​Campus Life Survey gathers student opinion for Master Plan


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A survey distributed through Central Michigan University emails hopes to utilize student feedback for planning the next 10 years of campus projects.

The emailed survey, sent out on March 17, will allow students until March 31 to respond.

“Our goal is to provide all students the opportunity to participate in the Student Life Master Plan and to have their voices heard,” said Linda Slater, director of plant engineering and planning. “This information will help inform CMU decisions on future investments in facilities.”

Slater said the final survey report will be integrated into the Master Plan, which will be completed in June of 2016. The feedback goal for the survey is at least 10 percent of the student population, or 2,000 students.

As of March 21, 1,100 responses have already been recorded.

According to the email, the 15-minute survey allows students to provide insight for the University, which is “developing a Student Life Master Plan to take a comprehensive look and develop a framework for near and long-term facility improvements.”

This Master Plan will take into account the survey results from students, who will be asked about student housing, recreation and wellness and campus dining.

The first half of the survey specifically asks about dining on campus. Students are able to rate the food quality, menu variety, hours of operation and atmosphere of CMU’s campus dining. It also asks if students would be interested in a delivery service that brings on-campus food to residence halls, and how much of a delivery fee they would be willing to pay.

The second half focuses on the residence hall living environments on campus. Students can rate what physical features would be most important to them if CMU built new housing, and it gives a complete breakdown of all possible room layouts that could be available.

“The survey is designed to facilitate modeling by our consultant Brailsford & Dunlavey to identify demand by facility type based on student preferences and priorities,” Slater said. “CMU leaders and B&D will consider trends and the best practices regarding student life facilities, but CMU students are unique and their input will allow the plan to best meet the needs of current and future Chippewas.”

Essexville freshman Kelly Yagiela took the survey and said she appreciates the university reaching out to the students to get feedback.

"I really like that they're making an effort to get students' opinions about the topic," Yagiela said. "I truly believe that if most people answer thoroughly and honestly it'll make a big impact for the future of CMU."

Fenton junior Megan Piacentini said she felt the purpose of the survey was unclear.

"I wish that they could state the purpose, like whether it be for new meal plans or new dorms and not just unspecified 'upcoming new renovations,'" Piacentini said. “The only think I like about it was that it covered a wide range of topics.”

She disliked the questions about the quality of the food being worth what students pay.

"For the meal plans, we can only choose from options, and my financial aid pays for it," Piacentini said. "It was hard for me to judge the value of something that I pay for indirectly."

Anyone who completes the survey is entered into a drawing to win prizes that include a MacBook Air, CMU Bookstore gift cards and Starbucks gift cards.

“Each project identified in the plan will require individual review and approval by the Board of Trustees before moving forward," Slater said.

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