During the Tues., Nov. 9 meeting of the Student Government Association (SGA), Vice President of Information & Instructional Technology Services (IITS) Dr. Frank Moore came to give his yearly presentation. He brought two issues to the SGA, one that is of high concern for students and one that is of high concern for the university.
First, he touched on the fact that they have received a number of complaints regarding issues with XBOX Live. He explained that resources are limited but the department is looking into seeing what is wrong. Longwood is working with the University of Nebraska, who is also experiencing the same issues. There have been complaints about the system being slow, or not working, and the department is doing experiments to try and figure out what is wrong. One of the possible reasons for the problems might be issues of illegal downloading on campus.
That was the second concern Moore brought to the SGA. Illegal downloading is a major issue right now, and he explained that back in September, a student downloaded a complete copy of the movie"Inglorious Basterds" and almost brought the entire network down. He also explained that last semester, four students were processed through the judicial system for illegal downloading, but this semester there have already been 30 students who have been processed for the issue.
Moore expressed that if they don't get the issue under control, the university could face consequences such as losing the federal aid that funds the university's financial federal aid and federal work-study.
Rosa Towns was sworn in as the multicultural affairs representative for the SGA. Secretary Brian Reid explained that the dumpsters in the Wynne parking lot have been scheduled to be picked up over Thanksgiving Break and will be returned in April for spring move out. He explained when the dumpsters get picked up, it will free about ten or so more spots in Wynne.
There have been issues with several residence halls being very cold. The best way to control the issue is to put in a work order. That is how the Resident and Commuter Life Department (RCL) know there is an issue that needs to be fixed.
One senator brought up an idea about a new parking pass option. She explained that she works off-campus and has to leave her room at 5 a.m. to walk to Wynne parking lot to get her car. She said it is still dark and the Farmville Area Bus (FAB) isn't running, making it an unsafe transit to her car.
She suggested that students who could show proof of things such as work or practicum could apply for a pass that would allow them to park in a commuter spot closer to their residence hall between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., or whenever the FAB begins running again.
SGA President Ben Brittain talked about budget issues, explaining that Longwood would most likely face four to six percent budget reductions, which could result in university positions being lost. Brittain said he is fighting for all faculty positions to remain intact, since they are most crucial to the educational process.
Brittain suspects the university will receive a one percent mid-semester tuition increase, which would amount to about $500 per student, and would give the university an extra $250,000. It has yet to be announced what the final budget decision will be.
Brittain also wrote a letter to University Registrar Glenn Parker, explaining that many students had no idea when to register, and experienced issues registering for both intersession and spring session classes. He expressed that many students felt dissatisfaction and exasperation regarding the registration process.
Senator James Pinc talked about the Honor Board New Faculty luncheon that was held over the weekend. He said a majority of the new faculty showed up, and most have a better understanding of how the Honor Board and judicial procedure works and what to do if they need to send a student to the Honor Board.
The constitution of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship of Hampden-Sydney College and Longwood was approved.
Reid will be stepping down as secretary next semester, and the senators will spend the week nominating potential candidates to be voted on next week. The next SGA meeting will be held on Tues., Nov. 16 at 3:45 p.m.
