SGA town hall discusses North Campus and strategic planning
Student Government Association‘s (SGA) meeting on Monday was a town hall session for the North Housing Survey team and a listening session for the Strategic Planning team. Both groups are in the planning stages of their projects, and came to SGA for student feedback.
North housing survey
Matthew Smith is a fixed-term faculty member and part of the survey team associated with future structural changes to North Campus. On Monday night, he facilitated a conversation with SGA meeting attendees to get their input on proposed renovations to that part of campus.
Before the fall 2022 semester, Larzelere and other residential halls on North Campus were utilized by students, but following a need for updates to the building, students that intended to live there for the 2022-2023 academic year were relocated.
The survey team had previously emailed a survey to students across the university, as well as distributed it to SGA representatives to bring back to the organizations they represent. After receiving over 800 responses, the survey team came to Monday's regularly scheduled SGA meeting for more specific feedback.
Smith walked the group through a series of questions related to amenities like kitchen appliances, air conditioning and exercise spaces to gauge interest levels and priorities.
Of those surveyed, Smith said, 92% would consider living in North Campus with the proposed renovations if the room rate was less than the standard hall; and 38% would consider that type of housing if the room rate was more than the standard hall.
According to the results of the same survey, a significant number of undergraduate students were interested in having a market in North Campus as well. More specifically, 79% responded that they would need or expect a market and 84% would utilize self-serve dining options like grab-and-go meals.
Alexandra Martinez is the associate director of Residence Life at Central Michigan University. She said Residence Life is deciding what changes to make based on student interest to keep third- and fourth-year undergraduates on campus.
Strategic planning engagement listening session
CMU’s most recent five-year plan, “Advancing Excellence” expired in 2022. Now the administration is in a stage of planning for the next five years. To do so, the Strategic Planning Committee has been hosting listening sessions with students, staff and faculty to get their input and fuel the first draft to be constructed in April of 2023.
A more comprehensive schedule is available here.
Monday night, Provost Nancy Mathews and Karen Arthur, director of student services, tag-teamed to facilitate a conversation with SGA. They asked three main questions.
- “How can CMU differentiate itself from competitors and provide significant value to students as a regional comprehensive research university in the future?
- “How can CMU best adapt to the changing needs of students?
- “How can CMU positively impact the following in a rapidly changing world:
- Communities?
- Meeting employer expectations?
- Meeting societal needs?”
Students at the meeting brought up a variety of concerns about campus, like a need to improve food pantry access for those experiencing food insecurity, and streamlining connections between students and the offices that can answer their questions.
Outside the listening sessions, the committee is also receiving student input through online surveys. These are available through the strategic planning website.
