The Student Government Association has begun an environmentally friendly approach to their meetings. The integration of iPads, thanks to ITS, has allowed for paperless meetings to take place starting this spring semester.
It is because of Dane Vincent, SGA transfer senator, that the student government has started taking advantage of the iPads provided by ITS. Vincent took the liberty of speaking to ITS about using the iPads to begin SGA’s paperless meetings.
According to Vincent, the idea of integrating iPads into the SGA meetings started out as a joke between him and a few senators. But, it turned from a joke into a very plausible way for the SGA to become more environmentally friendly and organized.
President Ryan Bouray said “the overall point of using iPads during SGA meetings is to decrease printing costs, reduce paper consumption and expand use of an already provided service on campus.”
Basically, by conducting paperless meetings, SGA will be able to cut down on the amount of paper used and keep all of the given information organized. This also saves money on printing costs for each member.
“The transition was pretty flawless,” Bouray said. “We already sent out meeting materials in electronic format and printed the materials for the meeting. Now we just post the electronic meeting materials on the SGA website and view them electronically through the iPads.”
Vincent agrees that the transition to iPads went rather smoothly. “Overall, they have been well received,” Vincent said. “But, there is a bit of a learning curve because many members are used to using laptops.”
According to Bouray, one of the only downfalls is that it is harder to take quality notes digitally. That is why he keeps paper handy to ensure his notes are thorough.
The switch to iPads does not interfere with audience members who choose to sit in on the meetings. There are enough iPads for each member and guests to access during the meetings.
This is just the beginning of integrating technology into student organizations. Perhaps in the future other, groups will be able to follow SGA’s example and make the move from paper to paperless.
Kara McElwrath, a training specialist in ITS, said the iPads were bought in order to increase student engagement during class time. “We do a survey each year about technology on campus, and it was found that students would like to use more technology in the classroom.”
Each year, ITS has money set aside for special projects like this. Taking the feedback into consideration, they decided to purchase the iPads with this money.
As of right now, the iPads can be used by professors in order to allow the students to be mobile while working and engage in learning in a new way. They can also be used by different groups on campus for various reasons.
If anyone is interested in getting the iPads integrated into their group meetings like SGA, contact Kara McElwrath at [email protected].
