Facebook or Suggestion Box, Two Ways Students Communicate Ideas to MWCC

By: Ed Edgecombe

Posted: 3/1/10

MWCC is using two methods to encourage students to ask questions and make comments on how to improve the campus: Facebook and a suggestion box located to the right of the entrance to Student Life offices.

The easiest way to access this MWCC Facebook page is by going to the MWCC website and clicking the graphic that says "Find us on Facebook."

This site is run by a combined effort of Enrollment Services, Student Life, Marketing, and Public Relations departments. They each check the Facebook page at least twice a day to see if the posts made on it are school appropriate in addition to posting news and photos that are of interest to students. They attempt to redirect any suggestions posted on the page's wall to the correct departments, much like Student Life.

"We want it to be an active informative site for students, alumni, and other friends of the college to be able to share information, photos, and videos," said Janice O'Connor Director of Public Relations, who encourages its usage to the Mounts fans and clubs. O'Connor also noted that they "don't want to replace traditional methods of communication" but to enhance the ways to get information to the students.

To prove how much the Mount's Facebook is used, O'Connor and other Facebook staff will purchase a cake and hold a raffle on March 2 at 12:30 p.m. in the South Café in honor of reaching their goal of obtaining 1,000 fans. To enter their raffle, to win a $25 gift card to the school bookstore, go to the Facebook page and click the 'like' button on the wall post that mentions they have over 1,000 fans.

The suggestion box is available for everyone to use at anytime for suggestions, complaints, questions, and solutions. It is the job of Student Life to check inside the suggestion box and redirect the questions, if appropriate, to the correct department. Responses from the various departments take approximately one full day before being posted on the bulletin board, with their respected questions and contact information of the responder, located above the suggestion box.

When asked how Student Life determines whether a suggestion put within the suggestion box is legitimate, Greg Clement, Assistant Dean of Students, said, "Some are pranks but most of the time they are serious." Clement also said that of all the suggestions the most common ones that appear involve parking, smoking, and food, usually toward the beginning of the semester.

When asked if these methods are good for communication in the Mount, O'Connor and Clement believe that both methods are good to obtain information. This was best put by Clement, who said he is "glad we have them because it allows us to hear the student voice."