By Brynna Henika, photojournalist.
The location of Delta’s planned Saginaw satellite campus has been revealed. It was announced at The Board of Trustees meeting held on Nov. 8 that the center will be built on the 300 block of East Genesee Avenue, and is expected to be ready for occupation by the spring semester of 2019.
Since 2005, Delta’s Board of Trustees has been in the process of making the idea of a downtown Saginaw campus a reality. Currently 41.2 percent of enrollment is from Saginaw county, but enrollment is decreasing.
President Jean Goodnow says that she likes the amount of synergy that’s occurring, and that the new Saginaw location will have a very impactful result.
“Five years from now, the new building will hopefully be standing, and at 1,200 students,” says Kimberly Houston-Philpot, board member of the Delta Foundation.
The building location is less than a mile from Saginaw’s Hoyt Library as well as the the SVRC Farmer’s Market. The Board expects the new campus to provide Saginaw native students access to many amenities such as an abundance of parking and bus stops as as well an environmentally-friendly construction.
“There is a number of bus sites…students from all over the city can get access to it without having to drive,” says Larry Ramseyer, Manager of Delta’s Director of Facilities.
Also discussed at the board meeting, Kimberly Klein and Lisa Lawrason, political science professors and coordinators of Delta’s Democracy Commitment, spoke about their Delta Votes initiative. They shared with the meeting’s attendees how Delta Votes has taught students the importance of their votes, and have increased student voter turnout.
According to Klein, the want with Delta Votes is to change the voting culture of the school. She cites data that shows that Presidential elections is where the highest number of votes always come in compared to Mid-term elections.
“Turnout also depends on what’s going on on campus 365 days a year,” Lawrason adds.
This year the Democracy Commitment has subscribed to a service called Turbovote. A program used to reduce barriers between students and the obstacles of voting on election day. It also gives students the ability to receive reminders via text message and email when the election is getting close.
Students from POL 104W classes this fall have become involved by asking their peers about the importance of voting.
“The Democracy Commitment has been around for five years…it’s to bring positive change and social engagement,” says Lawrason.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”18″ gal_title=”Delta Votes”]Photos by Jessica Sierocki
