced weekly Native Land Acknowledgement, guest speaker Deborah Dodge gave a presentation about her role as the University Ombudsperson.
Dodge described her position as a confidential neutral hired by an institution to help visitors with a problem determine a course of action. Her responsibilities include clarifying situations for visitors, identifying resources on campus, and collaborating to generate options for resolution.
“I truly care deeply about individual experiences within their organizations,” Dodge said.
If you are a student or faculty member who needs help resolving disputes or problem solving, you can visit Dodge in the University Ombuds Office located in Warriner Hall Room 214.
After Dodge finished her presentation, Associate Director Mark Strandskov from the Office of Information Technology addressed some student concerns that had generated from a school-wide survey.
Issues raised by students included spam emails, poor internet connection and difficulty registering new devices for Wi-Fi on campus. The OIT is working to solve some of these issues by simplifying the Wi-Fi onboarding process and improving signal strength in both indoor and outdoor spaces to provide a simple wireless experience all throughout campus.
OIT will also be making changes to the CMU website starting at 5 p.m. on Friday Dec. 10th. This should not affect Blackboard.
After breaking into their committees, SGA reconvened at the House and Senate meeting where they presented potential legislation to relocate the Student Food Pantry to a larger and more accessible space. The change in legislation was introduced by the Sustainability Committee in order to maximize resources provided by the pantry and minimize food insecurity among Central students. SGA will vote on the new legislation at the meeting next week.
Other news
On Wednesday Dec. 1, the Diversity Committee of SGA is hosting a “Speak Your Peace” event open to all students from 7-8:30 p.m. in the UC Auditorium. The topic this year is addiction and relapse in the pandemic.
On Friday from 5:30 to 10p.m., Program Board, Residence Housing Association and SGA will be hosting a formal homecoming style event in the UC Rotunda. The event is free for all students, and off campus guests are permitted if they register through engage prior to or at the event. Dinner will be provided. If you are interested in volunteering for the Golden Gala, contact Brianna Thiel, Thiel1be@cmich.edu.
