Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Oct. 3, 2012, edition 1 / Page 18
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Features Wednesday, October 3, 2012 • page 18 From the Internet to Alamance, Campus Grumble could capture student complaints Kaitlyn Stahl Reporter When complaints such as Acorn Coffee Shop lines and internship requirements pile up on social media, the Elon Unffersity administration might not hear about it. This might change with the launch of Campus Grumble, a new website that launched at Elon Sept. 7. It intends to publicize students’ commentary and feedback. “I realized that small, everyday annoyances and even sometimes major problems, flew under the radar of the administration very frequently,” said creator and Wake Forest University graduate John Kirkpatrick “I decided to make a platform where students and administrators can collaborate on is sues and make things a lot easier and efficient.” Campus Grumble is just that — a fast way to make complaints to a specific university’s adminis tration. The site currently features only four schools: Wake Forest University, Davidson College, High Point University and Elon University. The website is straightforward and user-friendly, according to Kirkpatrick. Any student, after regis tering with his or her university email, can submit a grumble, or a statement of an issue on campus that students want resolved by their administration. Kirkpatrick said the site is not campus-bashing because complaints wiU be written in detail and suggest potential solutions. The author’s name wiU also be attached to all grumbles, which wards off anonymous slandering. Students may also “mumble” their grumbles, which promotes a complaint and helps adminis trators see what issues are most important to the students. Once a university agrees to be affiliated with the site, all grumbles wiU be sent to the adminis tration in a monthly report. At this time, Elon has not begun its affiliation with the site, according to Dan Anderson, vice president of University Com munications. Should the university comply, students wiU have the opportunity to voice concerns about issues all over campus. They would also have the promise that the university is at least considering the suggestions students sent. Kirkpatrick developed the idea in his living room and after a few months of planning and map ping later, it was launched. “My hope for the project is that it wiU con tinue to expand from its grassroots launch in just four North Carolina schools to many more cam puses nationwide,” Kirkpatrick said. “I think it wUl be successful as long as administrations can realize that face-to-face communication is definitely valu able, but they have to respect that the convenience my platform brings gets them the information they need while being more convenient for the student.” Kirkpatrick travels to campuses to meet with administrators and ensure the site is working prop erly. He knows it is essential to account for how different administrations function. He focuses on showing the administration the website’s conve nience. Beyond a platform for students to complain, it is also a place for potential students to learn about , , .OTO ILLUSTRATION BY GLORIA SO | Staff Photographer Campus Grumble is available at only four universities, including Elon. It is designed to give students a place to file complaints that administrators have access to and have already agreed to check regularly. a university. “As a student or a prospective student, if you see an administration solving and responding to prob lems publicly that are affecting your campus, it really makes you feel proud and attracts you to the school,” Kirkpatrick said. Elon students can also see its potential success. Some said it could be a good source of improvement in the school. And while others said they would not personally use it, they think it would be used on campus. “I would be curious to see what kinds of com plaints would come up,” said sophomore Susanna Dechant. “I think it wiU be a useful tool because even though students can talk to SGA, an online service would be easier for those who don’t bring complaints to SGA. It’s less formal and time-con suming.” Kirkpatrick said he had that in mind whUe cre ating the platform. By using the site’s values of ac countability, coUaboration and communication, he plans to buUd a new bridge between students and university administration. And that’s something few would grumble about. Elon University seai stiil represents history, future of institutionai vaiues Alex Francis Reporter What now stands as a nationaUy recognized in stitution was once struggUng coUege with 200 stu dents in three buildings. In 1911, foUowing the resignation of President WUUam Staley, who chose to continue pastoring his church in Virginia, new President WUUam Harper sought to address three of the main issues affect ing the development and progress of Elon CoUege: gaining accreditation from the Southern Associa tion of CoUeges and Schools, absolving the debt the coUege had racked up and working to secure fund ing for desperately-needed new buUdings During that time, a professor of psychology and mathematics named Walton Wicker began to de velop what is now the Elon University seal, hoping to soUdify Elohs new commitments. “The seal represents the goals and objectives we have for our students, which have not changed over yhe past 120 years,” said George Troxler, professor emeritusbfhi^bfy' '■ UIjit Wicker felled'ori-his vasttoowledge'of masonic ^ ^ symboUsm in order to use the setU td f^rfesent the core values that Elon stUl holds today. “The fact that Numen Lumen is the official Latin motto matches weU with what the university represents: spiritual and inteUectual Ught,” said Dan Anderson, vice president of University Communi cations. Despite the changes that have taken place on campus since the seal was created, it has only been modified once. In 2001, when Elon CoUege offi- ciaUy became a university, the school implemented the name change on the seal, but the rest remained intact. “'The seal held a more important significance back then,” Troxler said. “It was more important in the early years of Elon than it is today because the school was young and stUl struggling and did not have a strong identity. It was the symbol that showed Elohs goals and objectives because Elon did not have a strong identity at that point.” Today, the seal is used only in official university business and can be seen at important university events such as Convocation and Commencement. “We do not use it as a logo in any sense of the word,” Anderson said. “Its use is for official dqcu- The all seeing eye demonstrates the watchful entity that presides over the school, students and faculty, the campus and all those involved with Elon University. Sissecjyv Two columns signify the power and strength central to Elon and its students The lamp and flame represents light Elon hopes to spread across the world. The books one representing knowl edge and the other culture, embody the value the university gives not only to the academic improvement, but that students use their knowledge for the better ment of the world. ' THeBiBl^- iJivf’.-'.irfQprissftt'lhB religious’Values and'on n ueo.b tH sd hfv and formal logo of” the Busmess of the university d itT 'Tideals the university was founded on. :)hrs^ rfifr Tl &jlAfl io. gr 1* i.O'.'iR'-- ■ ■-» Icj j-lg IMAgE COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY COMIt}UI^Aj(Ot;S 'ilf: 'GRAPHIC BY JEFF STERN | Online Managing Editor
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Oct. 3, 2012, edition 1
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