About 200 students filed into the SUB Atrium and pelted administrators with questions about the Student Success Center on Wednesday.
President David Schmidly and several vice presidents addressed questions about how the proposed facility in the Lockheed Martin building will affect student services such as financial aid, registration and advisement.
Schmidly said that although services will be re-engineered and divided between Mesa Vista and the South Campus site, they will not be diminished.
Carmen Alvarez Brown, vice president of enrollment management, said student services will be improved by the new location and one-stop shops. She said employees at the one-stop shop will be cross-trained in all student services.
Luke Shipers, an enrollment representative for the Registrar's Office, said that from what he's seen of the one-stop shop and proposed department divisions, that kind of service isn't possible.
"Supposedly they're going to give us this big cross-training so that everybody is going to know everything, but ... if it is not so complicated and nuanced that you have to have specialists, then why do we have specialists?" Shipers said. "It is that complicated - especially financial aid. It's incredibly nuanced. It is incredibly hard, and to expect people to be able to answer everything about admissions and registration is just unreasonable."
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Brown said that with diligent cross-training, the one-stop employees will become knowledgeable about the departments in due time.
"The people that are going to be deployed to the one-stop are going to be the people that are customer-service oriented and are knowledgeable of their given areas," Brown said.
Student Havah Johnson said the administration is still overlooking the needs of student employees.
Johnson said she was concerned about how the move will affect student employment opportunities.
"I really think you need to look at how you're treating your employees, because that is what is going to damage your reputation and the reputation of the University as a whole," Johnson said.
Brown said the creation of the Student Success Center will provide flexible work hours to student employees who work in enrollment management services, which will allow them to better balance their classes and work schedule.
"It will have evening hours," Brown said. "It will have weekend hours. So, it will give you even more opportunities to work without having an impact on your studies."
Shipers also said most of the departments are short-staffed and that the proposed changes will force them to struggle.
This means students will suffer miscommunications, long waits and potential problems with getting their paperwork processed in a timely manner, he said.
Shipers said the one-stop shops will have six employees at each location to file documents and answer all questions regarding admissions, financial aid and the registrar processes.
"If they can't answer your question, and if they can't do the processing that you need, then they're going to have to send you to those actual offices - which means schlepping your way down to the Student Success Center," he said.
Brown said students should notify her if they experience problems with the departments she oversees.
"We're committed to bringing a quick turnaround time every time you come by our offices," Brown said. "We're going to answer your questions, and we're going to take care of your problems. You're not going to be turned around and told that 'The person here is on vacation, and we can't help you.'"
Shipers said he doesn't understand how the already overwhelmed student services programs will be improved by Brown's plan.
"We're already spread thin, and they're spreading us thinner," Shipers said.
Brown said she doesn't expect to hire more people.
"My goal is really to keep the same amount of people," she said. "But the president has told me and promised me that if I need to hire people that I could, but I'm trying to minimize that as much as I can."
Shipers said he is concerned that none of the money from the $2 million General Obligation Bond D will be used to hire employees for student service departments.
Schmidly said the money in the bond will be used only for the renovation of the Lockheed Martin building.
The Board of Regents scheduled a total expenditure of $3.9 million on the Student Success Center.
