Statesman

Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Cindi Buswell Seniors Jason Wittrock, Stephen Johnson and Katie Best attending the school year's first student senate meeting.

As the voice of the UMD student body, the Student Association (SA) will be working toward 10 initiatives this year to benefit students' needs and improve student life at UMD.

The initiatives were decided through voting by SA members at an annual retreat held last spring, said SA President Jason Wittrock.

"We get a big sheet of paper and start naming things we think need to be changed on campus," Wittrock said. "From there, we narrow it down to the top 10."

This year the initiatives include: academic advising improvements, awareness of SA, school spirit and pride, housing on and off campus, Kirby Student Center renovations, library hours and online reservations, food and beverage accessibility, student rights, U Card accessibility, carpool discounts and re-organization of parking lots.

SA will be centering their focus on improving academic advising, Wittrock said.

"Right now, if a student doesn't know what they want to do, they'll just say get your generals out of the way and figure it out later. We want to get rid of that idea," Wittrock said.

Wittrock went on to say that if the new plan were accepted, students would be encouraged to take generals throughout the course of their time at UMD rather than just the first two years.

A change in academic advising is an important goal of the SA, but one that may take time and perseverance.

"Is it going to be hard? Yes. Is it going to take time? Yes, but it can be done," said Ashley Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs and SA member. "It may seem far fetched, but anything can be achieved if you get the opinion out and show the importance it has for students."

Along with advising improvements, SA is also looking to improve the convenience of the food and beverage options on campus.

"Everyone knows the coffee line can become a mile long, so we are looking into getting some coffee carts around campus," Wittrock said.

Other discussions surrounding on-campus food and beverage include talks of the use of U Cards as a form of payment in vending machines and keeping Grab and Go open later, Wittrock said.

Students can look for the progress of these 10 initiatives throughout the year, and student suggestions are always welcomed through e-mail or the suggestion box outside the SA office.

"It's important for students to know about SA and know that they can be involved in the community of UMD," SA member Victor de Meireles said.

Brown agreed.

"We want students to know that we are here for them, and we want to hear their opinions," Brown said.

Freshmen are also encouraged to run for a spot as an SA member when freshmen elections are held later this October, Wittrock said.

"I think we're going to have a good year. I think it's going to go well," Wittrock said.

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