In this week’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting, Associate Vice President for Wellness and Auxiliary Services Matthew McGregor presented on student wellness in campus recreation and other auxiliary services he coordinates.
McGregor talked about the Student Health Center and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) as part of student wellness efforts at Longwood University. Per McGregor, the Student Health Center came to Longwood in July of 2015 with management partner Potomac Healthcare Solutions.
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The health center helps decrease out-of-pocket costs for students and ensures that they are typically seen the same day they go in. It offers acute care, first aid, sexual health exams, diagnostic testing, prescription services and immunization allergy clinics, according to McGregor.
CAPS provides individual and group therapy as well as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Learning Disability (LD) testing, per McGregor. It also provides training for undergraduate and graduate students.
McGregor also works with other auxiliary services such as facility operations, auxiliary budgets and parking coordination.
Facility operations include housekeeping and capital development while auxiliary budgets ensure efficiency and effectiveness of fiscal resources, according to McGregor.
Under parking coordination, McGregor works with enforcement, financial operations, communication and statistics, capital planning and space management and special events and transportation.
SGA Vice President Lucas Hobson brought up a resolution from last year that would decrease the cost of parking tickets from $50 to $25 for Longwood students and asked McGregor how close the resolution is to being utilized.
According to McGregor, it doesn’t seem like anyone is opposed to the resolution, but new software was put in over the summer so it needs to be confirmed the resolution could be used with the new software.
McGregor also said that it could be a possibility to include parking passes in tuition for students who wish to have that added in.
Senator Jalyn Jones asked if Parking Services has thought about going back to a semester pass instead of a full year one. McGregor said the reason it switched was due to students saying they forgot what pass they had purchased. He then said students can still purchase a semester parking pass, but extra steps must be taken.
Per McGregor, one reason a student could get a semester pass is if they only have or need their car for one semester and said that students can get a refund on their passes if not used for a semester.
Jones also asked if there is a way to make ADD/LD testing less expensive through CAPS since it is $500. McGregor said that price is one-half to two-thirds of the price of a typical test. Per McGregor, it can also be covered by insurance and payment plans can be implemented for students in tough financial situations.
Junior Class President Haleigh Pannell asked if a mandatory mental health seminar has been thought of for club sports teams and McGregor said that would be a great idea for athletes since there is training to look out for physical injuries such as concussions.
During open forum, Black Student Association (BSA) Representative Tyreicq Wilson-Jones asked if the lights can be fixed on campus because it is starting to get darker earlier, and the lampposts don’t turn on to accommodate that.
David Love, director of landscaping and grounds management/sustainability, told Senate the issue is being worked on and is caused by a glitch in the system due to daylight savings time.
During the president’s report, President Josh Darst said he’s talked with Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs, to address dining issues such as food gone bad. Darst also said he reached out to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to talk about new meal swipe options for Longwood’s campus.
Virginia 21 and State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Representative Mary Zell Galen asked if food in the Au Bon Pain bakery can have ingredient lists because people with allergies don’t know what’s in the baked goods.
During the vice president’s report, Hobson urged Senate to contact head of departments to address concerns instead of just posting to social media.
The Longwood Lions constitution was approved during Historian Megan Bland’s report.
The next SGA meeting will be Nov. 13 at 3:45 p.m. in the Wilson Chamber located in Upchurch University Center.
Matthew McGregor, associate vice president for Wellness and Auxiliary Services, discusses health services available from the university as well as addressing past concerns regarding parking services.
Junior Class President Haleigh Pannell suggests that greek life and sports clubs go to mental health seminars to improve awareness.
