Hannah Schmittler

If I Were President Blog

As the president of a university or college, there are many responsibilities and decisions

to be made. Students often are the first to blame the president for what goes wrong at the

university. I would never want to switch places with Robert O. Davies, who is the president at

CMU.

However, if I were to switch places with President Davies, here is what I would change.

1. Residential Hall Renovations- There is nothing worse than living in the dorm

halls, from what I can remember. I could not get out of those tiny rooms any

quicker, and many students feel the same way. The kitchenettes on each floor of

the halls should be completely updated, and with additional washers and dryers.

It feels like yesterday when I was lugging up the stairs two loads of wet laundry,

just looking for an open dryer.

2. Sustainability- CMU has been making huge efforts to create a more greener

campus. From the separated recyclable garbage cans and dumpsters, water

filling stations and to the new solar Bioscience building, actions have been set in

place. As president, I would make sure every building on campus has at least

solar panels. The campus already reinforces recycling, and if we also implement

solar panels into all of the buildings then we could be a much greener campus.

3. Outdoor study area- Although in Michigan we spend a large amount of time

hibernating indoors, there are also several months of gorgeous weather. During

the summer semester, early fall semester and late spring semester students
found scattered studying in different areas outside. CMU has plenty of great

study spots on campus like the UC or Park Library. My idea is we need an

outdoor study space. The designated spot I have in mind is the open area next to

the UC, where a building was previously torn down and replaced with trees. If

CMU added in several different comfy furniture pieces, along with some

greenery and flowers, the space would be perfect.