Student groups are challenging campus administration to hear their concerns and make improvements in decision making, dining, and public safety.
The Franciscan Justice Circle recently looked to the Student Government Association to support their proposal, “Nothing About Us, Without Us.” The proposal was sent to Dean of Students Sarah Williamson, and when SGA gave their support, it is now going to what the student government officers called “higher ups.”
Members of the Justice Circle were all on the same page, only disagreeing about minor things like the wording of sentences in the proposal.
“The overall inspiration started with the dissatisfaction with the Knights Cafe hours,” said Ashley Neff, member of FJC, who helped create a petition to extend the café hours.
After the idea to create a petition and proposal about food service, students came to the group sharing more concerns that they wanted to be addressed.
The proposal encompasses three main things they are seeking to change: increase student involvement in major university decisions; address concerns with student dining; and attend to campus safety issues.
Student input
They want to have a committee that represents the diverse student population to have a say in any decisions being made that may affect the quality of student life.
Food service
The students of FJC already worked on a petition to increase the hours of the Knights Cafe and Neff said that while the group still very much wants the hours to be extended, they understand that budget concerns might make that impossible.
Instead, the group wants the employees to start cooking when they open at 10 a.m. and for there to be more variety in the grab-and-go section, possibly including hot food.
They ask to be a part of the decision in hiring Sodexo, the food company we currently use.
Additionally, they would like for the employees to go through customer service training due to some incidents where behavior did not, as the proposals states, “uphold the RISES values.”
The group hopes this will improve the treatment of students.
They also hope the university can come up with more affordable meal plans as well as offer more variety and better quality of food.
Campus safety
While many resident students feel safe on campus despite the hours of security being decreased, the group wrote in the proposal that “our emails are more secure than our campus.”
They asked the university to come out with a clear safety plan in the case of an emergency such as an active shooter. They also believe the university should train all faculty, staff, and student leaders on what to do in such an event.
Instructions for what to do in the event of an active shooter are found in the University Emergency Response Plan.
The members of FJC and SGA stress in the proposal that they are acting “out of a place of love and care for our university.”
Students must now wait for a response, but they hope to be able to set up a meeting with President Chris Domes.
FJC meetings, which explore social justice matters, are open to all students.
