By Anastasia Benstead, Assistant Editor-in-Chief
At 11:30 a.m. students were invited to attend a Student Deep Dive Session hosted by members of Aquinas’ administration on Thursday, March 19. The goal of the session was to target feedback from students in four different areas as the college moves towards its five year plan.
Currently in its early phase, the five year plan is a model for 2026-2031 in which Aquinas’ emerging priorities will be enacted. This was the second of four meetings addressing the five year plan, but the only one open to students. Specifically, feedback was asked for in four areas: “The Aquinas Way,” Academic Programs, Strategic Enrollment Management, and Campus Development.
Students discuss “The Aquinas Way” – Photo by Anastasia Benstead
Students were invited to make a plate from the Raising Cane’s catered buffet table and then choose a seat in Wege Ballroom. All of the tables had staff and faculty members and student senate members seated at them to take notes on student feedback. During the session, the four areas were targeted individually with three specific questions per target to elicit student feedback. Once all four targets had been addressed, the room shifted to allow for sharing between the tables. Alicia Lloyd, associate vice president and dean of students, moderated the event.
The very first question asked was about the effectiveness of Aquinas’ four pillars and if students found them present in their college careers. One group was particularly focused on Prayer as one of the pillars. Compared to many small, private, religious schools Aquinas does not mandate student attendance at religious services nor require professors to begin their classes with prayer, although some may choose to do so.
“If you want to pray, pray,” sophomore Ada Bradford said after disclosing she was not religious, but appreciated that Aquinas provided the opportunity for students to coexist on campus.
From there, the conversation focused on everything from requiring mandatory service hours for all students, to what makes Aquinas special, to improving the facilities on campus.
‘We want a pool,” said freshman Gianna Naccarato. “Or, AB definitely needs a few updates.”
President of the college, Sr. Maureen Geary was in attendance and could be seen moving throughout the room listening to the conversations happening at each table.
“We are so excited to have the student feedback,” said Geary. “[Students] are the reason we are here. We want the students’ critiques, encouragement and challenges.”
Brigid Avery, Esperanza Garcia, Kevin Kwiatkowski, Wade Stitt, Lynn AR, Kyle Hull, Brian Matzke, Bob Wisler, Casey Conno, Scott Travis and Terry Keller were also present. Keller, Geary, and Lloyd were the only members of faculty to not be seated at tables with the students, as a precaution against students not sharing true feelings if they had been the staff moderators.
Alicia Lloyd, Terry Keller, and Sr. Maureen Geary eagerly await student feedback – Photo by Anastasia Benstead
The session ended without any promises, but a lot for the administration to consider.
“We want to make sure the loudest voices and the quietest thinkers [were] all heard today,” Lloyd said.
The Saint 