Colleen Grahek
Staff Writer
Updates were given on the Gardner Report and campus parking during the University Senate meeting held on March 3. Parking Manager, Frank Gay, gave an overview of the current parking situation including citations, the current electronic system and future enforcements regarding changes to the available parking spaces.
Dr. Santiago Solis and Dr. Karen Danna provided their updated research regarding student retention as part of the Gardner Report introduced by Dr. Kizzy Morris during last month’s meeting.
“Everybody across the platform is feeling the effects of parking,” Gay said. “We are in the process of getting our new parking assessment done. It’s due every three years. We’re due for one this year.”
After sharing an overview of the parking map, Gay reported that over 3,300 citations were given out since the beginning of the year. He added that the assessment will let parking enforcement know if the campus needs more parking or if people need to make better use of existing parking.
Senate President, Dr. Susan Dillmuth-Miller, asked if the physical parking tags would ever be brought back, noting that she heard that the current system used for scanning is inefficient.
“We are evaluating that,” Gay said. “The decision to move away from them was made last year prior to me starting. As with any other project, anytime you change the way you do things, you reassess how it’s working, what is and what isn’t working.”
Dillmuth-Miller asked if more parking spots for faculty would be taken away because of the current construction project.
“No. Everything’s going to be based off of whatever the assessment tells us about existing parking and how they can be best used.” Gay said. “If anything, we are looking to add more faculty parking, but we also have to be creative with the existing spaces. In the end, it all comes down to how we’re going to pay for it.”
In other news, Vice President of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence, Santiago Solis and Associate Dean, Karen Danna, presented their current data on “Fostering Belonging” as part of the Gardner Working Group. According to Solis, their research focuses on finding ways to improve belonging, student retention and graduation rates.
According to Danna, they chose to focus on belonging because positive social bonds between educators and students leads to better retention, timely graduation, positive student development and higher GPA’s.
“Uncertainty about belonging can lead to isolation, decrease retention and can cause negative links to graduation and a student’s well-being,” Danna said.
According to Solis, the Gardner group broke into three smaller groups during the spring of 2024 to come up with and experiment with ideas to create a more inclusive atmosphere.
The group’s ideas included:
1.) Early experiences – after orientation and during the first year:
- Peer-to-peer discussions.
- Early arrival programs.
- Options for relationships/team building.
- Class collaborations, class traditions, class pictures and symbols.
2.) Social settings and peer groups:
- Enhance student transportation and develop public safety infrastructure.
- Indoor/outdoor amenities – recently added or proposed additions:
- Interior updates to Dansbury Commons to encourage a more welcoming and relaxing commissary rather than just a place to quickly grab food before a class. (Recently added)
- Outdoor patio for Starbucks. (Recently added)
- Community center at the Ridge. (Proposed)
- Scooter and bike sharing program for easier mobility. (Proposed)
3.) Faculty in classrooms:
- Foster stronger relationships between educators and learners:
- Increase inter-disciplined connections.
- Update classroom spaces.
According to Solis and Danna, after this phase of research, the group met again and worked in three small groups to focus on the psychological safety and well-being portion of the research. They did acknowledge that this research is ongoing and in-progress.
The next senate meeting will take place in Beers Lecture Hall on April 7.