By MICHAEL KELLEY
The Student Advisory Council will be at the checkerboard quad between the bookstore and the library today from 12 to 3 p.m.
During this time, Andy Jackson, executive director of SAC, said, “There will be a soapbox giving students the opportunity to stand up and share their concerns.”
“There will be forms for students to write down concerns if they don’t want to get up in front of everyone,” Jackson said.
There will be candy and coupons for all students who come by.
The Student Advisory Council tries to meet the needs and concerns of all students while creating a link between the Administration and the BYU student body.
Darcelle Watkins, vice president of SAC, said, “Our goal is to get students to share their concerns with us.”
SAC is made up of 40 elected and appointed representatives from each college. There are also 10 representatives appointed to speak for special interest groups, such as disability groups.
Students share their needs and concerns with SAC. Then SAC researches, debates, and suggests solutions on important student and campus issues. Then SAC makes recommendations to the administration on those views through Dallin Anderson, BYUSA president.
Eric Johnson, executive director of SAC, said, “(SAC) acts like a student senate, dealing with student issues and concerns, and then takes those concerns to the administration.”
The administration will then decide, with help from SAC opinion, whether it is a need or concern that requires change.
To gather information on student views, SAC conducts surveys and uses other types of research. Then, representatives from each college convey student concerns with the executive directors of SAC.
Johnson said, “(SAC) wants to be so visible that every student with a concern will tell us about it.”
SAC also meets in bi-weekly meetings to discuss student viewpoint, and they try to find solutions that will please everyone.
“If nothing can be done, at least students will see that (SAC) is trying to help them,” Johnson said.
He said, “Most students don’t know about SAC, so we are creating programs to get students involved.”
SAC will have suggestion boxes on the main and the forth floor of the ELWC and will publish a weekly magazine to inform students of future SAC activities.
“Students need to be involved in the decisions that affect them,” Watkins said. “(SAC) tries to find ways to increase awareness of SAC programs — to get students involved.”
