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The Bethel student council discussed the possibility of installing new cameras in the campuss parking lots. The discussion took place in their Oct. 5 meeting at 9 p.m.
According to Student Council President Ray Williams, the idea is supported by both student life and campus safety.
“We’re probably going to put out a survey for this,” Williams said. “But we’re thinking about charging about $5 a parking ticket, so we can get cameras out in the parking lots. This will relieve the huge cost of getting that down on the school.”
Currently, students do not need to pay a fee in order to park in any of the campus parking lots. Williams said he still needs to speak with Bethel Chief Financial Officer Jerry White about the idea.
The recommendation for the idea will be going to the Bethel administration to get a feel for what they think about the idea. Williams said they will most likely approve of the idea.
“This is something we’ll probably get more on the ground in the spring semester,” Williams said.
The council is also looking to help reinstate the campus safety ambassador program. The program was designed to provide student internships with campus safety that offered a wage.
But instead of a paid internship set-up, the program will likely take the form of a unpaid volunteer basis.
“It will look very good on a resume, but at the same time, it will help make sure the campus is safe,” Williams said.
The student council executives will also be hosting a Christmas party, nicknamed “Thanksmas,” on Nov. 12. The Dining Commons staff will be working with the council to plan a thanksgiving feast.
Williams also said the council could talk to campus activities about including games and activities at the dinner.
Senior Hannah Darling, president of upper-class council, said the upperclassmen discussed the upcoming senior event. She is currently in contact with the owners of The Brick, a private event warehouse and bar located in South Bend, about hosting the event.
“I talked to them about a date that we like: February 21st,” Darling said. “Because this is before spring break, but also kind of a spot…where there’s not a lot of sports conflicts.”
The upper-class council are looking into the possibility of having dance instructors at the event. Darling said they are also figuring out the payments included in hiring a caterer.
The under-class council is still planning for the upcoming canned food drive taking place Nov. 2 to 13. The council decided the winning dorm will receive a $100 prize for collecting the most canned goods.
“We’re working on the posters and we’re working to try and use the church that donated to [the drive] last year,” Ashleigh Neier, president of the under-class council, said.
The under-class council also worked on updating the student council website. While more updates are still needed, Neier said some changes are already noticeable.
The underclassmen members also established a new email address for the student council as a whole: studentcouncil@betheluniversity.edu. Neier said they are considering creating an Instagram account for the council as well.
“I didn’t know that we had a website until…right now,” Student Council Member Jacob Falk said. “I feel like the Instagram would be a great assest to you guys to get out [the word] to students.”
Williams also talked about the idea of turning the soon-to-be empty room at The Acorn into a student lounge. The lounge would be used to host the bi-weekly student council meetings.
He will be meeting with White and Shawn Holtgren, Bethel vice president of student development, to discuss the idea.
“I was thinking about dedicating it towards one of our faculty members who has given a lot of time towards student council, Dr. [David] Schmidt,” Williams said.
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