The 5th Annual Student Town Hall Meetings, hosted by President George Hanbury II, will begin Jan. 15 at noon in the Steele Auditorium at the Health Professions Division, followed by another meeting on Jan. 17 in the Don Taft University Center Arena.
These meetings, scheduled every few weeks until April, serve the NSU community by offering undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to ask questions on various issues concerning their university experiences.
According to Barbara Packer-Muti, executive director of the Office of Institutional and Community Engagement, Hanbury will answer questions on a variety of topics, including the state of the university, individual’s educational experiences, student life and upcoming projects.
Other administrators will also attend, including Associate Vice President of Business Services Marc Croquet, Chief Information Officer Tom West, Resident District Manager of Chartwells Robert Genser and Vice President of Student Affairs Brad Williams.
Vanissa Benjamin, senior communication studies major, has attended several past years’ meetings and said that she always finds them to be very interesting. She likes that student leaders are able to ask questions and put the university president “on the spot.” Through past meetings, she’s felt that Hanbury truly cared about the students’ needs.
However, some students aren’t interesting in attending the forum.
Kristin Mrozinski, freshman paralegal major, predicts that, although students’ concerns may be heard, actions won’t be taken. Lindsay Bail, junior psychology major, also won’t attend any of the town hall meetings. Bail said that since the meetings are not mandatory, she won’t try to fit them into her busy schedule.
Kevin Gizara, freshman marine biology major, also has a busy schedule, but he plans to attend the Jan. 17 meeting. Gizara said that the open forum seems to be part of the “larger feedback program” at NSU that is beneficial to students.
There are also 12 meetings specifically planned for employees throughout the year, along with six meetings at student educational centers.
