Hello UTHSCSA medical school class of 2013!
In favor of not overburdening the Google group and your inboxes I have created this blog to document the inner workings of the SGA, an outlet for your representatives' views, a place to ask questions about what the SGA can do for you, and provide suggestions for improvements.
If you haven't met me I am Troy. I feel pretty bad not knowing everyone's name, where you are from, dog's favorite food, life story, etc. I am making a greater effort to get to know more of you and hopefully get suggestions of things you would like to see changed.
Since I feel most don't know who I am I guess I will introduce a little bit of myself. I usually claim that I am from Oregon for the sake of placing home in one location. I only lived there for the last part of high school but was the last time I can remember being "home" with the family. I moved all over the country while growing up and never lived in one place for longer than four years. Most recently I moved from Boston to San Antonio to start the MD/MPH program. I have had Texan friends pressure me to move to Texas for the majority of my adult life. I fell in love with SA and decided it was right for me too. The adjustment has been...um...different. Needless to say there is quite a bit that is unique to Texas that has required some getting used to. However it is definitely growing on me and I have begun to introduce myself as being from Texas (which is huge btw).
So why did I want to be a part of SGA? I remember our first module vividly. Alongside our frantic studying I remember hearing complains about various things yet no one was able to find any answers how to solve them. I saw/see great potential in our school and wanted to be a part of its movement forward. I thank all of you that demonstrated confidence in me. As a recap of last year's platform, I ran with specific goals in mind backed by the opinion of our class. Below were the responses our class (48 people) gave to my inquiry:
| 1. How interested are you in the following? | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 48 | ||||||
| skipped question | 0 | ||||||
| No Interest | Not Much Interest | Neutral/Indifferent | Some Interest | Great Interest | Rating Average | Response Count | |
| Participating in UTHSCSA service projects in the San Antonio community? | 2.1% (1) | 0.0% (0) | 6.3% (3) | 50.0% (24) | 41.7% (20) | 4.29 | 48 |
| Improving energy efficiency on UTHSCSA campus? | 8.3% (4) | 14.6% (7) | 18.8% (9) | 31.3% (15) | 27.1% (13) | 3.54 | 48 |
| Participating in athletic events between UTHSCSA schools? | 14.6% (7) | 10.4% (5) | 14.6% (7) | 33.3% (16) | 27.1% (13) | 3.48 | 48 |
| Participating in social events between UTHSCSA schools? | 8.5% (4) | 6.4% (3) | 21.3% (10) | 38.3% (18) | 25.5% (12) | 3.66 | 47 |
| Increasing fundraising efforts for international medical missions? | 4.2% (2) | 4.2% (2) | 16.7% (8) | 47.9% (23) | 27.1% (13) | 3.90 | 48 |
| Increasing fundraising efforts for other non-profit causes? | 4.2% (2) | 6.3% (3) | 25.0% (12) | 47.9% (23) | 16.7% (8) | 3.67 | 48 |
| Providing more newspaper selections on campus? | 16.7% (8) | 18.8% (9) | 37.5% (18) | 12.5% (6) | 14.6% (7) | 2.90 | 48 |
| Implementing a database of internship and research opportunities at various institutions with connections to current and previous UTHSCSA students? | 0.0% (0) | 0.0% (0) | 10.4% (5) | 33.3% (16) | 56.3% (27) | 4.46 | 48 |
| Recruiting influencial politicians, health care leaders, and researchers to provide more campus lectures/forums? | 4.3% (2) | 4.3% (2) | 17.0% (8) | 34.0% (16) | 40.4% (19) | 4.02 | 47 |
| Attending lectures/forums outside of class? | 4.2% (2) | 14.6% (7) | 22.9% (11) | 45.8% (22) | 12.5% (6) | 3.48 | 48 |
| An online campus calendar outlining events from all schools at UTHSCSA? | 0.0% (0) | 2.1% (1) | 17.0% (8) | 38.3% (18) | 42.6% (20) | 4.21 | 47 |
| Providing more electrical outlets and tables in the library? | 2.1% (1) | 8.3% (4) | 29.2% (14) | 14.6% (7) | 45.8% (22) | 3.94 | 48 |
| An online reservation tool for library and campus rooms? | 0.0% (0) | 6.4% (3) | 21.3% (10) | 21.3% (10) | 51.1% (24) | 4.17 | 47 |
When asked how you would improve UTHSCSA the class responded with:
| 1. | Improve the running trail - it needs trees for shade and lights for night jogging | Mon, Sep 21, 2009 12:38 PM | Find... |
| 2. | Get students more involved in research. | Sun, Sep 20, 2009 8:11 PM | Find... |
| 3. | More frequent shuttle routes in the AM from Lot 17 parking....the shuttles are too crowded between 730 and 830 AM | Sun, Sep 20, 2009 1:50 PM | Find... |
| 4. | providing newspapers to students is a GREAT idea | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 9:11 PM | Find... |
| 5. | bike paths, more recycling, more study rooms | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 6:22 PM | Find... |
| 6. | Have an on campus daycare center that gives students priority | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 5:06 PM | Find... |
| 7. | I would have the library be open 24 hours a day because it would provide us with a safe place to study if we want to stay after 10 or 12. | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 4:20 PM | Find... |
| 8. | Better (healthy) food choices besides pizzas and subs, especially since many groups provide those for meetings already. | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 3:59 PM | Find... |
| 9. | I would put more resources online such as guest lectures, research opportunities, etc. Also, I would build a cafe/ coffee shop where students can meet and discuss school. There is no area conducive to academic discussion, sitting, and eating. | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 7:50 AM | Find... |
| 10. | All in all I am very happy here...more food options would be nice...HEALTHY food options not pizza. Subway is great. | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 2:15 AM | Find... |
| 11. | Better options of food centrally located to the schools themselves (i.e. Indian, Sushi); have more scholarships and grants available to students throughout the year. Have multiple options for insurance through the school, versus one that is extremely limited. Since many students don’t have dental coverage possible discounted rates for students treated at the dental school. A more centrally located bookstore. The UTHSCSA portal to be more user friendly, I feel it takes many clicks, a lot of frustration, and some previous experience to navigate certain areas of the system. It seems that it’s purpose is to be a hub for various components in relation to school and its functions but it is very hard to maneuver. Better operating elevators in the hospital, in the dental school, everywhere. I also think the library should be open 24 hrs, or a study lounge. Coffee vending machines available where there are also regular vending machine would also be helpful when the shops and cafeteria have closed. The counseling center possibly having weekend hours. | Fri, Sep 18, 2009 2:02 AM | Find... |
| 12. | Free coffee for students in the library (even bring you own mug); more comfortable chairs in the lecture halls (after all we sit in them for 6hrs a day) | Thu, Sep 17, 2009 11:46 PM | Find... |
| 13. | more color on campus. it is a very drab place | Thu, Sep 17, 2009 11:38 PM | Find... |
| 14. | Fix the campus map program to allow for the typing in of specific room #'s; expand list of mentors on the website to be more representative of actual opportunities | Thu, Sep 17, 2009 11:30 PM | Find... |
| 15. | Biochem module 1 is disorganized and covers too much information for a single module | Thu, Sep 17, 2009 11:27 PM | Find... |
| 16. | Less contact hours | Thu, Sep 17, 2009 11:26 PM |
- Campus scheduling and calendar
- Library outlets and extension cords
- Alternative energy and recycle program updates
- Searchable research database to find mentors for summer research program
