By Shada Felli
Students voice opinions about SGA ACCESS plan
A recent proposal by the Student Government Association to close the Adult Commuter Center Evening Student Services (ACCESS) Center has many students enraged at the idea that their elected officials would disappoint the student body of the university to such a degree.
ACCESS was set up to provide academic and social support for all students, with heavy emphasis on nontraditional students. The ACCESS Center is a location on campus where students can study, utilize the computers, obtain information on many other student services, and receive advice on how to succeed and cope with pressures that they may be facing.
“The ACCESS Center is the place I go to study and interact with my classmates,” says sophomore biology major Charles Anderson. “I do not have a computer at home, so ACCESS is where I go to use the computer.”
Many students attribute their success at the University of Louisville to the ACCESS Center itself. Senior management and marketing major Mark Palnieri said, “The threat of closing this unique student service upsets me. ACCESS is a very important part of my success here as a student and a vital part of many other students’ success as well.”
“The ACCESS Center has helped me, through their services, to achieve close to a 4.0 grade point average,” says sophomore nursing major Alicia Lewis. “I know many others that owe so much to the access for their wonderful services and the quiet place to study.”
In last week’s proposal, SGA president Chris Marlin suggested not to eliminate the ACCESS Center, but to integrate it with the REACH program, which is located in Strickler Hall. The recommendation came about not because SGA wanted to eradicate the service, but because they feel they can no longer adequately fund the ACCESS Center. The combination of the two programs would ultimately enhance the services provided for the students.
At first mention of the closure of ACCESS, Jennifer Bash, a graduate student from the Kent School of Social Work, was also taken aback by the fact that our student government association would act in a way that would “hurt” the student body. After hearing all of the facts, however, her thoughts have turned around in favor of the merger. “I think REACH and ACCESS should integrate,” said Bash, “I have found out that REACH is a similar program that also helps students with academics, and I do not think SGA needs this big of a responsibility.”
SGA’s budget is the main reason for this proposal. They want the money to be utilized in other areas, given that only 8.19% of its annual budget of $93,000 goes toward student services. “I think it would make more sense to merge ACCESS and REACH, because it would free up much needed funding without denying student needs,” says civil engineering graduate student Tim Hitchcock. “It offers the same, if not more opportunities for learning.”
There has been no final decision on the future of the ACCESS Center at this point. Discussion will continue throughout the semester. Plans will not be finalized until late December or early January, when the senate will convene for its final session of the calendar year.
