It wouldn’t hurt to have a baby-changing table in the Russell House, said two USC students who have a child together.
And paying retired faculty members to tutor struggling students might work too, another student said.
These recommendations come from a Student Government suggestion box outside of Russell House this week. SG members, in their inaugural Blitz Week, have given out free sandwiches and drinks to students, asking only for suggestions in return.
“Normally we wait for students to come to us with suggestions,” said Sen. Justin Cromer, the project’s chief organizer. “This time, we’re coming to them.”
SG says Blitz Week is aimed at getting more input on initiatives to pursue. A handful of SG members have manned the table all week, talking with students and occasionally yelling “Free food!” to those who walked past.
By the end of each day, SG gave away all its Firehouse Subs and sweet tea. The return has been worth it, organizers say.
“We think about big initiatives,” said Sen. Matt Ungar, a third-year public relations student. “But students see the little things that affect them on a day-to-day basis when sometimes we don’t.”
Blitz Week has cost around $1,300 in funding, SG records show.
“If Student Government is doing its job all the time, we don’t need a Blitz Week,” SG Vice President Alex Stroman said. “That’s why we have Student Government week in the spring.”
Sen. Anna Hecksher said that the results of the day prove that outreach like Blitz week is worth the time.
“The fact that we keep getting great suggestions means this is part of our job and it’s working,” said Hecksher, a third-year chemistry student. “We’re glad to have students talking to us.”
