Students voice concerns at October forum
by Tricia Wood

A brightly painted “wish list” has appeared on the walls of the Boyd Dining Center, the result of the student forum held Thursday, October 2. Issues ranging from the relocation of dorm computers to the current construction projects were discussed. The forum was led by Student Government Association president and vice president, Adam Moskowitz and Sivia Jones.

“Here are the rules of the game,” said Moskowitz. “Anything goes.

”Several issues were discussed at length during the forum, the first of which was the halogen lamp situation. Currently halogen lamps are not allowed on campus. Students returning from summer break were informed of this new regulation when they were given their housing agreements upon their return to VWC in the fall. The regulation was enacted because halogen lamps provide a high-intensity glow that could be dangerous and cause fires.

“When a bug lands on (the halogen bulb), it cooks it immediately,” Moskowitz said.

The fire hazard is a more serious concern in Village I, where the freshman dorms are located, because a different sprinkler system operates there then in the upperclassmen dorms of Villages II and III.

“At this point, we don’t think halogen lamps are safe on our campus,” said Lina Cottingham, director of Residence Life.

A second issue discussed was the creation of mini computer labs in several of the dorms in each village. Computer services has moved all of the computers, previously located in each floor of each dorm, out of the dorm lounges and into one computer lab in each village. Students living in the dorms with computer labs have been complaining about the noises of students going in and out of the labs all evening, and especially about the noise the printers emit late at night.

“Dot matrix printers were good 10 years ago,” said Thomas Taylor, a sophomore living on Gum hall. “These printers are outdated, and the school should buy laser printers to replace them. They are more effective, quieter, and never run out of ink.”

Although many students may agree with Taylor, other students and faculty feel the college should take measures to better accommodate the old printers, such as closing them off in a closet, or covering them with plexi-glass. The jury is still out on this particular issue.

Jim Reese, a junior, suggested making an introductory computer class mandatory for all freshmen at the college. Reese felt learning how to work with a computer should be a “priority for freshmen.”

Moskowitz proposed the introduction of a computer proficiency exam, similar to the Junior Writing Proficiency Exam, which is mandatory for all juniors.

On a more sensitive note, junior Keri Meyer said, “Why have we gotten to a point where students don’t even care to voice their opinion to fight for changes here on our campus?” Students who attended the forum suggested that people might be lazy, too busy, or simply inattentive. Patrick Hartigan said he believes it stems from an unfortunate “advertising problem.”

“The only true source of information about events on campus would be my professors,” said Hartigan. “One-third of our student body are residents and two-thirds are commuters. I wonder if most events are important enough, and advertised well enough beforehand, to draw commuters back to school after they have already gone home for the day.

”The final topic was new construction on campus.

Why an academic building before a student center?” asked senior Amy Mallet.

VWC President, Dr. William Greer attended the forum. Greer explained that there had been pressure from the faculty to build the academic building first.

“Our primary reason for being here is to obtain an education,” said Greer.

If we are worried about retention, why don’t we listen to the students?” asked Mallet.

If it was up to me, I would build a student center first, but I can’t tell you how tricky development projects are,” said Greer. “Some money is given directly for specific purposes.”

This group is finding more creative ways to tackle these problems, and I'm very interested in all of your concerns,” said Greer.