Students, president talk over pizza

Technology, security, parking and health were among the topics of discussion during Pizza with the President on Feb. 24.

“Technology is very important for class work and communication between students and professors,” DMC President Mark Escamilla said.

About 100 students stopped by the Retama Room in the Harvin Center to interact with Escamilla.

“What you are preparing for here may not be relevant when you get out of college,” Escamilla said. “What we are doing is getting you ready for that change.”

Wheelchair_Old_Samantha Douty/Foghorn

Student John Finnegan asks President Mark Escamilla if a parking garage with shower facilities would be possible.

In fall 2017 students with a concealed handgun license can carry guns on campus. In response to the law Escamilla has put an emphasis on security.

“The law is very specific, so we are going to work on policies and rules to protect students,” Escamilla said.

Escamilla has begun the groundwork for an on-campus security force with interim Chief of

Security Lauren White at the lead. “It will take a few years to develop because we need to understand the law fully,”White said. Student John Finnegan asked about possibly adding a parking

garage to the East Campus. “Parking is always highly requested, and it is a very sensitive topic,” Escamilla said in response to Finnegan. “Parking is going to get worse before it gets better. A multilevel parking garage is very expensive, about $25,000 a space.” Many students in attendance for the meeting wanted health records available on campus.
“There are HIPA laws in place to protect privacy of students so we can’t ask for them,” said Bob Long, assistant professor of biology. “Students can volunteer that information so others are aware if a situation arises.”
According to Escamilla, opening a health clinic on campus can become very complicated, but it may become necessary.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *