The Student Government Association didn’t make any appointments or pass any legislation during their meeting on Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean that their meeting was unproductive.
During open forum, presentations were given by the director of campus recreation, Lynn Nester, and the assistant director, Adam Knobloch, as well as ETSU President Brian Noland.
Noland attended the meeting to give an update on current construction projects and enrollment. With six construction projects underway, and an enrollment goal of 18,000 students by 2025, he had a lot to discuss.
Notable updates included Building 60, which breaks ground soon on the Veteran’s Affairs campus and will serve as a Interprofessional Education and Research Center, and the Culp Center, which is currently in the programming phase.
Other projects include the Arts building, which is still in the design phase; the $25 million renovation on Lamb Hall; the stadium, which Noland said is ahead of schedule; and Freedom Hall, which is mostly a Johnson City project.
Noland took the time to discuss potential updates to the financial aid process at ETSU, as well as the possible ramifications of the new board of trustees, which is expected to hold its first meeting in April 2017.
“The way in which we look at business operations across campus – they change,” Noland said. “Now that we have a board, and the board meetings are open to the public, we may need to have a conversation about how we look at student fees in the future.”
Noland also said that the governing board is an opportunity for everyone to get more involved.
“Now that our governing board is on campus, we have the opportunity to open things up from a transparency perspective and have students, faculty and staff more involved in the operations of the university,” he said.
Director and assistant director of campus recreation Lynn Nester and Adam Knobloch were also on hand to discuss a potential fee increase for students and what the money would be used for.
The fee would increase up to $10 per student, giving campus recreation approximately $300,000 a year. Much of the increase would be going toward hiring more professional, full-time staff and supporting ETSU’s growing intramural and sports clubs.
Other potential initiatives include a student wellness program, fleshing out the Basler Center’s unfinished basement, and expanding hours, especially on weekends and during breaks.
