Features

    An Insight into Current Student Issues 

By Phia Huebner (shuebner@css.edu)

November 22, 2024

Over the course of this semester, there has been much chatter regarding student issues and higher administration's role in collaborative solutions. Some of the issues that the Student Government Association has expressed to St. Scholastica’s administration is the in-progress plan for an Admissions Welcome Center, expanding the space and resources of the Office of International Programming, and the use of the Student Center. 

       On Oct. 14 the Student Government Association sent out an email in hopes to inform the staff, faculty, and student body of these conversations, issues, and decisions being made regarding student life. The members of SGA wished to ensure transparency and open communication with the CSS community, as they feel decisions being made by Administration without student knowledge or input is problematic. It is the Student Government’s stance that the student body has a right to know about important decisions that will affect student life. 

     SGA felt this letter was necessary because the decision to put a Welcome Center in the old Campus Ministry space (T20) was made without acceptable communication with SGA and the student body as a whole. The Campus Ministry office has since moved into the Student Center, leaving an open space at the heart of the Student Union. On Friday, Sept. 27, an email from Administration was sent to faculty and staff members only regarding a new Admissions Welcome Center that would prospectively move into this recently vacated space. 

     A need for a new Welcome Center has been known for at least two decades. The question has always been the location. The current location of Admissions is on the first floor of Tower Hall. Unfortunately,  this location has proven difficult for prospective students and their families to find. It is also far from student life and is in a dark hallway with very little activity. A Welcome Center within the Student Union would allow prospective students a true glimpse into student life at St. Scholastica. Placing a Welcome Center in a student center or a student union is incredibly common on college campuses nationwide, as it creates a landing spot full of activity for touring students and their families. 

     It is Dr. Ryan Sandefer’s belief that prospective students are “an extension of our community” and that “the Welcome Center would provide a way to greet and demonstrate the values of the institution to prospective students and their families.” Providing a welcoming campus visit will make it more likely for prospective students to enroll at St. Scholastica, which would further grow our community of Saints; in the words of Dr. Sandefer, “the world needs more Saints.” Dr. Sandefer looks forward to continuing the dialogue with students and gaining the perspectives of the student body in regards to these issues. 

     The next steps for planning the implementation of a new Admissions Welcome Center will be the formation of a Working Group. This group will have a variety of people including individuals from facilities, marking, student affairs, and Student Government. The Working Group will be tasked with further discussing what a Welcome Center within the Student Union would look like, and how it would work into student life. This group will also consider options for other vacated spaces within Tower Hall such as the old SGA office. Deciding how to meet the needs of the growing Office of International Programs will also be a goal of this Working Group. 

     Investing in the aesthetics and structure of the Student Union and surrounding areas is an additional aspect of student life that the Working Group will be looking at. This could include new paint and furniture. The Student Union is, as Dr. Sandefer put it, “an artery” that connects the successful Student Center with the rest of student life. By placing a Welcome Center in this location, prospective students would truly experience what it means to be a Saint. 

     In meetings between SGA and administration, our student representatives firmly opposed a Welcome Center in the old Campus Ministry space. SGA hoped to move the Office of International Programs (OIP) into the adjacent and recently vacated T20. The current OIP space is no longer suitable for the amount of International Students on Campus. The international student community will continue to grow starting in Spring semester, which makes this a top-priority issue for SGA. Moving it across the hall into a much larger space would ensure that OIP stays in the same vicinity, making it easy to locate as well as still being near the majority of student activity.

     SGA representatives voiced many other concerns regarding the Welcome Center in meetings with  administrators such as President MacDonald, Ryan Sandefer, and Diane Vertin. The ground floor of Tower Hall holds safe spaces for students such as the Center for Just Living, the Intercultural Center, the Port, and the Office for International Programs. Many students feel that placing an Admissions Welcome Center at the focal point of all of this student life would disrupt these safe spaces. 

     Student Government Representatives also worry that students who use spaces like the CJL and IC would no longer feel comfortable. These spaces are mostly used by students of color and students who are a part of marginalized groups. By putting a Welcome Center right across from these safe spaces, students would be on display to prospective students and their families. The CJL and IC would no longer be a haven for students to unmask in.

     Administration is willing to work with SGA and the student body to figure out how the Welcome Center will work within student life, but does not seem willing to adhere to SGA’s wishes to find a new location for it.  

     Despite this, SGA representatives urge students to continue expressing their concerns and having their voices heard. Our Student Government wants to accurately represent the student body, and cares very much about the wellbeing of all students. If you have any questions or comments regarding these issues please feel free to reach out to your SGA representative or stop into their office hours.