Student Body President, Jelani McGadney gave his State of the Student Body address before Eastern Michigan University students, faculty, administrators and staff.
The venue was a first in recent memory as the president pointed out, “by connecting this government with the people we will be better able to live up to the charge of all student governments and deliver on securing a power and focus voice for all students.”
McGadney was introduced by Student Body Vice President Jeffery Chicoine, who spoke about
why he chose to run with McGadney last spring.
McGadney started off his speech by highlighting some of his accomplishments as Student Body president, specifically citing his partnership with the EMU administration.
“If positive changes are to be made in the lives of all the students, then we must tackle the issues that are directly connected to the reasons that brought us here,” McGadney said.
McGadney referred to academic advising as the “crux of student difficulties in academic affairs” and said he thought had thought he would have had the most difficulty with the administration in area. Instead, he said this was where he found the most common ground.
That struck a chord with one person in particular, Kevin Kucera, associate vice president of Student Affairs at EMU.
“You can always find someone who knows the problems, but he has solutions,” Kucera said. “They [McGadney and Chicoine] discover things that can be improved and find solutions, whether it be parking, academic advising, budget cuts and the library, they try to create win-win situations with the administration.”
A line that drew applause from the crowd was McGadney’s proposal to make staff fill out Learning Beyond the Classroom credits electronically, so papers will stop being “swallowed in the offices like cards are swallowed in pockets.”
McGadney discussed his optimism toward the students of EMU who have dealt with the tuition increases, which have put some of our most valuable resources at stake including the library.
“I understand the times we are in are hard, but by fearing our future and shirking our responsibilities, we shrink in front of a challenge when we should be standing strong,” McGadney said.
McGadney went on to say he was encouraged by the slight increases the governor proposed to higher education. However, he said it’s not enough and we must demand more, so our library won’t have to continue to make cuts in order for the rest of the university to remain open and accessible.
“Our library can no longer make cuts because there is no more to cut,” McGadney said and claimed he put these concerns before the governor and the administration as they put together the budget. He wants the library to remain a higher priority in the school’s budget, just as he believes higher education should be a higher priority in the state’s budget.
McGadney then made a transition to campus parking.
“Parking is an issue we all particularly leave alone,” he said.
McGadney said he brought his proposals to the Board of Regents and the administration and they have been open to many of his proposals. One is providing students with a university subsidized AATA bus pass that allows students to travel freely through the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor community.
“If more students have access to buses, students will be able to leave their cars behind and lower their carbon footprint, and be able to use transportation that uses biodiesel and not fossil fuels,” McGadney said. “Commuters who come from a distance will be able to find a parking space because students from a shorter distance have allowed someone to park who are coming from a longer distance.”
McGadney said he will be writing a letter to the Board of Regents and President Martin to outline the budget he has in mind. This budget would call for increases in funding for the university library; for making sure those academic advising proposals are completed; for Keys to Degrees, which makes sure single parents can continue to find a place to open a brighter future for both themselves and their children; for the women’s center which Student Government has been funding for the past 20 years; as well as funding for the bus passes mentioned previously.
“Normally I don’t ask students to pay for more than they can, but in this case this is where it makes a difference,” McGadney said. He said in order to pay for those bus passes, students will likely see an fee increase of $20 a semester, but the increased fees won’t just go to bus passes it will also go to improving parking maintenance.
The speech was well received by students. Mackenzie Baker, an EMU senior, appreciated that McGadney addressed the student body directly.
“I think it was really great,” Baker said. “I felt in the past other presidents didn’t
address students in this way. Most things are done behind the scenes and I appreciate the open line of communication with the student body and government and also I really appreciates he’s addressing the needs of the students without coming up with excuses.”
Another student in attendance, sophomore Michelle Carter, said the best thing about the speech was McGadney’s “addressing the library and making it more accessible for students and acknowledging people in single parent homes.”
After the address, McGadney said he hoped students left the event with a sense of their own voices on campus.
“I hope that students understand they do have a place in this university to have the
ability to make real positive change.”
