A gender-neutral committee was approved at the Monday, Jan. 31 ASNMU meeting. The committee will be a research committee, said Arts and Sciences representative Chris Hoffman, and will communicate with Housing and other Michigan schools to explore housing options.
A survey committee was also approved, which will examine students’ interests via survey and interpret the results.
President Courtney Russell said she met with Greg Minner, head of Dining Services, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to discuss students’ relationship with Dining Services. She said a Dining Services student committee will be formed.
Arts and Sciences representative Christian Weber opened a discussion about potentially sponsoring a book scholarship that will pay for student books. Weber said the initial idea was to open the scholarship up to students in the Freshman Probation Program, who had either a low ACT score or a low high school GPA, and College Transitions students, who had both a low ACT score and a low high school GPA. Weber said it might be open to one College Transitions student, one student in the Freshman Probation Program and one student who is part of neither program. It could also be open to students with the highest GPA increase. The scholarship would be an incentive for people to stay at NMU, Russell said, as well as an incentive to do well. ASNMU members discussed potential requirements for eligibility; application requirements, including need and merit; and funding.
Off-campus representative Benjamin Stanley opened a discussion about student IDs. Student IDs are not dated, which means many businesses will not grant student discounts. He said a potential solution is to offer students a dated sticker, which would be less expensive than reprinting cards for all students; student IDs cost $7-8 per card, Stanley said. It would also help prevent people who are no longer students from presenting invalid IDs to receive discounts.
Off-campus representative Justin Brugman was appointed and approved as the chair of Dozing Discounts.
Off-campus representative Richard Keiser’s resignation passed unanimously.
