Puppy love or money pit? The UTSA Student Health Services’ latest initiative to spread puppy love and decrease student stress is sadly another promise that leaves student’s tails wagging for more constructive progress.
On Tuesday, April 29, UTSA Student Health Services will be holding a Stress Down Day from 3-6 p.m. at the Paseo. The project, which was originally called the “Puppy Zone,” will feature a few fuzzy canines in a fenced area for students to pet and adore. Now using trained Therapy Dogs instead of younger puppies, the project has been on the table since last spring. Maybe it’s time to put this program on pause and focus on worthy student projects.
The Student Government Association (SGA) was originally linked to the project, but it was continued in collaboration with the UTSA Student Health Services. Since its conception, very little has been done to publicize the event.
At the beginning of the spring semester, the SGA’s agenda aimed to improve campus wi-fi, along with adding more lighting fixtures on campus, planting more trees, switching up dining availability and the list goes on.
As the semester is coming to a close, it is not hard to believe that these ideas have turned into wishful thinking. Some projects have been put on hold, others have been proven infeasible and many have been dropped for one reason or another. The speed at which the university makes progress on these projects needs to match the speed at which student needs arise.
Students should expect more from their government associations and should demand that their needs be taken seriously. Although student input into SGA’s activities could be described as lukewarm at best, the purpose of these organizations is to represent the student body in a way that can make a positive difference.
Perhaps students would be less stressed if their tuition money were not being used to support seemingly frivolous events such as this one. It appears that more serious issues will be pushed aside for another semester — or better yet moved on to the agenda of another organization to pick up the pieces.
It’s a fact that most students would prefer more food choices on campus (leading to the formation of an SGA committee to specifically tackle this issue), and there remains a high need for more lighting in many building areas. However, these problems have persisted.
If the Student Government Association cannot take these issues seriously then how do they expect the student body to take them seriously?
It’s time to give students a break and get these problems fixed. After all, all problems cannot be solved with puppies.
