Staff Writer- Mary Athorp

There was quite an effort last week by the faculty of Gustavus pushing for attendance at what was called the “Community-wide Strategic Planning Event”. Perhaps you noticed the Google Calendar invite, the slew of emails, or the altered schedule and were a little confused by all the hubbub. 

I myself was confused, but also a little curious. What could possibly be so important that my work shifts were getting canceled? I decided I had to find out. 

The event took place in the cafeteria from 2:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4th. Upon entering the Caf, I became quite excited when I saw that there were free Frost-Your-Owns, Chex Mix, and juice! I got in line immediately. 

After collecting some treats, I found my way to a table labeled “students”. Each table in the Caf was designated for certain groups of people: students, faculty, community members, and some tables allowed for any person to sit there. 

To allow people enough time to find their seats, things officially kicked off at around 2:30 p.m. with an introduction by Brenda Kelly and Leah Wang, the chief organizers of this event and campus project as a whole. John Volin was then called up to provide an overview of the purpose of this whole extravaganza. 

Volin explained how, over the course of this school year, many committees had been made consisting of faculty, students, and other community or board members, in an effort to further action on the current changes and look ahead to future changes at Gustavus. Examples of these changes would be the new curriculum and the allowance of non-ESA pets on campus next year. 

A large part of his introduction was thanking the many people on each committee. It seemed as though this project was intentionally trying to make use of as many people as it could to ensure that each part of the campus body was represented. 

Following this, each table was led in two discussions by a facilitator. These facilitators were members of the student body, to my knowledge. It seemed as though most of them were part of the Student Senate, or at least my facilitator was. 

The first discussion encouraged us to focus on the things we already appreciated and thought were going well regarding the systems in place at Gustavus, whether they be academic, extracurricular, or social. For reference, the group I was in talked about our appreciation for Signature Experiences and how feasible it is for Gustavus students to double or triple major while studying here. 

The second discussion centered on what we saw on campus that could potentially use some improvement, or perhaps things that we hoped to see at Gustavus in the future. Some topics my group mentioned were improving the method in which advisors guide students and how Gustavus could focus more on schedules that prioritize rest for students and faculty. 

All groups had to take notes on their discussions, and these notes were eventually turned into our facilitators. The event concluded with a few final remarks from Kelly and Wang. Ultimately, the college intends to reflect on the comments of the community to better understand the needs of the Gustavus population and bring the suggestions into play with the changes that are already in the works. 

Despite it being a two-hour-long event, I was very engaged the whole time, and I found it encouraging that the college was genuinely interested in what the community has to say and how it, as an administration, can truly represent the people it leads. However, most of the event was simply a group discussion. I am doubtful as to how accurately the suggestions and needs of the community will be reflected in the notes that we took. I imagine that the college will look at what is most commonly stated and work from there. 

Time will only tell what will come of this great “Community-wide Strategic Planning Event”, but I do hope that some results form. It is a frustrating thing to talk so much about plans and efforts, but then no plans or efforts are made. However, it is an encouraging thing to see the College take such a public approach to start those plans and efforts, so my hopes are high for the future of Gustavus. 

Perhaps the next time you get a mysterious Google Calendar invite or 15 emails inviting you to the next Community Meeting, you’ll be inclined to join and engage in the inner-workings of the change going on at Gustavus.