Several hot-button campus issues such as recent car break-ins, room selection frustrations and the electric scooter ban were discussed at last week’s President’s Hour.
Students were encouraged to both listen and raise concerns to President Charles Patterson and members of the campus staff, which included representatives from housing, maintenance, SUPD, the Dean of Students, the Office of Equity and Inclusion and more. Adam Beam moderated questions.
According to Beam, the purpose of President’s Hour is to give students a direct line of communication to the individuals who run the university. In answering the questions, Shippensburg staff hope to provide clarity to students who may struggle with any number of issues present on campus.
Beam added that President’s Hour provides an alternative to sending out hopeful emails out to campus faculty, which often do not produce a timely response that addresses student needs.
Like previous President’s Hours, the questions asked concerned several issues. Most issues were related to campus safety, accessibility and housing. Students especially focused on President Patterson’s plans for Shippensburg University going forward.
One question that came up repeatedly dealt with the room selection issues that on-campus students faced in February. According to the housing and IT departments, the room selection website was overloaded by over 1,000 students logging in at the same time.
To alleviate the issue, housing created time slots so that all students could select a room in an orderly manner. This measure did not go without controversy though, as many students who were placed in later time slots could not select the rooms they wanted. The IT department suggested that a new room selection website is in development, which should prevent similar issues from happening in the future.
Several questions were raised about the thought process behind Patterson’s campus-wide email announcing an e-scooter ban effective March 18. He and SUPD Chief Pat Taylor shared that some details are still being finalized, but any vehicles seen on campus will be confiscated after spring break.
Another subject that was frequently brought up was campus safety and accessibility for disabled students. One student asked SUPD about providing safer evacuation for students who cannot use stairs. President Patterson said, “We are working through training professionals to be able to escort disabled students.”
On safety, there were concerns about improper lighting in storage parking lots and several reported break-ins to student vehicles. SUPD made students aware that they take these issues seriously. Recently, SUPD took a safety walk with SGA members to investigate problematic areas on campus.
In relation to the email sent to the student body about several recent car break-ins, SUPD encouraged students to check their vehicles every day so that any incident can be more swiftly reported and investigated. They also said there are plans to replace lights in the storage lots.
Sophomore Roderick Porter Jr. asked Patterson about his initial email regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza and whether he would make any additional, more inclusive comments.
“I would rather see scholars talk about these issues to elevate them,” Patterson said. “My purpose is to create an environment to allow for these constructive conversations to happen.”
The next President’s Hour is scheduled for April 2 in the Naugle MPR. All students are encouraged to attend.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.