“I have a friend who, her roommate didn’t show up at the beginning of the semester, and because of that they are making her pay for a private,” said Hannah Betts, a sophomore health and sports science major from Farmdale, Ohio. “She has to find her own roommate, like they didn’t pair her with anyone. They didn’t request for her to move. They’re saying if she doesn’t find her own roommate then she has to pay like the private price, which I don’t think that’s fair to her.”
In the classroom, other students’ concern lies with accessibility. Livia Bwakali, a sophomore psychology major from Fort Worth, Texas, said out-of-date desks in the classrooms of Vinson Hall and Jesse Dunn can make it difficult for students to navigate through the classrooms.
Another student, Melissa Harrison, a sophomore English major from Booker, Texas, said while she knows the college cannot do much work to it, the many stairs in Jesse Dunn are a continuing accessibility issue. Harrison added that some buildings on campus need updated infrastructure, such as new heating systems.
Jayden Chancey, a junior psychology major from Mooreland, suggested fixing online accessibility with a focus on Blackboard’s navigation.
“I would probably fix the Blackboard situation,” Chancy said. “Our professors and our students always have trouble with it, I think that’s probably the biggest one.” Chancey also said she would like to see more resources on campus for substance abuse prevention.
Jackeline Bautista, a nursing major from Alva, said she thinks adding to the Student Center with items like bookstands and new products in the campus store would be a good improvement.
Another student, LeAnn Wood, a freshmen nursing major from Hennessey, said they would like to see the college work more with clubs.
“I feel like Northwestern could do a better job of actually, like advocating for clubs and such, because I feel like a lot of people don’t know that clubs actually exist,” Wood said.
Finally, Rosa Vargas, a senior instrumental music education major from Lahoma, said she would focus on professors and staff’s treatment at NWOSU.
“I feel like we have a lot of teachers who leave after not staying for so long,” she said. “I think having inconsistent professors kind of hurts a program. … I feel like, I know it’s kind of a lot to ask, but I think we need to give better benefits and raises to our faculty and staff… I feel like if you want to improve you have to start with the teachers.”
Vargas also said she had concerns with the college staff’s maternity leave because its length and benefits are not enough.
[Editor’s note: Campus is preparing to use a new learning management system next year that replaces Blackboard.]