The Undergraduate Student Senate (USS) will soon be sending out their annual survey in order to receive feedback and comments from students on a number of different matters and issues. The feedback they hope to receive will be a necessary and vital tool in enacting change around campus in the coming years.
The survey results are primarily used to measure the success of existing programs as well as to determine if new curriculums need to be added or if facilities need to be fixed and renovated.
Although the survey is mainly used for students to point out what they believe needs to be changed, it is also a way for the USS to see what Pacific University is doing right.
According to senior Mallory Hiefield, USS president, the survey will include questions about dorms, the food service on campus, gym facilities, and sustainability and senate activates.
“If we get positive feedback in a certain area, we can continue to support the cause,” Hiefield said. “And if we receive negative feedback this gives us a reason to focus all of our energy on trying to fix the problem areas.”
Senior Pablo Valenzuela, USS vice president of campus betterment, said that recent survey results have shown an increased student interest in dances and concerts on campus, and that the Activities and Cultural Events Board has been working to prioritize those types of events.
“A few years ago, the university proposed to make winter term cost extra instead of being included in the price of tuition,” Valenzuela said. “And the student response from the survey helped them decide to reverse this decision since many students were opposed to the idea.”
Many students on campus, like sophomore Matthew Morones, believes that “The University Center dining hours need to be changed to fit students class and practice schedules better.”
Hiefield agreed that meal times in the UC can at times be difficult.
“With food services, I have heard those with meal plans sometimes have difficulty fitting in lunch because they often have back to back classes until 2:05 p.m. and the dining hall closes at 2:00 p.m.,” Hiefield said.
The student senate survey is designed for students with concerns like these to be heard in order to make changes in their daily lives.
Another topic on this year’s survey has to do with the status of the Multicultural Program.
“I think Pacific really needs a Multicultural Program,” Valenzuela said. “Our student body is increasingly diverse and there are many students from minority backgrounds who do not feel included or respected by the rest of the community. We can do better and we need to do better.”
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