The Mississippi State University Student Association held Speak Up MSU this week, an event in which the SA Cabinet and Senate reached out to students on the Drill Field Monday and Tuesday followed by a forum at noon Tuesday in Fowlkes Auditorium.
Though it gave the SA an opportunity to brief students on its recent plans, the majority of the Speak Up event consisted of SA members setting up booths across campus, where students were asked questions and given surveys and the chance to voice their concerns and ideas to the SA.
SA President Braxton Coombs said campus outreach was the main focus of the event and was an effective way to reach students and their opinions.
He said the Speak Up forum on Tuesday was an effective way to reach students in a centralized location.
“We wanted to have something where students can come to one central place and voice their opinions and concerns,” Coombs said.
At the forum, the SA members summarized what they have done so far this year, including sponsoring events such as Bulldog Bash, voter registration drives and The Drill. SA leaders also gave information on what students can expect from the SA in the future.
Coombs said the SA is currently working to reestablish a student bulldog club, which would allow students to earn points during college that could be put toward the regular Bulldog Club upon graduation. Bulldog Club members earn points to gain better seats at home athletic events.
SA administrative liaison John Thompson said the club would allow students to earn points in a different way than regular Bulldog Club members.
“We’re looking on a point system right now that enables students to gain points by attending various athletics events,” Thompson said. “When you’re in the regular Bulldog Club, you donate money. When you donate money, you get more points. Students really don’t want to donate money.”
Various prizes would be given out each year, with Bulldog Club points distributed upon graduation. Thompson said the club is expected to begin in the spring, and a potential name for the club is MTOC, which stands for Maroon: The Only Color.
Coombs said new textbook exchange program is a currently a major project for the SA.
“We know that textbooks and their prices are one of the biggest things affecting students right now,” SA Attorney General Blake Jeter said. “If there was a way to curve that price and get people to put the price down, it could be a big impact on students.”
Jeter said the SA is working on a new concept to reduce textbook prices, and the program is expected to be ready by the spring.
The SA gave summaries of projects completed by the SA this semester. One of its projects was a month-long voter registration drive, in which the SA partnered with Rock the Vote.
“We were able to register over 1,600 students. We know that at least 1,100 of those are registered in Oktibbeha County,” SA Secretary Whitney Holliday said. “We’re really proud of that, and we are trying to get the word out now so people will go vote on Nov. 4.”
Among issues addressed in the question-answer portion of the forum were voting concerns.
A student asked how student voters will know where to vote and if the university can offer a mode of transportation to take students to their voting precincts.
Holliday said students who live on campus and are registered in Oktibbeha County can vote on campus in the Humphrey Coliseum. Students who live off campus will vote in locations specified on their voter registration cards. The SA is currently looking to help make a bus route to voting precincts in Starkville.