SGA brings back paper towels

Recently, SGA and PUC administrators were able to have paper towel dispensers reinstalled on campus. Currently, there are dispensers in the CLO and Anderson buildings. The paper towel dispensers were installed in student lounges and vending areas to aid in the assistance of spills.

Ken Johnston, vice chancellor of administrative services, explained that the paper towel dispensers in CLO and Anderson are a trial run to see if the students and faculty actually use them. While the dispensers are in place now, the total cost of the dispensers has not yet been determined. The trial runs are looking to determine if the dispensers are truly beneficial to the campus.

The hope is to make the student lounges and vending areas a more clean and pleasant environment for students to study in. If students are able to clean up their own messes, it will allow for less clean up by the building service workers and allow for easier use of the tables. Kristina Davison, sophomore English writing and Spanish double major, has conflicting feelings.

"The dispensers will benefit the students, but PUC is wasting the money on the dispensers. It is like we are spending double the money because we bought the electric hand dryers to replace the paper towels."

Nathyn Gibson, SGA senator at large for commuter students, headed the committee that worked to have paper towels reintroduced to PUC. Gibson felt that paper towels were needed to help students clean up messes that occur in the lounge areas as well as the classrooms.

In the fall 2011 semester, Gibson and the University Affairs committee really pushed to have paper towel dispensers placed around campus to help the students. They met with Karen Sullivan, associate director of facilities operations, who said if there were benefits for the students, she would try to make it happen.

"I would like to see paper towel dispensers in the TV room in Calumet Falls, the lounge area in Porter and the study area next to the cybercafé in Gyte. I think these areas have the highest traffic of campus life, which causes the need to be greater." Gibson said.

Gibson also explained that by having paper towel dispensers present on campus, students are able to clean up their own messes, which shows both a pride for the school and concern for safety.. The spills that occur around campus sometimes cannot be cleaned up, which poses a threat to any person walking through that area of the campus.

"I am proud of my committee for accomplishing this goal," Gibson said.