With a student fee surplus of approximately $23,000, the Student Government Association is stressing student retention in its allocation of the extra funds.
Included in the Spring 2006 budget is an increase in funds for the reproduction and public relations line item. This section includes provisions allowing for a high-tech communications system designed to link campus organizations and provide up-to-the-minute information about upcoming events and news concerning the campus. Overall, the system will cost an estimated $11,000.
In addition to a 42-square inch television screen, the high-tech system includes a content server that can support up to two channel players, wall mounts, cables, connections and installation.
SGA public relations director Libby Kearney, communications junior, said the system is designed to help get students involved and help keep them informed.
“We’ve tried several different avenues of keeping students informed,” Kearney said, “and this seems like a good solution.”
Matt Kropp, psychology senior and SGA director of technology, will be in charge of the system, which will be completely run by student government. As part of the package, Creative Presentations, the system provider, will also hold training sessions for SGA.
According to Kearney, the system will be installed in the Danna Center near the university bookstore, and SGA estimates the system will be operational sometime within the next month. Both Information Technology and Physical Plant have approved the location.
Kearney said that SGA is concerned about student retention and the most practical way to ensure students will return is to get them involved on campus.
The system will also serve as an emergency alert system in case of potential hurricanes or other severe weather concerns.
“This [system] is a great for informing students about potential storms or BOLOs,” Kearney said. “It should help students know what they need to stay safe.”
The student fees surplus comes from money allocated to campus organizations that was not used. According to SGA director of finance Jennifer Murray, accounting and finance senior, all of the money that comes into the SGA account must be allocated to an organization.
“All of the money that gets set aside for student allocations must be assigned to some organization,” Murray wrote in an e-mail to The Maroon. “There is not one dollar that gets left unassigned.”
Murray added that if the organizations do not use the money assigned to them, it stays in the account to be allocated the next semester. The money then rolls over from semester to semester.
Chuck Alexander can be reached at [email protected].
