Dear President Leland: Students get answers over lunch

    President Dorothy Leland hosted a luncheon for students in the Bobcat Dining Room last Tuesday where students were encouraged to bring their burning questions to the table.
    Advertisement for this month’s Lunch with Leland was scarce. Many students were in the dark about the luncheon.
    Junior Michael Branson said he had no idea it was to take place.     “They should advertise on the TVs in the library,” he said. “I pay attention to those.” 
    Emails were sent to students about the luncheon. Junior Luke Bailey got the email but opted not to go. Branson said, “I just had no idea; I don’t check my email.”
    Lunch with Leland took place from noon to 1 p.m. She gave no formal speech and let the students direct the discussions.
    “It’s open. It’s okay to bring anything up. It allows us to share ideas, to learn what’s on the mind of students,” Leland said.
    Leland shook hands with students entering the dining room and asked their name and major. Discussion began with talk of Bobcat Village and its competitors The Grove and Magnolia Park.
    Referring to the recent criticism surrounding Bobcat Village, Leland said, “What people like and don’t like about Bobcat is already out there on the street. What people like and dislike about Magnolia and The Grove is not out there yet.” 
    Branson, who lived at Bobcat Village for a year said, “The best thing Bobcat could do to gain popularity is to lower prices.” 
    Leland noted, during the luncheon, that lower prices would only raise prices and fees in other areas.
    The lack of recycling on campus was brought up during lunch. Leland informed that GCSU is on top of it. 
    One idea is to hold contests in the residence halls to see who can conserve the most energy on a monthly basis. Getting recycling bins on campus is also up in the air. “If I saw the recycling bins, I’d recycle,” Bailey said. 
    Leland also expressed interest in developing something to give GCSU a rich set of traditions. “We need a role for each class to participate in to create tradition,” she said.
    Leland wants students to feel connected to fellow students and the university. She said it is important to “create an identity and vibrancy within the residence halls.”
    Also a major focal point was what Leland dubbed the student learning experience. Freshman Ashley Sears said, “As an undeclared major, I want to find out what I want to do. That would be my learning experience.” 
    An ongoing goal for the school is to figure out what will enhance students’ time at GCSU.
    The school is on its way to discovering where it stands in the world of universities. Leland said, “We do a lot of things well, what is it that will get folks to say, ‘they do that better than anyone else?’” 
    Leland said there is a key to having the GCSU experience. “We want to start with areas where we are already doing a good job. We want to see how we can vamp it up and really do an exemplary job.” 
    “Students go to universities not just for a major, one reason is characteristics of the learning environment,” Leland said. And she is absolutely right.
    Explaining why he chose GCSU, Branson said, “It’s a big name school in my opinion, it also still had a small classroom environment.” 
    Bailey said what caught his attention was the looks of the place. “I have lots of friends here so I took a visit to the school. (Front campus) really impressed me.”  
    Leland’s attempt to be completely open with students is admirable in the eyes of most.
    Students agree that it is important their voices are heard. Branson said, “If you don’t do what the students want, then colleges aren’t really doing their job.” 
    Sears said, “If students want their voice to be heard, they should have the chance.”  That is the exact view and intention Leland has for the monthly gatherings.
    This school year, there will be two luncheons each month. One for students and one for faculty and staff. The next student Lunch with Leland will be Oct. 25.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 8 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry