The possible identity and promise statements for the College were presented, discussed and critiqued at the Student Government meeting last Wednesday, Nov. 7.
These statements will be used to describe the College, along with its goals and overall purpose.
Kyle Magliaro, senior marketing major and executive vice president of SG, presented on behalf of the Identity Task Force for the Committee on Planning and Priorities.
Magliaro said the presentation to SG was only the first step in moving forward with the strategic plan. He also stressed the importance of making these statements strong and effective, as “when (other institutions and communities) see TCNJ, this is going to be what they think of.”
After presenting both statements, SG members weighed in, critiquing the wording, length and overall purpose of the statements.
The proposed identity statement was long, tying together the founding of the College with the present role, impact and environment of the school. Some SG members disagreed with the statement regarding the College as “the best undergraduate institution in the nation.” While they agree the College is a respectable institution, they do not believe it is the best.
“It is a nice statement and I think it applies to TCNJ, but it could apply to other institutions as well,” said Devin Dimmig, vice president for governmental affairs and junior history and secondary education double major.
Annie Montero, junior communication studies major and vice president for student services, said the statement was, “very inconsistent, very inaccurate and very generic.”
While the statements received some praise, SG members expressed their concerns, which will be taken into consideration when they are revised.
The Table Tennis and Ski and Snowboarding clubs were presented and passed after a brief debate.
A few SG members anticipated potential problems arising from the Table Tennis club, since they do not have their own location where they would practice.
Instead, they plan on meeting early in the mornings in the Brower Student Center, relying on the early hours to provide those free tables. However, they cannot reserve tables, so there is no guarantee they would have tables to play on when they meet.
With enough fundraising, they hope to eventually relocate to a more stable practice area.
SG passed the clubs, finding strengths in the interest in them on campus, support from their advisers, and ideas for fundraising.
Here for Home was praised at the meeting, and reiterated the importance and purpose of the campus-wide effort.
Christina Kopka, SG president and senior Spanish and marketing double major, cleared some confusion among SG members who thought Here for Home was a relief effort intended for the Bonner Program.
Both Kopka and Magliaro stressed that Here for Home is not solely affiliated with Bonner, but with all student organizations.
Kopka explained that Here for Home is the College’s response to the Hurricane Sandy disaster, which funnels the energy from all student organizations into one outlet accessible to all students.
