Photo Credit: Lindsey Campbell
Photo Caption: Legacy Project Poster
By: Lindsey Campbell
A team of three faculty members answered questions submitted by students last night during the Legacy Project held in the Cafeteria. Mark Fox, Mark Henry and Brent Nipper addressed issues concerning students.
“The most important thing about this event is that you leave with knowledge that you didn’t have before,” said Student Government Association President Shannon Slaughter. “You get your questions answered and you allow your voice to be heard by them.”
Meal plan policy was the most popular topic. Only one meal plan is currently available to students. This happened when the contract with Pioneer was signed and the cafeteria went to continuous and unlimited service.
Many students questioned why there could not be more than one meal plan option. The contract with Pioneer puts restrictions on what Milligan is allowed to do with food options.
“It’s all based on volume and pricing,”said Mark Fox. “They will do anything we want them to do if we’re willing to pay for it.”
When asked about the daily price of being on the meal plan, Brent Nipper did not have an exact number, but said it is “totally different” from paying for every meal individually. Commuters and students not on the meal plan can put money on their student cards and receive a 10 percent discount when used in the cafeteria.
There are modifications that can be made during the current contract, such as exchange meals being available in the grill after 5 p.m. However, the addition of a variety of meal plans will not be an option under current contract. Fox and Henry are always working with each other and they say when the contract is up in 2015 more meal plan options could be considered if it meets student demands.
“Not a lot of students know about the contracts that Milligan College has with Pioneer and that they have to wait to do it,” Nathan Rodda, junior, said.“I wish more people would have been able to hear that.”
There is also some confusion on campus that married students are being “kicked out” of MSA next year. Fox assured students that is not the case. Milligan is trying to meet the needs of all the undergraduates that are required to live on campus.
“It is a constant juggling act. There is no way that we can hit it exactly right,” Fox said. “I’ve encouraged the married couples to continue to look for other options, because we don’t know for sure what the status is going to be until the summer starts developing.”
Milligan is trying to create a Christian community by requiring undergraduates to live on campus. This residential campus decision is one made by the Board of Directors.
There are some married students on campus that feel like they are being treated like they are being kicked out of their apartments. However, no one is being kicked out. Fox said buy-outs offered to married students were to help them with their transition, if they wanted to go. No one was forced out.
With the new dorm buildings planned, the hope is that MSA will be opened to married students again as the new buildings expand.
“I really support the whole project itself and it’s just good to be up to date on the questions and responses,” said Lauren Tomlinson, senior. “If I hear someone talking about it I can be like ‘hey, we talked about it and here is the actual answer’ in order to stop rumors.”
Other topics discussed included parking, maintenance response, parking ticket money and the possibility of a football team. Parking ticket money goes into the general fund. This is the same fund that all other fees go into. The football team is something that would be welcomed, but currently there is no room in the budget.
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