By Daylon Bonner, Staff Writer
Dr. Jamie Hebert, the Georgia Southern President, made a lengthy presentation to open up last Monday’s SGA meeting. He offered praise to the Senate as he appreciated their willingness to represent the student body during the consolidation.
Dr. Hebert went on to detail some of the goals for the future of Georgia Southern, particularly those affecting the Armstrong campus. He stated that he would like to see the student population grow larger than thirty thousand members with significant growth for the student population in Savannah. The intent is to make the Armstrong campus a well-known facility specializing in Health Science in regions south of Atlanta. While he did not speak at length concerning the Liberty campus, he did mention the intent to add more buildings to the facility.
In addition to comments pertaining to academic areas, he also spoke on potential changes to the athletic facilities currently not in use. Particularly, he brought of the idea of converting the basketball court into a recreational facility similar to the RAC in Statesboro. The tennis courts and soccer fields are also slated for renovations. These renovations would allow Georgia Southern to host athletic events on these fields for broadcasting. While athletics may not call the Armstrong campus home, the President reiterated that all students are welcome to athletic events, with a valid I.D., in Statesboro. Dr. Hebert further stated that the intent is to have Armstrong representatives at the table when the decisions concerning renovations are made.
The Senate presented new legislation that would support the creation of a twenty-four hours and five days a week learning facility. Given that one already exists on the Statesboro campus, the availability of one the Armstrong campus may not be unreasonable. The ideal candidate would be the Learning Commons, although Lane Library could also be an option. Should the Learning Commons be selected, the proposed hours are opening at noon on Sunday and remaining open until 10:00 pm on Friday with closure still occurring on Saturday. The vote concerning this legislation will occur next Monday.
