Students, let your voices be heard

As many of you read this blog post, you may also be drinking Starbucks coffee from Conversations, the campus coffee shop. Or maybe you’re on deck to play the winner of the current ping-pong match in the student center. Or you could be reading it on your iPhone while waiting for your appointment in the health center during their extended hours.

If you are doing any of those things, you are taking advantage of just one of the many assets Union College has gained as a result of Assessment Day.

So what is Assessment Day? For those that don’t know, according to Debbie D’Anna, vice president for Student Development, it’s a day when students will take different assessments dealing with a range of skills and topics. It’s also a day when students will be asked to provide feedback that often leads to facilities updates and policy changes.

“Some will take tests measuring critical thinking, science reasoning, math and English. Others will participate in health assessments and surveys to determine their level of satisfaction at Union,” D’Anna said. “Some students will participate in focus groups on topics of financial aid, first year experience, academic preparedness and student engagement.”

If you need more motivation to participate in Assessment Day (other than the fact that not going will delay your graduation date) just consider the counseling services that started in 2010, or the café which came to Union in 2008.

Other assets gained through Assessment Day include the commuters’ lounge, which was added just last year and extended Health Center hours, which started in 2010. Conversations coffee shop, which offers Starbucks products, also came as a result of feedback from students during these assessments.

Now we know that come April 3, sleeping in might be a very tempting option. Don’t hit that snooze button, though. Remember: Assessment Day is your chance to be heard and suggest changes and additions to Union’s campus.

This year’s event is on April 3 at 8:30 a.m. Depending on classifications, students will report to Centennial Hall, Sharp Academic Center or the Miller Science Center.