Build bridges. Build healthy students. Build public opinion.
These are the goals of the incoming student senate leaders, Temo Molina and Ethan Ciancio. We believe these sophomores are on the right track. Here is some insight from our newspaper staff.
Build Bridges
When The Antelope first reported on Molina and Ciancio, they wanted to distribute QR codes for students to sharetheir thoughts. They also want to research which communication methods are most effective for the student population.
Not many students know that student senate meetings even exist, and campus organizations are still trying to crack the code of communicating with students. For example, The Antelope has done our best to inform Lopers about student government by reporting on their meetings each week.
Some ways to do this might be posting a weekly video addressing UNK students, writing a blog outlining behind-the-scenes efforts or setting up booths in the Nebraska Student Union to chat with studnts.
Emily Saadi and Zach Zevodny made huge efforts to connect with UNK officials, yet here still seems to be a disconnect between the student population and student leaders.
Build Healthy Students
This goal refers to making mental health resources more accessible to students. However, UNK has already made public efforts to promote mental health this school year. These include Lopes for Hope, The McKenna’s Rae of Hope Out of the Darkness walk, Peer Health Talk About It: Mental Health on Campus, Suicide Awareness Week and mental health screening booths.
We think this focus should be more directed at decreasing the wait time for students to see a mental health counselor on campus. It also might help to promote graduate students needing to schedule counseling appointments with other students, which is part of graduate students’ studies.
The topic of mental health is important, but it is hard for students to avoid the swell of UNK programs created after the pandemic. We have a surplus of mental health services, but Molina and Ciancio may have go to the Board of Regents to lessen the wait time for counseling.
Build Public Opinion
As a newspaper, our sole purpose is to report the facts. and We cannot purposely sway the thoughts of others. We only have the editorials, which serve as our organization’s voice.
But even on a perfect campus, students will always find plenty to complain about. Lack of parking. The rising rates of campus housing. Construction delays. The chaotic move over winter break could be a huge reason why UNK’s public opinion is probably low. The list goes on, even as many of these problems are being worked on.
We think the best way to improve public opinion is to be transparent and proactive. The best way to build public opinion is to listen when students have concerns, and then do something about it.
This will require them to reach outside of The Antelope Room on Tuesday nights. Of course, students can go to Senate meetings and get updates, but not many outsiders make the effort.
Overall, we need to acknowledge the improvements Saadi and Zevodny have made to campus life. Students may complain about the holes dug into Lot 10, but they are there because UNK is installing more light fixtures. This was largely due to the previous team walking through campus with officials and pinpointing areas of risk. Many mental health programs were born out of Saadi and Zevodny’s promotion. To some extent, students had a voice in campus construction projects.
We look forward to following how Molina and Ciancio will fulfill these goals and continue the improvements that Saadi and Zevodny are leaving behind.
