Eileen Mellon
Contributing Writer
At a university the size of VCU, student voices can get lost in the mix. VCU’s Student Government Association is trying to help student voices be heard this week as they host their first-ever forum week.
The forums this week will focus on different aspects of VCU life, including housing, financial aid, advising, tuition and dining services.
Ryan Evans, a third-year member of SGA, believes the program attempts to bridge the gap in correspondence between students and administration.
“Forum week is just to advocate the transparency between (the) university and students,” he said. “You always hear complaints about the university not caring or wanting to listen, and we’re trying to correct that.”
The week-long event offers the opportunity for students to talk in a small-group setting with school officials and specialists on the different topics, have their questions answered, provide insight and offer feedback on improvements that could be made at the university.
VCU senior Monica McLemory said she believes the tuition and financial aid forum on March 27 was very informative because it guided students through the financial aid process and broke down the different areas of tuition and funding.
“I’ve learned a lot of stuff about the technology and financial aid and everything that would have been helpful before,” she said. “A lot of our concerns were heard by top people in the department, and I think it’s something that they’ll look … to changing.”
The idea for SGA Forum Week emerged after SGA members continuously heard the same questions from students. By creating an event that combined all students’ questions and concerns, they can be addressed at one time and heard from the university as a whole.
Jazmine Tanner, vice chairwoman of the SGA Senate, said that the students who came out were able to get good answers to their questions and urged others to become involved before the week is over.
“Everyone has something to say about the various topics and something they would like to see changed at VCU,” she said. “In relation to the dining services forum, everyone eats near campus or on campus, and if you have a concern about it you can come express it. There are upperclassmen dorms, underclassmen dorms and an office for off-campus housing – everyone is affected.”
SGA forums have already been successful in creating change. A forum last year presented the idea of a 24-hour library, a pilot program that launched last week at Cabell Library when students returned from Spring Break.