Penley drops by ASCSU
Any new visitor to the Associated Students of CSU might have
thought the covered table in the back of the ASCSU Senate Chambers
that offered multi-colored cookies, pitchers of water and stemmed
glassware was a regular occurrence at weekly meetings.
In actuality, it was to honor a special guest speaker at
Wednesday night’s meeting.
CSU President Larry Penley popped in at the ASCSU meeting
Wednesday night to discuss current administrative issues and to
give senate members an opportunity to have their questions and
concerns addressed.
“It’s been an interesting fall semester as a new president,”
Penley said in his opening to the senate. “It’s been a wonderful
fall (season) getting to know Colorado and getting to know
CSU.”
Penley told the senate he felt students and faculty were being
very candid about issues at the university, which has made for a
busy semester and has opened a door for change.
“The fate of the university is in our hands,” he said.
One of the issues that Penley discussed with the senate was the
experience freshmen are currently having at CSU and how the current
freshman seminar requirement is not very popular with the
undergraduates.
Penley informed the senate that on Tuesday night the Faculty
Council voted to get rid of the current freshmen seminar
requirement and that the administration has moved toward creating a
different freshmen experience.
He mentioned to the senate that colleges would look at how they
design a “freshmen experience” and will hopefully offer a new
series of seminars that will cover a broad range of topics.
“They will give a taste of something they want to learn about,”
Penley said.
Penley also said the CSU administration is working on developing
a new plan for student recruitment to ensure that quality students
will continue to attend CSU.
Other issues that Penley briefly addressed were guaranteed
tuition and the College Opportunity Fund.
ASCSU President Jesse Lauchner thought Penley attending the
meeting was a sign of his dedication to CSU students.
“It was just one more step in the complete, sincere approach he
has taken to students,” Lauchner said. “He’s made a priority and it
shows.”
Lauchner also said the relationship between students and the CSU
administration grew stronger with Penley’s senate appearance.
“It’s one more step in building trust and helping each other
out,” he said. “Every time we knock, they answer.”
Penley said attending Wednesday night’s meeting was not only to
inform the senate about issues, but also to take the opportunity to
meet with the whole senate and show his appreciation for the work
it has done this semester.
“I’ve been really impressed, these students take
responsibility,” he said.
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