This week’s Student Government Association meeting included a plan for ETSU’s future and new legislation.
During open forum on Tuesday, Mike Foss, associate vice president of planning and decision support and chief planning officer, gave a presentation on the goals ETSU hopes to achieve by 2025 and how to accomplish those goals.
Some of the goals include accomplishing an enrollment of 18,000 full-time students, 3,500 students living on campus (which would involve building a new dorm), 15 percent alumni giving, a 60 percent graduation rate and closing the equity salary gap for faculty.
One of the biggest goals was enrollment. Attendance is down from fall 2015 by approximately 1,000 full-time students.
Part of increasing enrollment will also involve increasing the retention rate, especially students leaving ETSU for the University of Tennessee.
In addition, the presentation also reviewed the university’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. It laid out the school’s proposed vision, values, mission and strategic priorities as well.
SSB-16-004 became the first piece of legislation SGA passed this semester, with a unanimous vote.
A combination of SSB-16-002 and SSB-16-003, it primarily dealt with addressing a gray area in the constitution that allowed multiple organizations to apply for funds for the same event.
“I’m very pleased with the time you all took and the process you took to pass this resolution,” said Dean of Students Jeff Howard, building on his remarks from last week about having never truly seen a piece of legislation he deemed emergency.
ETSU Votes, a part of SoCon Votes, has been immensely successful so far. According to Howard, more than 300 students have been registered at events, and 150 people showed up to the previous night’s presidential debate watch party alone. He also noted the good press coverage the initiative has brought ETSU.
SSB-16-001, the legislation for Bee Campus USA, had its first read this week. Next week, SGA will vote on whether or not to become a part of the initiative.
