Inspired Initiatives
\nTwo new projects highlight the kinds of goals Student Council should pursueStudent Council may have found its best role in the University community. Tuesday night, Student Life Committee Co-Chairs Aagya Mathur and Kristin Flow presented the committee's plans and goals for the upcoming year. Two projects stand out in particular.
First, the committee reached an agreement with Clark Library that will extend the library's hours until 4 a.m. during the final exam period. Second, the committee is currently working to provide University Transit Service buses for students who need to commute to airports during the holiday season. The aim is to eventually expand bus service to D.C. area airports, a move intended to help international students in particular.
These ideas offer excellent models for the kinds of initiatives Council should pursue. Most important, they are concrete, tangible objectives that will generate real benefits for students. Extending Clark's hours should help reduce the overcrowding that is often encountered at Clemons during midterms and finals. Clark also happens to be in close proximity to first-year dorms, making the extended hours especially useful for younger students. The airport transportation idea will reduce the need for students to spend large sums of money on taxi service or overnight parking fees when traveling long distances.
It is also refreshing to see international students, an often underrepresented group, on Council's radar. Such efforts will build credibility for Council and should make future outreach efforts more productive. Students, after all, are much more likely to provide Council with feedback if they believe their communication will result in genuine progress.
Although Council may consider these two undertakings to be minor side projects, in reality it will be these kinds of changes that students remember and appreciate the most. Other Council committees would do well to replicate these types of ideas in their own areas of responsibility.\n
Working for students
\nUCS should make a few minor adjustments to improve its servicesSearching for jobs can often be a frustrating experience for students. This year, given the current condition of the economy, that task can prove an absolute nightmare. For the most part, University Career Services does an admirable job guiding students through the employment search and interview process. As with any system, however, there is always room to improve.
One area to consider working on is the ease of student access to information. In terms of e-mail communications and advertising its services, UCS does remarkably well. Some features, like its online calendar, however, could be made more user-friendly. An RSS feed or e-mail subscription option, for example, could relieve students of the need to check the site meticulously for job opportunities and employer presentations.
It would also be helpful for UCS to further oversee the updates provided by outside employers via CAVLink. For example, in at least one instance, an employer posted a job listing with an application deadline set for a past date. This error was clearly made by the employer and not UCS; however, it would be beneficial for UCS to review these postings and check for problems or obvious mistakes.\nThese issues are not glaring deficiencies, but rather small suggestions to improve a robust system. Sometimes small changes can go a long way toward making everyone's life a little easier.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 5 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 6 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
