If you have ever wanted to propose a change to the Dickinson community but have been unsure about how to do it, Student Senate has a new social media resource to simplify the process.
In August, Dickinson’s Student Senate teamed up with the website Buzzocracy to create an online platform in which students can contribute suggestions to improve campus life and connect with Student Government, Campus Life, and Technology Services.
To get started, all students need to do is anonymously register with Buzzocracy and then post a “ buzz,” which can be anything from a new idea to a concern about existing problems. Once the user tags the post with the group of people it is directed towards –Student Senate, for instance – it will appear on the site for public viewing. From there, it will be seen and addressed by any other Buzzocracy user. Fellow students can add their own suggestions to existing buzzes, while Student Senate will ultimately comment on it with their feedback.
According to Student Life Vice President Emily Pryor ’14, Buzzocracy is not only “creating an online dialogue about campus issues,” but is additionally allowing Senators to have “an online initiatives tracker that is dynamic, transparent, and easily accessible.”
Dickinson’s Buzzocracy is currently in a trial period, but because of its current success, Dickinson can expect to see more of it in the future.
So far, the buzzocracy page has a total of 19 buzzes, ranging from suggestions of more filtered water stations to better quality Internet. While some buzzes are simply desired modifications to existing aspects of campus life, students have also suggested the creation of a gym committee and even an on-campus bar, both of which have been received very well according to Buzzocracy.
In the next week, Dickinson plans on officially purchasing a Buzzocracy membership, which will no doubt help encourage students to continue to propose ideas such as these.
Student Senate has already proved that they are taking Buzzocracy seriously by having a variety of different student requests in the works of being improved. For example, user Dickinson_student_1546 suggested that the school offer shuttles to and from sporting events at Dickinson Park because the walk often deters people from attending soccer games. Student Senate has confirmed that this suggestion may be put into action very soon.
There is often a definite gap between college administrators and students, but Student Senate hopes to decrease this gap through their work with Buzzocracy.
“With Buzzocracy, we really hope to make Senate much more transparent and accessible. It’s a fabulous initiatives vehicle, and we’re hoping it gives us the opportunity to hear much more from students,” said Pryor.
