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A spirit that is not afraid

SGA Senate addresses provost vote, campus dining issues

<p>SGA Senate meets on Sept. 14, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.</p>

SGA Senate meets on Sept. 14, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.

Members of Auburn's Student Government Association discussed both a potential vote of no confidence for Provost Bill Hardgrave and student dissatisfaction with campus dining on the first day of classes during its Jan. 11 senate meeting, the first of the spring semester.

The Auburn University Senate has proposed voting no confidence in Hardgrave since November because of faculty concerns about how the provost's office has navigated the University through the COVID-19 pandemic, but this week will see a decision made through a remote vote.

Though the vote will be decided by faculty in the Auburn University Senate, not the student senate, SGA representatives will be present.

“As of now, there really is no clear direction on whether or not that will pass or that motion will fail,” said SGA President Ada Ruth Huntley, senior in global studies. “We do plan to share a statement on behalf of students just thanking faculty and administrators for working so hard throughout the pandemic but also applauding administration for continuing to listen to student feedback throughout this unprecedented time.” 

Executive Vice President Sarah Jane Levine, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production management, addressed complaints from students on the limited availability for on-campus dining options during the first day of the spring semester. 

Aramark, the vendor for the University's on-campus dining locations, sent SGA a statement that Levine read from.

“It rained, so [Aramark was] not able to have food trucks out,” Levine said. “The Chick-fil-A had a new point-of-sale system that malfunctioned, and they had more students on campus than anticipated. In addition, they kept some locations closed thinking that student traffic would be light this week.”

More dining options will become available throughout this week, with two food trucks opening both Tuesday and Wednesday, Levine said. Philly Connection and Good Karma will be operating Tuesday, she said, and Amsterdam and the Dam Taco Truck will be available on Wednesday. 

Information on locations and hours will be updated on the Tiger Dining Instagram page and Campus Dining's website. 

“They are working on getting the Village Chick-fil-A open by Wednesday at the latest, along with as many other locations as possible,” Levine said. “Glenn [Loughridge, director of campus dining] just said he was very sorry for disappointing students today, and they’re doing their best to recover quickly.”

Cole Callahan, junior in biomedical sciences and a senator for COSAM, reported that RBD Library staff have prohibited food in the library except in the Panera Bread dining area. 

Callahan said this was because of COVID restrictions, encouraging students to reach out with constructive feedback. 


Emma Kirkemier | Campus Reporter

Emma Kirkemier, junior in English literature with a minor in journalism, is the campus reporter for The Auburn Plainsman.

@emmakk253


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