Cluttered Ball State University inboxes will soon be relieved of multiple e-mails per day when a new "multichannel communication system" debuts after Spring Break.
Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications, spoke at Wednesday afternoon's Student Government Association meeting to explain how all school-related announcements would be listed in one central location.
Proudfoot said the system will help the university communicate more quickly and efficiently without overwhelming students with e-mails. This aggregate will be divided by top topics, and every Monday and Thursday students will be e-mailed "Ball State Digest." The newsletter would replace e-mails typically sent by Student Affairs and promote items pertinent to that week.
"This is a way to continue to stimulate interest in what's happening (on campus) but doing so in a more efficient way," Proudfoot said. "All the stuff you've been getting via e-mail will all be right here, and you can search for it by category."
Approximately 35 categories will be available to choose from, and students will be able to subscribe to the topics they find most pertinent. While students can also opt out of receiving information of lesser interest, Proudfoot stressed that all essential university e-mails will still be sent - including digital tuition bills.
The idea came forward two SGA slates ago, and current SGA secretary Ebony Strong provided student input over the year and a half the committee convened.
"It's a room full of administrators and faculty, so I was just there to give the student perspective," Strong said.
Promotions of the new system are expected to begin next week, and Proudfoot said students can expect the new communication site to be available when they return from Spring Break. While some SGA senators displayed concerns about students utilizing this new forum, Proudfoot ensured that the page will become an essential component of the campus experience for all students.
"It will become the one-stop repository for all this information," Proudfoot said. "Anything being promoted will go through this site."
Slate's final legislation brought forward
Three proposed resolutions were introduced at Wednesday's SGA meeting, marking the final pieces of legislation that will be proposed under Campus Alliance's tenure. All three measures were read just prior to the final deadline to propose legislation.
Vice President Carrie Cozad authored two of the resolutions, both of which attempt to address Campus Alliance platform points that would computerize the residence hall night staff security system and increase each hall's fitness room hours.
If approved, SGA would promote increasing fitness room hours at many of the halls from midnight to 3:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 4 a.m. on weekends.
Multiple SGA members expressed safety concerns over keeping the recreation rooms open so late on Fridays and Saturdays. Senators Henry Mortensen and Mallory Winkler said they worried drunk students would compromise the integrity of this proposal.
"The majority of people on this campus on a Friday night are out getting drunk," Mortensen said.
Winkler agreed that the hours seemed unusually late and pose a risk of attracting intoxicated students, but Cozad ensured all university liability would be alleviated with disclaimers posted in each fitness room.
Organizational caucus chair Marco Pretell-Vazquez motioned to table the discussion until next week when the bill would be read a second time and potentially voted on.
Student Services chair Nicole Akey also helped introduce a measure that would attempt to better acclimate married students' spouses to campus life.
Based on research by Arthur Hafner, Ball State Dean of Libraries, Akey said she compiled a resolution that would create a Student Spouse and Partner Card and group. She said the card would admit these spouses into student events, including athletic and theater outings. Such campus groups have also come into existence at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.Akey said she hopes the resolution will directly affect the spouses of more than 1,000 married Ball State students.
"In (Hafner's) research, it said the spouse didn't feel a connection to campus," Akey said. "We hope this will change that
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
