Climate Check:
Before opening climate check, President Danny Nguyen welcomed the new SGA co-advisor and interim associate dean of students, Bernadette Buchanan, and President Vanessa Beasley to the meeting.
Several senators commented on the dining transition, mentioning Starbucks not accepting meal swipes and the Boost app not working. As liaison between the Student Dining Advisory Committee (SDAC) and SGA, junior Senator Harrison Tinker fielded questions and suggested emailing [email protected] with any questions or concerns. Advisor Jamie Thompson suggested using the Chartwells Text2Chat service, reached at 830-465-3669. Senator Tinker emphasized giving Chartwells time to adjust, especially with online services.
Junior Senator Joy Areola voiced student concerns about why the transition to Canvas occurred. President Nguyen explained that the contract with Moodle, TLearn’s learning management system (LMS), was soon to expire, prompting a bidding war that ended with Canvas being chosen as the new LMS. Senator Tinker suggested connecting professors struggling with Canvas with ITS Instructional Designer Kevin Hearn.
Senior Senator Nadesh Vaithianathan commented on move-in day troubles, particularly many upper-division dorm building Tiger Card readers not working, leaving many families waiting outside the dorms. Tinker clarified that the readers had become out of sync with the main server, which required individual repair.
Collaborations Chair Natalie Kim voiced frustration with the DUO multi-factor authentication, and Senator Tinker noted that DUO is necessary to protect the data of students and of the institution, as universities are at very high risk of data breaches. President Beasley agreed with Senator Tinker.
Junior Senator Ella Charbonnet addressed the empty menstrual product dispensers, stating they would be filled once the key was found.
Mental Wellness Initiative Funding:
Marcy Youngdahl, Director of Integrated Counseling and Health Services, and Marlaina Widmann, Coordinator of Student Wellness, presented their Mental Wellness Initiative with support from President Beasley. The proposal referenced statistics from the American College Health Association survey performed on campus last spring, which showed a significant need for increased mental wellness services.
The initiative aims to improve accessibility, increase support services and develop rapid modes of communication with students. To meet these goals, the initiative will engage organizations across campus, establish an in-house dog therapy program, train faculty and staff, bring systems that target at-risk groups, connect students through a campus-wide group chat called TigerConnect, increase the number of Peer Health Educators and hire an additional full-time staff member in Wellness Services.
After Youngdahl and Widmann’s presentation, President Beasley spoke on the clear need for the initiative on campus for both existing students and incoming students, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Beasley emphasized the need for increased accessibility to health services. She urged SGA to fund the initiative to give back to the student body.
Senator Charbonnet motioned to fully fund the initiative with $100,000, saying she felt there was no reason not to approve the initiative and SGA should take the opportunity to give back to the student body. Senator Tinker seconded the motion. The initiative was unanimously approved. With tears in her eyes, President Beasley thanked SGA, saying how proud she is of students taking a bold step and showing their support as leaders.
