Gannon University’s student town hall will be returning to campus at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Yehl Ballroom.
The event, the first town hall held this school year, will give students the chance to come together as a student body, ask questions and have their voices heard by both the school’s Student Government Association and university President Keith Taylor, Ph.D.
The style for the town hall will begin with a 15- to 20-minute brief overview of a few of the initiatives the university is taking on, as well as the direction of said initiatives is going from Taylor and his leadership team.
Then, the event will move into a Q&A-style session, where students will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain more information from the president and the members of his leadership team.
David Long, president of the Student Governmrnt Association (SGA) and a senior criminal justice major, said the purpose in hosting this event is “multi-faceted.”
“We are mainly hoping to establish a strong sense of connection among our students and administration through creating a direct communication channel,” Long said. “In addition to that, we would like our peers to be informed about the things that are happening all around campus.”
Long said that the event, dubbed an “open forum,” will be held as a biannual event happening once a semester, yet said that any feedback and questions are always appreciated.
In light of the planned town hall, members of SGA said they were excited for this event and felt students would find the opportunity beneficial.
Tori Elbert, a freshman political science and legal studies major as well as a freshman representative and a member of the student engagement committee, said. “I think the town hall will be a great thing for students,” Elbert said.
“It’s a chance for students to be able to ask the presidential leadership team any questions they have; it’s a very open event where anything can be asked and answered,” Elbert said.
Devin Williams, a sophomore pre-med and biochemistry mathematics major, as well as sophomore representative for SGA, said he was excited for the upcoming town hall,
“I think that all students should go,” Williams said. “It’s a perfect place for students to speak up and share their thoughts and questions on issues facing the student body, as well as the university as a whole.”
Matt Schlessman, a pre-dental and chemistry major, said this will help inform students about contemporary university goals.
“I think what SGA is doing with the open forum is going to be great,” Schlessman said.
“The person who is leading it, Jae Seung Lee, is really switching it up by having President Taylor and the president’s leadership team explain what the university is planning on doing for the upcoming future; this will give students more context on what’s going on at the university and allows students to ask questions,” Schlessman said.
Students asked about their potential participation said they were looking forward to attending and learning more about contemporary school events.
Dan Baker, a sophomore social work major, said he wanted to know more about campus.
“I’m going to hopefully attend and learn more about my school,” Baker said. “I hope they discuss upcoming plans for housing and student engagement opportunities.”
Kyle Shank, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, said that if time permitted he would attend, and was looking forward to some of the campus updates that will be shared.
“There’s obviously a lot of exciting stuff happening here at Gannon,” Shank said. “To be able to hear from the president and the top people responsible for it all is pretty cool and exciting.”
David Thompson, a criminal justice major, said that while he isn’t planning on going, he thinks the idea is a good one for the students.
“It’s a formalized place for the student body to get informed about everything that’s going on and all that,” Thompon said. “It’s a great place for the student body to be heard.”
The event will run for two hours, and all students are invited to be a part of Gannon’s push for more student engagement.

MICHAEL GUIDO
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