Saint Mary's student body president Susan McIlduff told members of the Board of Governance (BOG) Monday that she left last week's community summit with new ideas for ways to increase the College's interaction with the local community.
The summit brought together student government representatives from Saint Mary's, Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana University South Bend and Bethel College with representatives from the mayor's offices in South Bend and Mishawaka, as well as the Community Development Office of Mishawaka, the South Bend Common Council and the South Bend Legal Department.
The representatives at the summit proposed improving the information college students receive about South Bend and Mishawaka, McIlduff said.
First-year students at Saint Mary's currently receive a South Bend booklet that includes a restaurant guide as well as general information about the South Bend and Mishawaka area.
An idea that came out of the summit, McIlduff said, was to provide a similar booklet to all students at the five different college campuses with more input from other schools and the community.
South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke proposed that his office write letters welcoming all freshmen at local colleges to the area.
"It would be a welcome to the community, rather than just welcome to college," McIlduff said.
The summit also looked into the possibility of creating a unified Web site listing activities at the colleges and in the South Bend and Mishawaka area.
"Right now, each school has its own Web page, and the community has its own Web page," McIlduff said. "We're looking for a way to list everything going on one page."
Admissions commissioner Annie Davis said she was concerned about the future of the community relations initiative since turnover for the student government will occur April 2.
Student body president-elect Kim Hodges and vice president-elect Kelly Payne will oversee the project when they assume their positions in student government. Payne attended the summit with McIlduff and current student body vice president Maggie Siefert.
In other BOG News:
u The dinner for the Women Honoring Women event will take place March 21. The annual event, sponsored by the Student Academic Council (SAC), honors a female faculty member who is influential in students' lives. Students have been able to submit nominees to the SAC prior to this point.
u The Saint Mary's Annual Safety Fair will be held April 19 outside the Student Center.
