PBA hosts campus town hall event to get student feedback

“Your voice matters,”  a campus town hall meeting that happens twice each semester at Palm Beach Atlantic University, was held in the Rotunda Library on March 31. The event was hosted by the student government as a chance for students to express their concerns and ask PBA executive staff members questions about campus. 

PBA Student Government promotional flyer for "Your Voice Matters." Photo Credit: PBA Student Government

The campus town hall meeting began with prayer. Students submitted questions for the student government to ask the school executives. This year, PBA’s housing application was the focus of the event since it has been an ongoing concern for many students. 

This year, PBA Residential Life changed the housing portal and on March 20 the system malfunctioned while students applied for housing. At “Your Voice Matters,” students expressed their concerns over the new system. The online housing application only worked on Tuesday and Wednesday during the housing application week and normally it is supposed to be open for a week.

Brian Mullally, a student at Palm Beach Atlantic, attended the meeting.

“My biggest worry was if the school had enough housing available for me and if

 I was going to even be able to have housing next year, or be forced to move off 

campus,” said Mullally. “I felt that PBA prioritized freshmen with the on-campus

housing availability.”

Executive Vice President Nancy Brainard attended the event and reassured a student who voiced their concern about housing availability.

"They have enough housing available for everyone and now they have more housing for returning students than they even did last year,” Brainard said.

Landry Miller, a student at Palm Beach Atlantic, also attended the meeting because of his concerns about getting a room in Watson Hall, a PBA dorm building that used to be designated for mainly upperclassmen.

“I am a senior with my credits and I got the last double room. It was a really 

frightening thought that I would be here one more year and not have a Watson 

room,” said Landry “I don’t think that it’s fair they are letting freshman sign up for Watson, 

I think that it should still only be for upperclassmen.”

The executive staff members also addressed the university's retention rate and gave the audience advice about what could be done to improve it. Currently, the university has a retention rate of 76% for full-time, undergraduate students.

“Two things that current students could do to help aid this problem is to reach out and be friendly to students who look like they need a friend and to reach out to school officials and executives and also student government leaders if you have any problems at all or experience any roadblocks or difficulties,” said Brainard.

By Hannah Tichenor