The Student Senate had a General Assembly meeting on October 18th. President, Andrew Bowne appeared as a guest to give updates and answer any questions students had.
Dr. Bowne has created a general 90-day plan.
“To generalize, the main aspect of the plan is to listen, who are the folks I am going to meet with,” Bowne said. “There is a list on the plan that had about 180 people. Getting to connect with those many people is a slow process. That is where I have spent most of my time. Coming into this job, I have been getting sucked out in the community and I mean this with tremendous respect. That’s an important part of the work the president does. Without the extra driving, staying at home has given me more time to connect and meet with people. It has been hugely beneficial, and it allows me to do a better job out in the community of representing you as Johnson County Community College.”
Dr. Bowne also stated the donation of $1 million accepted by performing arts will be used as an endowment.
“It goes as an endowment, it sits there, it gets invested, and then those investment earnings come back and that is what you spend each year,” Bowne said.
Dr. Bowne also said the college has responded extremely well to COVID-19. Unlike other universities or colleges, the campus has done a good job in not spreading the virus.
Students also shared their overall experiences adjusting to Zoom this year to Dr. Bowne.
“It’s harder to find the motivation with the self-paced classes, I utilize the agenda, but it’s still a bit difficult but I do appreciate professors are responding fast and are willing to help,” Danielle Ingram, secretary of student senate, said.
The Student Senate had announcements of its own. The Student Senate decided to not replace Zoom with Gatherly after they had a demo last week. Nomination for the JCCC Gives project is now open and the PR committee is now working on getting the word out.
The Basic Needs Program will be doing Produce Days this Wednesday. JCCC farm will give away fresh produce like lettuce, greens, tomatoes and more to any students that needs it. It is located on the third floor of COM Food pantry.
By Yohannes Girma