SG considers student interest for new service

When faced with the opportunity to provide a new student service, Student Government (SG) opened up the polls to gauge the opinion of the people they aim to serve: students.

In the Oct. 13 and 14 midterm election to fill vacant senate seats, student voters were also asked to identify which SG-funded service they would like to see implemented on campus.

According to the survey results, 789 students out of 2,124 voted for a new mail delivery and copy center.

Options on the poll included a hair salon and barbershop, skateboard and bicycle shop, bicycle sharing program and a mail delivery and copy center.

Students were also provided with an “other” option that allowed them to submit recommendations to senate President Pro Tempore Matt Diaz.

SG President Juan Soltero said that although the poll results will weigh heavily in the selection of a future service, no final decisions have been made.

“An agency usually costs a lot of money,” Soltero said. “So I personally am a little hesitant to start an agency just because there was a poll made. I think it would be more of a long-term goal.”

Nique Etienne, a junior majoring in biology, said a copy center would be beneficial to students.

“I hate going to the library to use the copiers,” Etienne said. “I think it would be good if copiers were available in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) or somewhere other than the Library that would be easy for students to go to.”

If a new agency is created, it would probably be located next to the Student Life and Traditions office in the MSC, said SG Vice President Bruno Portigliatti.

“With the polls, we are able to gauge what students ultimately want to see in that space, and then we will certainly go after it,” he said.

Junior public relations major Brendan Collett said the student poll might not accurately represent the majority opinion of the student body.

“I think that while a direct student poll is a good way to gauge what new services students would like to see, the sample may be a little biased,” Collett said. “Voter turnout is always very low for any SG election, especially senate elections. The people who take the time to vote in the senate election are probably those who are most interested or who are actively involved in SG anyway.”

Soltero said a new SG service agency would not take away from any of the services already available to students. The SG agencies, SAFE Team and Bulls Radio are looking to expand, he said.

“Service has been improving and growing,” Soltero said. “It may appear that we’re cutting services (financially), but we’re really just being more efficient with the money we have and being financially responsible.”