After years of planning and organizing, student leaders are working to accomplish one of the last goals listed in the Six Points for Change involving ListServ access.
The six-point plan was created earlier this year after months of collaboration between student leaders, Penn State President Rodney Erickson and the Board of Trustees, Student Trustee Peter Khoury and the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments.
Goals of the plan that have already been accomplished include adding student leaders to the Board of Trustees, disclosing former FBI Director Louis Freeh’s findings in his investigation, student involvement in the search committees for new university presidents and creating regular town hall forums with administrators.
The most recent point that is in the process of being fully established is allowing student leaders to have access to university-wide ListServs.
Allowing student leaders to access the ListServ would allow for better, more direct communication with the students, former UPUA President TJ Bard said.
The University Park Undergraduate Association and the Graduate Student Association worked together to create a proposal for Vice President of Student Affairs Damon Sims detailing why it is important to have access to the ListServ, UPUA President Courtney Lennartz said.
Lennartz (senior-health policy and administration) said the email regarding voting that was sent out Tuesday was part of a trial run using the current system and they will be working with Sims to find a better system for it.
“I think it is important because we need a better way to communicate with the students,” Lennartz said. “We are elected on behalf of the student body, and we find it difficult to inform them when we don’t have a way for communication.”
Bard (senior-political science and economics) said he thinks the process in gaining full access could be longer than anticipated.
“I think it is going to be a slower process because logistically we have to make sure we send out responsible messages,” Bard said. “The voting email sent out was an important one, and I think we will slowly gain more and more responsibility.”
The last point that has yet to be accomplished is the creation of an All-University Cabinet. However, Khoury said plans to move forward with the formation of the cabinet are being discussed.
“President Erickson is committed to working with students, and he has upheld that commitment,” Khoury said. “We accredit President Erickson that he is willing to work with students on a day-to-day basis, and I am very pleased with the progress that he has made.”
