By Leighah Beausoleil
SGA discussed student concerns with residence halls’ laundry equipment and open education resources during its last meeting of the semester Dec. 7.
During Open Forum, Senator Mark Haskell said the washers and dryers in his residence hall, Miles Bibb, “don’t work as well as you may think they do,” adding they tend to have a bad smell.
Haskell said he suggests students should “just go home and do your laundry there.”
Outreach and Events Coordinator Emily Rosenberg agreed with Haskell and said she doesn’t think “it really matters” what residence hall a student is living in because in Corrine Hall Towers, the washers won’t drain the water properly and the dryers don’t dry the clothing.
She added she isn’t able to go home to do her laundry because she lives an hour away and is unable to drive.
Emphasizing how common the concern is, Secretary Samuel Houle said the same problems arise in Larned Hall.
President McKenzie Ward suggested to SGA members that they keep a running list of any concerns they may have starting now to ensure they are brought to the right people during the spring Administrators’ Forum.
Houle, who is also an Administrative Resident Assistant, said he can bring the concerns up when he meets with Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students and student life, Dec. 15.
Senator Raffi Elkhoury presented a proposal he and Student Trustee Hilary Nna wrote regarding open education resources.
The two propose the University create a private Facebook page where students can buy, giveaway, sell, and exchange textbooks.
“The creation of this group will address students’ acute need for affordable textbooks during this period of OER implementation and beyond,” he read.
Elkhoury said the page should be run out of the Dean of Students Office to ensure the page’s longevity due to the ever-changing makeup of SGA.
He added the Dean of Students Office could “increase student awareness of the current resources on campus,” such as the Henry Whittemore Library and book vouchers.
The Dean of Students Office would also be the acting moderator for the group and would promote the page as early as Spring 2022 through a mass email as well as through flyers.
Senator Emma Laurie suggested SGA create a list of places where students can obtain free or
inexpensive textbooks that can be promoted on the Facebook page.
Elkoury said it was a “really good idea,” but he isn’t sure the University can promote other places due to its contract with the bookstore.
Ward said if the University cannot, SGA could still promote them.
During her President’s Report, Ward said she has had meetings with University administrators to discuss the topics of enrollment, student concerns, availability of menstrual products on campus, as well as campus accessibility.
She said she and Dean of Students Meg Nowak Borrego are planning a possible walk around campus to pinpoint areas that are not accessible.
Ward also discussed how she plans to research how other colleges in the state have gone about implementing gender neutral bathrooms in order to do the same at FSU.
Senator-of-the-Month was awarded to Haskell.
E-Board Member-of-the-Month was awarded to Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dara Barros.
SGA’s “U-ROCK” award was passed on to Nna.
The “U-Rock” is presented to recognize a senator’s accomplishments during the weeks between meetings.
[Editor’s note: McKenzie Ward is Opinions Editor for The Gatepost. Emily Rosenberg is an Arts & Features Editor for The Gatepost. Mark Haskell is a staff writer for The Gatepost.]