"Chat Room" Participants Ponder College's Future at First-ever Dialogue Session

October 25, 2007

Apathy, often thought of as prevalent on college campuses, was nowhere to be seen on Oct. 12 when dozens of members of the Saint Mary's College community gathered at Soda Center for the first-ever "chat room." The dialogue session was convened to answer the question, "Your future Saint Mary's: Where do we go from here?"

Senior Chantal Jenkins said she attended the session even though she was in the middle of studying for mid-terms. "I think it's a good idea to dialogue," said Jenkins, "It happens informally between students, but there's no large-scale place for students to talk."

The Soda Center was festively decorated for the occasion with purple, green and orange banners strung across the ceiling and student artwork exhibited on wooden poles. Cafe-style round tables were each topped with a single red rose, votive candles, and colorful notes containing quotations such as: "To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation."

"It is clear from the last few weeks that we are an institution in transition," Ed Tywoniak, chair of the Communication Department, said at the start of the event. He encouraged those in attendance "to envision what we are to become" and promised that their ideas would be passed on to the College administration, trustees and academic senate.

About 65 students, faculty and staff members then sat in small groups to discuss what's working at Saint Mary's -- and what isn't. The participants spent fifteen minutes openly discussing each of three questions posed to them. At each table, a scribe took notes and a host served as a quasi-moderator. With every new topic, participants changed tables and butcher block sheets of paper containing answers to the last question were taped to the walls.

"We have to keep this up," said Pamela Thomas of Campus Ministry after the chat room was over. "It's a way for people to have a voice...I noticed there were some older students who've gotten disconnected and who saw this as a way to get reconnected."

Organizers of the chat say other topics will be discussed at future sessions.

-- by Debra Holtz
College Communications

SIDEBAR

Following is a list of the questions asked and a sampling of the answers:

1. In terms of building our community, what accomplishments have we made that we are proud of? What have we done well together?
* Social justice is more visible.
* Presidential search committee has representation.
* High Potential Program.
* New academic honor code.
2. In terms of improving communication and community participation in decision-making processes, what do we need to do more of? What have we missed?
* Improve communication with commuter students.
* No central place for students to find event postings beyond e-mail or have meetings, no facilities for clubs and organizations.
* Address apathy: not sure why people don't go to events.
* Attitude toward drinking/drugs -- seen as only fun activity. Provide an alternative such as Bingo.
3. What are the top three to five leadership actions that I believe matter most in creating a brighter future for Saint Mary's College and its community?
* Upgrade nonacademic culture.
* Reenergize alumni relationship with the college.
* Aggressive fundraising.
* Broad communication in a personal way to all levels of campus.