Campus Reform: Gustavus Adolphus College

Many students have a desire to get involved on campus and to advocate for causes they believe in.  But what can they do if they haven't done such work before?  Many students want to support goals of a reform movement, but don't do it because they are unsure of what types of tangible changes that they could proactively seek out. 

What changes might they recommend to the leaders on college?  In what direction might they push for reform? 

Here are four categories of legitimate change that anybody can begin working on and with reasonable committment achieve real victories:

1)  Become a "Safe Internet Campus"

• Have [explicit] filters installed on all campus-owned computers.
•  Give students the option of installing this software on their personal computers; distributing it in a similar manner to how students install anti-virus software before accessing the school’s network.

This proposal is a common sense campus reform that is non-invasive, hardly restrictive and would go far in promoting a more positive community in the student body.

Why shouldn't we be advancing institutional policies that would allocate the use of campus-owned computers and resources in a way that aligns with our our core values of community, justice, service, faith, and excellence?

2)  Expand the College's commitment to "Service"

• Recognize the service members of our community by honoring the banners of our college, state, and country by hanging a Gustavus, Minnesota, and United States of America flag in the Dining Center.  There is sufficient room in the three spaces above the cafeteria doors to do so.
•   Sponsor one day each semester where military recruiters are invited are invited to campus by the Student Senate so that the members of our community who want to live out our core value of service through serving their country have the opportunity to get information about doing so, in a friendly, non-hostile environment.
•  Continue special displays like the artwork of the ROTC students in order to honor our students in the service

3)   Better showcase our commitment to excellence; in particular, create new opportunity for the College to display this excellence in academic rigor.

• Implement the recommended addition of a “Nobel Conference Debate Night” Session, where the event is a formal head-to-head debate between two scholars that engage on a topic of relevance to the conference.  This would help introduce all people to the discussion and conversation that exists amongst the great thinkers that attend and participate in the conference.  It would demonstrate that the conference has a commitment to excellence, not ideology. It would mean that the college can showcase its intellectual diversity; encouraging critical thinking while engaging the mind.
• Partner with the Diversity Center to increase initiatives that would affirm a belief that “diversity is not just measured by the way people look, but also the way that they think.” 
• Continue promoting conservative safe space stickers, because it is a good day when we take steps to signify that we support the free and open exchange of ideas in all areas of campus life, and take actions to promote a welcoming, affirming, and open environment where people of all viewpoints, beliefs, ideologies, and political persuasion can thrive.
• Express support for the Lindau Symposium which seeks to promote respectful dialog with many viewpoints on issues; a place where diverse intellectual voices and mainstream beliefs and values can be brought together in a liberal arts environment.

 4)  Empower student groups by pushing for a real non-discrimination policy

• Moving forward with the adoption of policies by the Student Senate which procure for all student organizations the right to be entirely independent of the Student Senate in their decision-making, and to have autonomy in the execution of their day-to-day operations; because students can better promote diversity and enhance community within the student body when they are free to pursue and advocate for their interests and able to form groups with individuals who share and support their values.