The majority of the open forum was spent in discussion of the current issue surrounding the Spirit Rock.
The senior gift last year was designated as a spirit rock, which is currently located in Lancer Park. The rock was proposed to be moved on campus, but was not moved due to an unofficial veto by current SGA President Garner.
If the rock is moved to campus, the new proposed location is in the grass area beside the library by the road. According to Paige Rollins, last year’s senior class president, rules and regulations had been drafted for the Spirit Rock and are able to be changed based on the current SGA input. Rollins is planning on contacting alumni in order to bring together monetary donations for the spirit rock should SGA decide to move it.
Rollins stated that the backup plan for the senior gift is patio furniture to be placed in front of the new Maugan’s Alumni Center.
Several arguments were made to keep the Spirit Rock in Lancer Park because of the perceived lack of Longwood spirit there, and that the rock would still be accessible by students.
Other arguments were made that the rock would not be as easily accessible to students in Lancer Park as it would be on campus. An SGA member brought up the point that many students would not make the effort to go to Lancer Park for the rock.
Another SGA member showed concern for Longwood students being in agreement with the financial cost of moving the rock, while another asked if the gift of patio furniture to the alumni center would still be given if the Spirit Rock stayed in Lancer Park.
Advertisement opportunity on the rock was also brought up in discussion. Different organizations could use the rock to promote themselves to potential members. Although some SGA members thought the rock would give better advertisement exposure on campus, one member thought the rock would be a better advertisement to Lancer Park residents.
Rollins stated that the current location of the rock is right beside a student residence and could be a privacy or disturbance issue for those residents.
The concern for the success of the rock was in whether or not the students would actually use it. If the students don’t respond to the rock, then it could potentially be unsuccessful in its determined purpose.
One suggestion was for the use of cinder blocks instead of the rock that was provided by an SGA member.
Another concern brought up during Open Forum was the division of the organizations into five tiers. It was confirmed that these tiers are simply a way to organize the organizations into groups. The different tiers makes no change in how much money an organization is able to request from SGA and doesn’t affect the possibility of receiving money. It was stated that the only difference between the tiers was that the first tier organizations such as WMLU, Lancer Productions and the Ambassadors, are able to request organization t-shirts. However, the possibility of money being provided for the t-shirts is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Another concern addressed during open forum was parking by the Health Center. The parking currently consists of commuter spaces and two two-hour parking spots. Many SGA members expressed concern over the possibility of parking tickets when trying to receive healthcare from the Health Center.
Dr. Tim Pierson, the vice president for student affairs, stated that if students are using the parking spots for the Health Center, they could possibly call the parking office and let them know that they are parked there for the time that they will be in the Health Center. He also said that there is an appeal process to contest tickets and that a representative from Parking Services could be contacted by SGA for questions about parking.
Pierson closed the discussions in the open forum with encouragement for students to collect Longwood memorabilia from any Longwood alumni acquaintances or relatives. The memorabilia is encouraged to be donated to the new Maugan’s Alumni Center for display.
Different events across campus were announced before adjournment.
The next SGA meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22 at 3:45 p.m. in the Student Union.
