Students have been complaining to Student Government since March. They want more and cheaper parking, functional class registration, better campus shuttle service, and 50 other things. SG can’t do anything about most of them, won’t do anything about some of them, but can do something about a few of them.
Since March, SG has held four focus groups to hear how students want to improve FAU, the latest being in October.
Recently, the UP asked SG officials what actions have been taken to address the 53 ideas they’ve so far received.
According to Boris Bastidas, speaker of the Boca House, SG doesn’t have the power to do much about most of them. However, something has been (or can be) done to follow through on some suggestions.
Bastidas told the UP in an email that another focus group is being planned for “just before the semester ends.” As of press time, an exact date, time and location have yet to be confirmed.
Here are some of the biggest complaints from the focus groups, as well as those that SG is addressing or plans to address. For the full list, go to the UP’s SG blog, OwlWatch.
Biggest Complaints
Improve the campus shuttle
SG can’t change the Boca campus shuttle route. Although SG can fund a new shuttle, SG has no plans to do so, said Speaker of the House Boris Bastidas.
Get more parking.
SG officials say they can’t increase parking. At the first focus group in April, Bastidas said he hopes FAU will build a new parking garage, but SG has neither the money nor authority to do so.
Improve class registration.
SG legislators wanted to poll students this fall, asking if the technology fee should pay for server upgrades, but SG President Ayden Maher vetoed that since upgrades were already underway. Upgrades will come March 2012. The tech fee is $5.16 per credit hour ($61.92 for 12 credits).
Lower parking fines.
The Boca House and SG Senate tried putting a question on the fall ballot asking if parking fines should be decreased. It was vetoed by Maher and the vice president of Student Affairs, Charles Brown. SG can’t directly control parking fines.
Complaints Addressed
More recycling bins.
In March, the House passed a bill to spend $619 on five recycling bins for the Breezeway cafe. They were put in place over the summer.
Optional meal plans for resident students.
According to Boca House Representative Reginald Horace, SG is petitioning resident students on this issue. Afterwards, they’ll take the results to Chartwells. As of press time, there is no set date on when the petitioning will end, or when they’ll show the results to Chartwells.
More NightOwls drivers.
According to NightOwls Director Amanda Dier, NightOwls plans on hiring one or two more drivers in the spring.
Fund more Supplemental Instruction leaders.
SI leaders are student-tutors who, on a weekly basis, help groups of students with difficult classes. 3,565 students attended SI sessions in the spring. Bastidas said he would request more funding next spring, when SG formulates its budget. Last March, the Boca House spent $5,152.10 on T-shirts for SI leaders.
stephen voss • Nov 30, 2011 at 12:27 pm
These are not new problems. As a campus senator and later as a univerity-wide rep these are the same problems we faced 15 years ago.
SG failures come when SG tries to address problems with big expensive solutions or tries to go up against Administration.
1) SG may not be able to control parking fines but it can ensure that the traffic and parking committee which reviews parking fines always has their two student reps and their alternates and that if any members of the committee are improperly biased against students that the sg can pressure administration for their removal.
2) SG cant change the campus shuttle route but it can work with the people who do run the shuttle to ensure it serves the students better and improving the quality of the bus stops.
3) SG may not want to pay for the upgrades themselves but they can keep up effort to make sure that the upgrades are done in a timely manner and are not impaired by budget issues.
4) Cheaper parking is easily doable. FAU used to have discounted “remote parking”. If students dont need a parking space close to a building there should be a discount. This can be funded by creating “premium spaces” which can be sold at a higher fee.
Alex C Lange • Nov 29, 2011 at 1:49 pm
It should be noted that this article only talks about focus groups that take place on the Boca Raton Campus and not those on other campuses.