At the end of the 2006-07 school year President R. Gerald Turner put together a Task Force at SMU. At the end of the 2007-08 school year the Task Force made its recommendations, and Turner agreed to 36 of the 38 recommendations that were suggested.
We were told that some things would be implemented faster than others. That is understandable, but it is interesting to see what could be implemented first.
Before school even started groups were confronted with the new Social Event Registration Policy that forces people to give all of the information they have concerning their event, including a complete guest list with names, SMU ID numbers and birthdays.
But it took a couple of weeks into school to create the Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan programs. SMU showed its bureaucratic side in that it took less time to create a form and a committee to either approve or deny a group’s request than it did for two policies that could help save people’s lives.
On the subject of the health of students at SMU, we are happy to hear the Health Center is accredited, but that isn’t what the students were promised with the Task Force.
Many students have horror stories about going to the Heath Center and getting little to no help., but there are a number of stories where the Health Center has done their job and did it well.
The issue is that there are just some times when you need the Health Center to be open and it isn’t. Like after 5 p.m. or on the weekends. During those times students are directed to PrimaCare on Mockingbird Ln. But even that closes at 5 p.m. on the weekends.
What point is there to having and paying for a Health Center on campus if when it is needed you are often directed to an off-campus site that may or may not be open?
We understand that it takes money to keep the Health Center open later and on the weekends, but if the intent of the Task Force is to make the campus safer that should have been a top priority.
And yes, the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports is now open later on Friday and Saturday nights, but it is only until midnight. And sure there are people who are intense when it comes to working out, and many of them may be busy and that is the only time they can go. However, the majority of the student body will chose a party over a pick-up game of basketball nine times out of 10.
Just as Dedman is open later, so is the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. But what is there to do in HT until 2 a.m. on a Thursday night? Yes, you can work on a computer, or go to Pizza Hut or Java City until midnight. But why get a small personal pizza when you can order a whole one from the Pizza Hut on Hillcrest?
Thank you SMU for getting the ball rolling on the Task Force recommendations, but remember what will benefit the students as well as make the university a better place.
