Student government officers who attended Saint Mary's Board of Trustees meetings last week shared their most significant topics of discussion with the Board of Governance Monday.
The subcommittee meetings focused on issues including the new academic building, campus security and a lack of student body, participants said.
Trustee members arrived on campus Wednesday for the final Trustees meeting of the year, Student Trustee Jill Vlasek said, and standing committee meetings were underway Thursday. The full Board of Trustees meeting took place Friday.
Nine student government officers participated in various subcommittee meetings focusing on topics such as student life, education and enrollment management.
"[Student participants] brought input to the discussion as needed, and all of the students helped me provide an update at the Student Life meeting about major events that have happened since the start of the school year," Vlasek said. "Many committees did not necessarily have action items since it was so early in the year, so we mainly were participating in some interesting discussions."
A significant change to the Board of Trustees in relation to the student body was the addition of the Student Diversity Board (SDB) president as an active member on the committee level.
"In the past, the SDB president has been invited as a guest, but they didn't have a vote, and now she sits on the committee as a member," student body president Kellye Mitros said.
SDB president Amanda Shropshire was a member of the inaugural Committee on Enrollment Management. Discussion focused on the College's continuing struggle with low enrollment numbers, as well as a lack of diversity in the student body, Shropshire said.
"[Vice President for Enrollment Management Dan Meyer] gave a whole power point presentation," Shropshire said. "We only had one [incoming] African-American student this year, so that was a big deal. There is one African-American woman in the first year class."
Traditionally, the Saint Mary's admissions office has not heavily recruited minorities, Shropshire said. But she also said Trustees at the meeting voiced strong support for increasing minority enrollment.
Mitros sat in on the Committee on Student Life session.
"The Student Life meeting was an overall review of what security does for us," Mitros said.
Director of Security Dave Chapman and security officer Patty Rolens gave a detailed presentation about the services campus security offers students, Mitros said. They showed Trustees some of the tools available to help keep themselves safe such as rape whistles, angel sticks and designated driver bands.
Discussion among Education committee members focused on the College's upcoming reaccredidation and on future construction at the college, student body vice president Susan McIlduff said.
"We talked about the new academic building, which is due to open in 2008, and everything is on schedule," McIlduff said. "Every department except math and education is going to the new building."
A full report of the Board of Trustees meetings will be released later this week, Vlasek said.
In Other BOG News
uThe Saint Mary's residence halls will host trick-or-treating from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, residence hall association president Jackie Wright said.
uCollege President Carol Mooney will meet with students in an informal gathering from 5 to 7 p.m Sunday in LeMans Hall.
