Marquette Student Government held a preliminary meeting Jan. 21 to discuss plans for the new semester.
MUSG President Henry Thomas, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said goals for this spring include finalizing projects initiated last semester.
At the top of the list were the Senate’s Nov. 5 recommendation that the university create a temporary recreational facility on the west side of campus and its Nov. 19 recommendation that the university terminate its contract with food services provider Sodexo.
“We want to start moving faster and faster on achieving results,” Thomas said.
The executive board said a top priority is bringing these issues to the university and working with the administration to develop concrete proposals.
Lauren Lakomek, MUSG communications vice president and a senior in the College of Communication, said some students have asked for a new fitness center or improvements made to the existing one that would allow for more machines as well as more practice space. Additionally, some students are looking for improvements to student wellness, including counseling and student health services.
“We want to make sure they are looking at creating a rec center that cares for the whole individual in accordance with our dedication to cura personalis,” Lakomek said in an e-mail.
Thomas and Stephanie Stopka, MUSG vice president and a senior in the College of Business Administration, will meet with the Marquette Space and Infrastructure Committee this week and present the most recently passed recommendation regarding the proposed fitness center.
According to Lakomek, MUSG passed a similar recommendation four years ago. Both recommendations requested plans to build new fitness facilities or improve the existing centers, as well as to implement student wellness improvements on campus.
If resources for these improvements are currently not available, MUSG would like to see a five-year or other long-term plan made.
“We don’t want temporary or mandate approaches,” Thomas said. “We want results.”
On the issue of Sodexo improvements, the executive board said MUSG is teaming up with the Residence Hall Association to represent a larger portion of the student body and make it clear how serious they are about moving forward to improve dining services on campus.
Thomas said MUSG is now on a “he said, she said” basis with Sodexo. He said MUSG has been accused of not having enough valid information concerning the food services, but they are open to any new information made available to MUSG.
“We worked with the information we were given,” Thomas said. “If there is more we can learn, let’s hear it.”
