The Madison College Student Senate held this year’s first Town Hall on Monday, Oct. 17. The Senate is made up of 20 students who are elected by the student body.
Led by the Executive Council of the Student Senate, including President Wilfried Tapsoba, the Town Hall featured a slide presentation canvassing students and encouraging them to share their voices.
After introducing each Senator, the moderators asked students such questions as what campus they take most of their classes, how they thought their semester was going and what identities they held in addition to being a student.
Students were allowed to submit anonymous answers whether they attended the event in person or online.
Dozens of answers came up through an artful word cloud presentation.
In addition to polling the students about how the semester was going, another series of slides encouraged students to make their voices heard and participate in shared governance.
The Senate polled the audience about how confident they would feel about sharing a concern about classroom events, with most participants saying they were comfortable. They also showed the audience specific ways to share a matter, whether it was directed to a particular person or department.
In addition to addressing concerns, the executive council showed specific ways to get involved in making structural or policy changes.
The council discussed shared governance, composed of seven councils focused on different areas. Madison College faculty, staff administrators and students come together to make structural and policy changes.
In the past, the Student Senate has taken on a variety of initiatives, which began when a student voiced a concern.
The success of two past initiatives are examples of the Student Senate helping lead signification changes at Madison College.
The implementation of the student textbook rental program and the creation of the food pantries at the Truax and Goodman South campuses are just two examples. Both initiatives came from concerns expressed through student surveys.
The council is currently working on the racial equity initiative and looking for more students to get involved with that committee.
The Senate asked the audience what the one thing the senators could work on to improve the student experience, with submitted answers asking for things like an instructor feedback portal or creativity workshops.
To join the Student Senate or get involved on a smaller level, contact the General Assembly or attend a meeting in person in Room D1630C every Thursday at 4:30 PM.
You can also call (608) 246-6107 or email [email protected] to connect with a representative from the Student Senate.