On Sept. 2, Student Government (SG) hosted a Town Hall meeting on the Boca Raton campus where members discussed the upcoming election season, dining services, homecoming, and a new diversity mural.

Dining Options On Campus

Dining Resident District Manager Chris Valdes announced that alcohol would once again be available on campus. Students have not been able to purchase alcohol on campus since 2018 when on-campus restaurant the Burrow closed. 

“I am pleased to announce that Lime Fresh, the pop-up truck in the Breezeway, will be open September 13, and we’re super excited because this is going to be a late night option which will offer alcoholic beverages,” Valdes said. 

Valdes also announced the opening of an allergy-friendly dining option on campus.

“In the resident dining hall, the Atlantic Dining Hall, we have added a G8 Station, which is a new station that avoids eight major allergens,” he said. 

The dining option offers meals and snacks that avoid the eight major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean. 

Valdes also mentioned the upcoming changes in dining options on campus.

“BurgerFi will be open until we can open Wendy’s,” he said. “We’ve contracted with them. The second that we’d open Wendy’s, BurgerFi would no longer be on campus, but we will keep them here as long as possible.”

Valdes hopes to have Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts open by mid-October.

He also mentioned that dining locations across campuses are in desperate need of new workers.

Starting pay begins at $12 an hour, according to Valdes.

“50% of your pay is paid out the day that you work,” he said. “Other than that, we have our medical benefits. We match 401k up to three percent.”

Upcoming Student Government Elections

Every fall semester, elections are held to determine who will represent the student body through Student Government (SG). Elections are quickly approaching with the voting window set for Sept. 28 through Sept. 29.

Candidates running for a position must attend a virtual candidacy meeting on Sept. 7 at 6:00 p.m, and the campaign period will begin after the meeting. The meeting is for students who have already registered to run in the election.

Students can tune in virtually to meet the candidates on Sept. 16. The Boca Raton debate will be held at 4:00 p.m., Broward’s at 5:00 p.m., and  Jupiter’s at 6:00 p.m.

Students can access links to the virtual debates via Microsoft Teams or the Student Government page on Owl Central.

Homecoming

To celebrate 60 years of the university, Homecoming Week will be held Oct. 22 through Oct. 30. 

During homecoming week, students can apply to be part of the Homecoming Court, which includes a king and a queen. These two students will receive a $500 stipend once crowned as Homecoming Royalty.

Students interested in applying for the court can submit an application through Owl Central. 

“The application opened on September 1, and the application deadline closes on September the 15th,” Tikiya Henry, associate director of Student Activities and Involvement said. 

Students can email Associate Director of Student Activities & Involvement Tikiya Henry at [email protected] with any questions or comments regarding Homecoming Court.

Diversity Initiatives 

The town hall set a spotlight on the Center for IDEAs, which is an organization that aims to highlight on-campus diversity and recognize historically marginalized groups while also offering them resources. 

Juan Izaguirre, diversity and inclusion interim director at the Center for IDEAs, addressed the topic of diversity at the university and what his organization can do to empower marginalized groups on campus. 

The center has five offices that specialize in different areas of diversity, such as LGBTQ+ resources, diversity training, and Hispanic/Latina/o/x initiatives. 

“Overall, the vision of our office is that we become that world-class recognized model for other institutions to use,” he said.

As a tribute to campus diversity, university officials have decided to begin a new art project on campus.

The last art project featured on campus is called “Blossoming,” which can be found at the end of the Breezeway closest to the Recreation and Fitness Center.

University officials are planning the painting of a new mural on the side of the Indian River Towers dorm building. 

Students decided the theme of the mural through a poll posted on Owl Central. Social justice and inclusivity received 50.4% of votes, making it the theme of the mural.

“This mural is going to be a collaboration between four different bodies: the Boca Raton House of Representatives, the student body Senate, which oversees all three campuses, the Boca Raton Campus Governance, and Multicultural Program Board,” Secretary of SG House of Representatives Nicole Abreu said. “We’re going to be using the expertise from each of these bodies in order to cooperate together and try to make a mural that best represents our student body.”

Student government representatives plan to continue Town Hall meetings throughout the semester.

Margaret Mifsud is a Political Reporter for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].