Senior accounting and finance major
Just a week after its debut, What To Fix UMD is creating a big stir. As the Student Government Association’s new platform for addressing campus issues, WTF UMD combines the simplicity and ease of use of a Facebook page with new, unrivaled access to SGA communications. For those who missed it, here are nine things you need to know about WTF UMD:
1) Your comments will get responses. Almost all of them. So far, even the most aggressive comments have had at least some response from the SGA. For the first time I can remember, the SGA has made itself fully available and responsive to student desires — and it really shows.
2) The SGA isn’t the only group reading and commenting on posts — the Department of Transportation Services is as well. This is for a good reason, though. Almost half of the comments directly address problems with DOTS. A number of students have complained about parking, tickets and buses. Though many of the problems are easily resolved with a bus schedule or an FAQ link, there are a lot of deeper problems that need deeper solutions.
3) One of the biggest issues? Parking safety. Allegedly, there has been a string of car break-ins in Lot 11 (by The Varsity). According to one student, 21 cars were broken into just this past weekend. With all of this apparent danger involved in parking on campus, it’s no wonder that…
4) Trust in the campus police is apparently as low as ever. A number of posts very adamantly suggest that police on and near the campus spend more time breaking up parties than protecting students. These claims may be unwarranted, but law enforcement officials still need to address the reasons students feel this way — and they definitely haven’t yet.
5) Many of the safety problems could be addressed by adding a few more lights and cameras. Many posters point out specific areas that are a bit too dark. Others just feel unsafe in general. The police take suggestions from an annual SGA-hosted safety walk around the campus, but many students still feel more attention should be paid to the issue.
6) Lights are just one of the many projects students want Facilities Management to work on. There are potholes, light outages, leaking faucets, missing crosswalks and a lot of broken elevators. And those are just the problems students have taken the time to post about.
7) Students are extremely frustrated about housing and class registration. Many students — especially honors students — feel they deserve special treatment similar to the treatment athletes get. Others feel the process’s randomness is inherently unfair for not favoring them. There is a great deal of anger about the South Campus Commons and Courtyards leasing process, especially that it isn’t part of the on-campus housing sign-up process. This will likely get worse once housing selection and class registration start in earnest this week.
8) Those issues are only a few of those being discussed in the group. From the GPA system and green dining to dining hall hours and physical education classes, the page offers discussion on any problems students have. Though some issues get more attention than others, every student gets a say and a response from the SGA.
9) More is coming. Yesterday, the SGA released a document listing ongoing problems and the processes of solving them. As more issues are discussed, more solutions will arise and more organizations will join in the discussions. Though none of the issues have been resolved by the SGA yet, this forum has the potential to make an incredible impact on the university community moving forward.
Ezra Fishman is a junior accounting and finance major. He can be reached at ezra.fish@gmail.com.
