Two years after adding the plan for a 24/7 campus to the university’s strategic plan, there have been hits and misses, said Mark Rozewski, vice president for business affairs.
“We’re happy to try new things,” he said. “Next year we’re going to have a more energized effort.”
This year, the hours at the Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center (RFWC) have been extended, more food options added – like Red Mango and a Simply to Go in the RFCW – and enabling fan buses to go to away basketball games.
There have been failures, too. The shuttle bus program, which was created for students to have a way to get from the apartments to the main campus after hours, was discontinued due to lack of interest, Rozewski said.
The 24/7 Committee, which is the committee that brainstorms ideas about how to transform the university into a 24/7 campus, is looking to completely revamp the committee and have it include more students.
Marcia Kiessling, student affairs associate provost, said she noticed the committee did not have enough students, and students are needed to make the committee successful.
“Whenever there are more staff than students around a table, we have a problem,” Kiessling said.
She said all of the programs and services students are requesting are things the university is already doing, but lack of promoting is hindering the success of the programs. Better promoting is a goal for next year.
A 24/7 goal continues to be enhancing the college experience for students, she said.
The 24/7 Committee Director Carmen Stoen said she thinks students are confused about what a 24/7 campus is.
“My understanding… is the goal is not for the campus to be open 24 hours 7 days a week, but the goal is to provide access to services, resources and programs that students need at the time, and in the way that they need them,” she said.
Stoen said since the 24/7 goal was added to the strategic plan two years ago, two intramural fields have been created, the bicycle trails have been expanded, the RFWC and Housing and Residence Life hours have been extended, tutoring sessions have been expanded and OrgSync – a communication software for student organizations, has been implemented.
She said creating a 24/7 campus will take more time than the next few years.
“In many ways, it’s going to be an ongoing process for the institution even past 2015 when the strategic plan is supposed to be done,” Stoen said. “I think we will still be working on it because it’s not something that’s going to end. The needs of students are going to change all the time.”
