SUNY Oneonta Institutional Planning

3/3 Dialogue Session Notes, President's Office

March 3, 2022 Dialogue – Student session

Challenges:

• Fast dining options like Seasons or Starbucks don’t offer many choices for people with food sensitivities.
• Public Transportation – bus tracker with OPT is not always working. Sometimes busses don’t come when expected. Lack of ride share services in Oneonta. Not knowing what to do in an urgent situation if the bus doesn’t come and you may not have money for a taxi, or don’t feel comfortable taking a taxi.
• Environmental concerns – lack of education about waste, problems with consumable/single-use goods, etc.
• Personal safety concerns. It is hard to get in self-defense related courses. Can there be more non-credit options? Petition to carry pepper spray being submitted to administration. Need more information about card access and when academic buildings are open to the public or locked.
• Mental health support – more interest and requests for counseling. Counseling Center could help students find resources if there are no appointments available on campus.

Opportunities:

• Better and healthier options in the dining halls. Unhealthy food may seem more popular because there aren’t as many other options to choose from?
• Better communication between the Student Association and students and OPT about bus concerns or questions. Eg: busses have to be taken offline sometimes due to health and safety concerns due to rider behavior. How can we encourage each other to be good riders?
• Education on environmental impact everyone has – what fair trade is and means, what people can do individually and collectively to help. First year seminar topic?
• More service learning courses. These are so valuable and not many students know about the ones we already have. Publicize them better.
• Recognize and education on problematic histories of some disciplines. Eg: Anthropology.
• Offer life-related courses or workshops. Help prepare for life after graduation as a person – education on finances, parenting, etc.
• Better advertise new telehealth appointments.
• Offer peer to peer counseling.
• Can clubs help with the ride share or urgent ride issue off campus? Club Odyssey used to do this.
• Better education about all of the good resources on campus – there is a lot here, but students don’t know about it.
• Empower students to gather outside and appreciate our beautiful campus – lawn furniture? Transportation to college camp?