Student Senate hosts polling event

The Student Senate is hosting a polling event Nov. 3 to better understand the needs of UW-River Falls students.

The survey will include general questions regarding how students feel about the services offered on campus like academic services and the C-store, according to the Student Affairs and Academic Services Director Jayne Dalton.
Also on the survey, there will be questions critiquing the Senate. The Senate wants to know how it is performing through a student’s perspective, Dalton said. 

“The survey will take about 15 minutes or less to complete,” Dalton said.

At the event, there will be a cash bar for those who are 21 or older, food, entertainment provided by the UWRF Glee Club and a raffle drawing for door prizes, Dalton said.

“The participant must be a UWRF student and have their student ID with them. If they are over 21 they also need to bring their driver’s license. There will be a bouncer at the door checking ID’s the entire time,” Dalton said.

“We decided to have a cash bar to increase off-campus involvement and have more students participate in this event,” said SAAS Committee Member Tyler Latz.

Wristbands will be distributed to signify who is of age for the cash bar that will serve beer and wine, Dalton said.

Students can arrive anytime between 7 and 10 p.m. to take the survey. Once a student has completed the survey, they will get a wristband and can go through the food line. They are then also eligible to enter their name into the raffle for door prizes, Dalton said.

The Senate did a survey like this last year, said Senate President Lee Monson. Monson noted that the turnout for the event was good but that he could not speak much to what degree the results were utilized. The questions on the 2009 survey asked about everyday campus life, according to Aaron Billingsley’s Oct. 2009 Student Voice article. Questions included: how successful is the campus media in keeping students updated? Is there good circulation? Do students well utilize campus programs, offers and discounts?

Monson said that the result from this year’s survey will more help for the spring semester than the fall one since this event is happening late in the semester.

“The results will tell us what students want their tuition dollars to go for and support constituents,” Monson said.

The event will be held in the Falcon’s Nest at the University Center.