University Senate conducts its second meeting of the year. Photo by Jennifer Friese/The Dakota Student.

The University Senate held its second meeting of the year last Thursday.

Outreach was a word that popped up a couple of times in the meeting, with Student Body Vice President Brett Johnson saying that Student Government plans to reach out to students and inform them about upcoming ballot measures.

Johnson said they also are planning on figuring out ways to improve the role of academic advisors and that they are trying to get downtown businesses collaborating with the university for student internships.

Chair of the Senate Mellissa Gjellstad said a new goal for the University Senate is to get committee members discussing campus issues outside of the one hour they meet each month and suggested they speak with other faculty members in their departments about issues on campus that deserve attention.

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Steve Light said a small committee will be formed to evaluate faculty promotion, tenure and evaluation. The objective of the team will be to figure out the ways in which these topics can be improved to benefit faculty members.

Gjellstad also offered an update on the Strategic Optimization and Alignment Review Process, known as SOAR, a project that aims to improve the way the university handles the distribution of funds and other resources.

“We’ve been meeting probably four hours a week for two or three weeks,” Gjellstad said. “I think the intent is still very much that we’ll be engaged in this through the end of the semester and into next year.”

Jamie Hutchinson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].