The UH Student Government Association Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday requesting Provost John Antel to assemble a University Taskforce to assess the possibility of implementing a course feedback program.
‘We are asking the Provost to set up a taskforce to look at the feasibility of having efficient and effective course feedback during the course so we can get the input of the students to see what they want and what changes can be made in the course,’ graduate Sen. Manikantesh Bonatham said.
Senate Speaker Alexander Obregon said it is important to set up a task force to assess how a mid-semester course-feedback program could benefit students.
‘I think a feedback mechanism during the duration of the course would improve the quality of it, and the task force would evaluate how feasible this would be,’ Obregon said.
Bonatham said that by having student feedback mid-semester rather than just at the end, evaluations would not only benefit future students taking the course, but also those who are enrolled. It would also allow professors to make adjustments to the course.
Obregon said the feedback is important because professors who teach several sections of a course through out the semester could customize the course depending on the class.
‘A same class at two different times has different needs and may, as a whole, learn differently,’ Obregon said.
Senators also voted on six appointments to the president’s cabinet at the meeting.
The appointees were Sen. Carlos Reyes (director of finance), Michael Blunk (associate director of External Affairs for Government Relations), political science freshman Neimon James (executive chief of staff), communication junior Andrea Zambrano (director of public relations), and two speaker appointments for Sen. Hillary Sotello as chair for the Administrations and Finance committee and communication sophomore Mila Clarke as Clerk of the Senate.
The Senate approved five of the appointments, refusing chief of staff appointee James.
‘ ‘It is important to remember that this Senate and the executive board is still very new to the role of Student Government and I would like to see someone nominated (for chief of staff) who can give advice not only to the executive board, but to the senators as well,’ Sen. Veronika Evans said.
Sen. Stephen Quezada and Sen. Jonathan Vasquez proposed re-nominating James to the position for a chance to prove himself.
Obregon spoke on behalf of senators opposed to the re-nomination.
‘I want Mr. James to be involved in SGA, but in the right capacity,’ Obregon said. ‘He would have a lot of pressure as a freshman serving in executive chief of staff position, and though he may know the bylaws, that does not fully encompass the role of that position.’
