Action Plan for Addressing Campus Construction Issues
Rationale: The extensive construction projects at Johns Hopkins University, including the long-term closure of the Milton S. Eisenhower (MSE) Library and the ongoing development of the new student center, have significantly disrupted student life. These projects have impacted accessibility, reduced study spaces, and created general inconvenience. As your Student Government, we are committed to addressing these challenges and advocating for solutions that mitigate the impact on students. This plan aims to gather your feedback, engage with university administrators, and secure tangible benefits to ensure that student life remains vibrant and supported during this period of transition.
1. Internal Preparation: We’re currently working together as an SGA to decide the best route to take with this initiative. We're carefully considering what questions are most important to ask and what solutions are feasible. This internal preparation is crucial to ensure that our approach is well-organized and that we’re fully prepared to represent your interests effectively.
2. Survey Preparation and Distribution: We’ve prepared a survey focused on whether the current solutions (like Hodson and the MSE Annex) adequately compensate for the loss of study and community space, with attention to accessibility, distance, and visual concerns. This survey will be distributed between September 2nd-9th, about a week or two into the school year. Your feedback will be crucial in shaping our approach and demands.
3. Analyzing Your Feedback: Once we have your responses, we’ll analyze the results to determine our next steps. If a significant majority of you find the current solutions inadequate, we’ll escalate the issue and prioritize a meeting with university administrators, including President Daniels.
4. Our Primary Goals: Our primary goal is to secure compensations for the disruptions caused by the ongoing construction projects. These could take various forms, such as tuition reductions, extra dining dollars, or other tangible benefits that address your immediate needs. We’re also considering other solutions like:
- Building temporary shortcuts to locations obstructed by construction.
- Providing transportation on campus, such as golf carts, for better accessibility.
- Distributing extra merchandise to compensate for the lack of library experiences.
- Opening more on-campus locations for storage needs or partnering with local storage spaces.
- Increasing funding for student organizations to promote community building.
- Open Gilman classrooms for quiet/group study rooms
- Adding more tables in Brody atrium and other locations.
5. Emphasizing Good Communication: We also want to ensure good communication with both administrators and the student body. For example, the MSE-Brody sidewalk, a heavily trafficked location, was closed last Friday morning without prior communication to the students. We believe it’s essential that students are aware of such changes in advance so their schedules and routines aren’t significantly affected. We’ll work to make sure that you are informed about any developments that could impact your daily life on campus.
6. Keeping You Informed: We’re committed to being transparent with you throughout this process. We’ll keep you updated on our progress through our Instagram, emails, and the school newsletter. We’ll also work to include graphics to maximize student engagement.
7. Acknowledging Challenges: As we press onward, it's important to acknowledge that some outcomes rest beyond our control due to administrative decisions and resource allocation. Nonetheless, we persistently advocate for change on your behalf and will keep you updated on our progress.
Remember, our initiative and demands are rational and reasonable. We are dedicated to representing your concerns and advocating for necessary changes. We appreciate your support and participation in this important effort.