President Taylor Reveley IV was present at the meeting to answer questions, mainly pertaining to the upcoming Vice Presidential debate on October 4 next year, as well as other issues brought up in past meetings.
Reveley discussed the master plan’s effect on the upcoming debate and which facilities will be completed.
“There is a lot more potential (for) parking than is being used right now...” said Reveley. The master plan also included an anticipated parking garage in the eastern part of Iler field.
Reveley spoke of holding Oktoberfest 2016 the weekend before the debate to start this historic week with a celebratory dimension.
A lottery system will be created to determine which students will have the opportunity to sit in on the debate. For those who don’t win or get accepted through this lottery, there will be opportunities to watch the debate on campus through other means. A location is yet to be determined. The lottery is projected to happen as early as the upcoming summer until the fall semester right before the debate takes place.
Senator Rollins raised concerns about the lottery system, requesting it be modeled more like an application, so students who are truly passionate about the debate have a higher chance of receiving a seat. Reveley responded that they have full intentions of setting parameters on the process.
With fall break being scheduled to begin the Thursday prior to the debate, there will be opportunities for students to volunteer in order to help the event come to fruition.
Longwood University’s announcement to host the debate has increased applications of enrollment by 50 percent. Reveley emphasized that this is a great stepping stone, but he has no intention of increasing class size.
Moving on to other topics on how to improve the University, senators brought up the idea of gender-neutral bathrooms, which had been previously discussed with SGA President Constance Garner and Dr. Tim Pierson, Vice President of Student Affairs. Reveley was on board with the idea and hopes to include it in future plans.
The Student Finance Committee Report proposed adding an additional bylaw, making it unconstitutional to receive funding for food. The motion passed.
“There is a lot more potential (for) parking than is being used right now...”
