Blackburn College’s Student Senate met on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Student Life Conference Room. The meeting was mostly focused on inquiries and issues with the new Automatic Payroll Systems, Inc. (APS) clock-in software. General managers Nate Kinnison and Hollie Davidson visited the senate to elaborate.
Senate member Benjamin Fletcher wanted to know if it was possible to round time with the APS software. Davidson explained that there is no rounding system right now, but it could be added next year. Kinnison suggested that students behind hours can pick up an extra shift. He added that if students work in a department where extra shifts are not readily available, then they should speak to their department manager.
Student Senate faculty advisor Dr. Mark Armstrong said, “One thing I heard that kind of alarmed me was that over in P. Plant [Physical Plant] people are having to wait in line [to clock in and out], and they’ll be in line for how long? 15 minutes? Half an hour?” Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Heidi Heinz explained that Physical Plant workers have to sign in through kiosks and can only access the clock-in system within the building. There are three kiosks available. Kinnison discussed the idea of putting two computers in the building, so there would be more places for students to sign in and out. Davidson said it would also be possible to give assistant managers and crew heads mobile access.
“Do you think we jumped into this too early? Do you think we should’ve done a test run for a semester?” asked Student Senate member Laurel Petri. Kinnison explained that Vice President of Administration and Finance Steve Morris wanted to start this system right away for administration efficiency purposes. “The paper system, when it came down to it, it took up a lot of time. This is our first year, and that’s also taking up a lot of time,” Kinnison added. “But that’s what the first year is for. It’s gonna be rough. It will get better with time.”
The rest of the meeting involved a discussion of old business.
Student Senate president Kaitlyn Pugh brought up a concern about storage in regards to the Student Senate gift to campus. Previously, they had decided to purchase stone furniture for the Claire Jaenke Alumni Center’s patio. Pugh asked the rest of the members if they wanted to store the furniture in Stoddard Hall’s basement or leave it on the patio year-round.
Armstrong thought it would be more important for the group to formalize who’s responsible for furniture storage and upkeep as well as find a way for future senate members to keep track of the decisions made regarding the furniture. Pugh said she’d make a to-do list for future presidents.
Pugh gave the representatives homework at their Sept. 18 meeting. It encompassed asking students what they would want to see Student Senate do. Several projects were mentioned, such as getting lamps and brighter lights for campus in addition to expanding the Jones parking lot.
Students also wanted to see more events hosted on campus. One idea was a volleyball tournament, which Fletcher noted had been done in the past and was a success. Pugh put together a committee for this event, and the tentative date is set close to Halloween.
Event updates were given in regards to “Mock Elections” and “Family Weekend.” The mock elections sub-committee* will meet on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 10 p.m. to discuss further details for event setup.
Senate member Casey Dolen is in charge of organizing “Family Weekend.” She discussed a potential event line up as well as potential conflicting events, designated who would contact Sodexo for catering services and asked Armstrong to contact faculty members.
*The author of this article is a member of the mock elections subcommittee.