In this week’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting, VA 21 and SCHEV Representative Mary Zell Galen gave a brief overview of the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and Brent Roberts, dean of the library, talked about new updates for the Greenwood Library.
According to Galen, SCHEV is the coordinating body for higher education in Virginia with 15 representatives from all of the public schools, four from community colleges and two from private institutions all meeting twice a semester.
Many of SGA’s program ideas, like the mental health clause, come from SCHEV, according to Galen.
Galen also presented campus updates and concerns among other universities. Per Galen, issues like civic engagement, housing, food insecurity, campus inclusivity and freedom of speech were concerns for a select number of universities while parking and tuition were issues for nearly all them.
Roberts updated SGA on some of the requests that were sent in last semester in an SGA meeting. According to Roberts, DVDs can now be renewed online and holds can be put in place for checked-in items.
Roberts also said whiteboards can be checked out for 72 hours and can be taken outside of the library, and 26 more whiteboards are available in the library.
New additions have also been added to the library, such as new exhibits upstairs and collaborative spaces in the rooms that housed offices that moved to Brock Hall. Per Roberts, a new College Newspaper Readership Program will provide a digital version of the New York Times.
Overdrive, an audiobook system, is also available in the library with 130 titles. So far, 80 of them have been used, according to Roberts.
Historian Megan Bland asked about extending Friday hours to be more accommodating to students. As of right now, Friday hours for the library 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Roberts said the amount of people who are in the library in the later hours are constantly being documented in case changes are made. According to Roberts, more and more people are in the library around closing time on Fridays.
Per Roberts, if hours are changed again, Friday hours will be most likely to change first.
Senator Catherine Swinsky asked if Saturday and Sunday hours could be switched to be more convenient for students. Roberts said Sunday hours are changed during finals week to open the library earlier.
During open forum, Senator Megan Garrett updated SGA on a meeting she had with Longwood University Police Department (LUPD). According to Garrett, new blue lights will be installed on the way to Lancer Park and the Landings.
Garrett also said LUPD was not responsive to the idea of steps being built at the huge hill of the freshman parking lot at Lancer Park.
Senator Joseph Hyman said there were three different reports made to him about the Farmville Area Bus (FAB) being 10 minutes late and/or early.
College of Business and Economics Representative Samuel Torpy reminded the senate that the sexual assault awareness campaign hosted by the College of Business and Economics begins on Oct. 3 and ends on Oct. 31.
Haleigh Pannell, junior class president, made a complaint that the women’s bathrooms in Ruffner Hall have uncomfortably large gaps between the stalls and the walls.
Bland announced lights beside the library have been fixed.
During the president’s report, President Josh Darst announced two panels will be held in town hall on mental health and sexual assault/Title IX. Dates are to be determined, according to Darst.
Darst also said SGA is working with the Robert Russa Moton Museum to host an educational program.
Darst announced Ellen Tucker, a sophomore nursing major, is trying to push for service animals in training to be allowed in university facilities.
Continue to follow the Rotunda for more updates.
The next SGA meeting will be Oct. 9 at 3:45 p.m. in the Martinelli Board Room located in the Maugans Alumni Center.
Brent Roberts, dean of the library, presented the new additions and changes to the Greenwood Library.
VA 21 and SCHEV Representative Mary Zell Galen gave a presentation on some of the concerns that universities are facing including parking and tuition as a commonality.
