SGA Open Forum A Disappointment to Many; Art Students Outraged

By Matt Orben
Rotunda ReporterI almost didn't believe that our SGA was holding an open forum. I had never heard of them having one before. A bunch of my fellow art majors told me about it and how this would be a good time to go and ask that the Bedford building be open longer. You see, last year, it was open from I believe 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Police would come at midnight to lock the doors and kick out any students. In the spring semester of last year, a card access pad, just like the ones we use to get into our residence halls, was installed on the front and back doors. The policy changed to 8:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m., but after 5:00 p.m., you had to use your card to enter. Anyone with a Longwood ID could enter. You don't need to be an art major or taking any classes or anything. The police would come at 5:00 p.m. to lock the one door without a pad and then come back at 12:00 a.m. to clear anyone out.

Our art professors promised us last year that after the card pads were installed, the Bedford building would be open 24 hours via the card pad. Since then, the policy has not changed. We used the open forum as a chance to voice our concern on the matter. We feel that there is no reason to keep the current policy in place. The safety issue in previous years has been non-Longwood personnel entering the building after hours. The card pad has solved that. Now we ask the building be open more to let us do our work. That is the thing that really bugs me. We WANT to do our assignments, but they won't let us. When we stated our case to the panel, Longwood Police Chief Beech replied that if we want to stay after hours, we have to tell a professor and they have to tell the police. The problem with that scenario is that art is not a set thing. I cannot receive a project and know how long it will take me. The creative process can be very lengthy, especially when mistakes happen. The Bedford building has facilities and supplies we NEED in order to do our work. If we could do everything in our dorm rooms, we would! Unfortunately, RCL frowns on blowtorches.

We showed them our side and how many of us wanted this change, but it was simply brushed off. The panel consisted of members of RCL, Dining Services, Police, SGA, Judicial Affairs, and Tim Pierson himself. Once Chief Beech dismissed it that was it. No one else spoke up or interjected. They clearly agreed or felt nothing at all. The rest of us sitting didn't know what to do. We rallied around 25 art majors and prepared an honest case and they just shrugged it off. The thing is, they did that to everyone! It's not even like I feel like only the art majors got a hard time, but everyone who had something to say did! Someone said the food in the dining hall was low in variety and the man from Dining Services simply replied with, "No it's not." A student asked why only one student is on the board to search for Longwood's next president and Tim Pierson simply explained the process of how the board was made, not why the students have such little voice. I sat there in disbelief. I felt like in a dream. What was going on?! Was this some sick joke?! Open Forum? What a joke! They put together this group of administrators who clearly don't have the answers to anything and pretend to care. It makes so much sense! The school looks like it cares what we think while smothering anyone who speaks up. I am most upset because I love Longwood! I love going to school here and I love our traditions, no matter how much my friends from home don't understand them. If I got a second chance, I would be here in a heartbeat. I am so hurt by this display because I never imagined the school I love doing this to its students. I have never been more ashamed of being a Lancer.