The Student Government Association at Northern Kentucky University continued making its way through goals set for the 2011-12 academic year, as the organization unanimously passed a resolution and introduced two more at the Nov. 14 meeting.
The Redbox resolution was passed unanimously by the organization. The resolution asks the university administration to work with Redbox, a “fully automated video rental store contained in 12 square feet,” in Norse Commons.
One of the newest resolutions, to increase funding for Health, Counseling and Prevention Services so staff can be added to the department, has been SGA’s number-one goal since the beginning of the year.
President Dustin Robinson said he is excited to pass Sen. Jeanne Spaulding’s resolution to increase the number of counselors in the department because it has been at the top of SGA’s priority list.
Currently in Health, Counseling and Prevention Services, there are three full-time counselors available for students. The waiting list to meet with a counselor has increased from an average of 20-24 students to 70 since the semester began, according to Barbara Sween, director of the department. Sween said the current waiting period for students on the list extends into the spring semester.
The center is able to conduct about 15-20 meetings every day during their business day, which is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Since the beginning of the semester, two suicides have occurred within the NKU community, which is “two too many,” according to Dean of Students Jeff Waple. The number of students on the waiting list and the number of suicides in three months makes the resolution even more pressing.
The resolution formally asks university leaders to increase funding to the Health, Counseling and Prevention Services “in order to increase and maintain qualified staff.”
With the counseling resolution, Sen. Joseph Fons introduced a resolution with the request to rename the Student Union as The James and Rachel Votruba Student Union. The resolution says the university should rename the building because “during Dr. Votruba’s tenure, the university has seen an impressive 34 percent growth in enrollment, programs offered, the addition of numerous facilities, and gained prominence across the nation.”
The resolution does consider the university’s policy of “a timeframe for honorary naming recognition, but [the senate] firmly believes that Dr. and Mrs. Votruba’s distinguished service has had exceptional and lasting impact on the welfare of the university, and therefore deserves immediate special recognition.”
The Student Union naming resolution will continue on to the organization’s next meeting for a second reading.