Geneseo students petition for providing mailroom notifications on election mail
Throughout the month of February, members of the Geneseo Student Senate have begun to address the issue of students missing important mail due to a lack of notification of when paper mail is delivered to their on-campus address. The senate members, as a response, have proposed for the mailroom to send students notifications of paper mail in addition to notifications of package deliveries.
According to freshman early childhood education major Abigail Mincer, this issue gained traction in the Student Senate after students informed senate board members that they missed opportunities to vote because they never received notice of their incoming ballots.
“Many students do not regularly check their mailboxes and only go to pick up packages, of which they are informed,” Mincer explained in an interview conducted via email. “Election mail is time-sensitive, with only a limited amount of time before ballots are unable to be counted. With a system in place to notify students of U.S. election Mail, which is stamped with [an] official U.S. Mail stamp, students will have a better chance of casting their ballots.”
As a student government organization, Student Senate aims to advocate for students and their needs. This being said, the members of this organization are working to bring the issue of the mailroom notifications for election mail to the attention of the administration, as well as the larger student body.
“It is the whole goal of the Student Senate to bridge the gap between students and administration, [and] it is the obligation that with every resolution passed by the senate, we share [the information] with the administration in a productive discussion,” said Mincer.
One of the most effective ways to begin bringing the administration into the discussion is by using the Geneseo Speaks petition page. These student-led petitions have become an important way for students to promote pressing issues and to implement systemic changes across campus. In the past, some petitions have amassed over 400 signatures.
Due to the success of these petitions, the members of Student Senate created a petition to gain traction for the mailroom notifications.
The petition, aptly titled “The Geneseo Mailroom Should Email Students When They Receive Election Mail,” opened on Feb. 14, and currently (on Feb. 24) has 76 student signatures. While this is an impressive number given that the petition has only been active for a week, there is still a need for students to participate and sign their name for this issue.
“A minimum of 75 [signatures] are required for the SA Executive Committee to recognize [the petition]. Recognized petitions can then be brought to the administration for further discussion and resolutions,” said Mincer. “We are looking for as many signatures as possible to show the need and want of a resolution [regarding election mail notifications] by the student body.”
The petition will remain open for signatures until Mar. 16. All students are encouraged to sign this petition in order to ensure that voting remains accessible and that civic engagement on campus remains a core value of the college.
If students are interested in advocating for this issue or other student government issues on campus, Student Senate welcomes all students to attend their meetings as general members; meetings take place each Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. If you have any questions, are interested in bringing an issue to the Student Senate, or if you would like more information regarding current or past proposals, you can contact the senate chair at savp@geneseo.edu.