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The Eastern Echo Saturday, July 26, 2025 | Print Archive
The Eastern Echo

Martin Forum

Martin gets feedback from forum

Eastern Michigan University President Susan Martin held an informal open forum in the Student Center dining area Monday.

The forum began with Martin discussing plans and progress she believes the university has made.

With a 4.69 percent increase in undergraduate student enrollment over the past semester, a decreasing number of students on probation and hopes for Pray-Harrold renovations to be completed in no longer than 16 months, Martin believes EMU is taking the necessary steps forward to create more of a positive learning environment for its students.

Martin also announced the university is investing in 42 new faculty positions.

When the floor was opened for questions, students began to flood Martin with a variety of concerns. Pray-Harrold, having the most traffic on campus and being closed for renovations seemed to be a pressing issue.

“The availability of other facilities and knowing where classrooms being moved out of Pray-Harrold are being placed, raises the most concerns for me,” student Steve Martin said.

Students were reassured that every available space on campus would be put to use, and King and Hoyt Hall will be used for faculty offices.

Library hours were another issue addressed by President Martin. Students wanted to know if it was possible to have library hours extended to 24 hours.

EMU emphasizes putting education first, and Martin believes having a 24-hour library is essential. She commended Student Government for its quest to make this happen and discussed plans for hiring a new library director.

Martin is searching for a solution to help relieve congestion of the closest parking lots.

She noticed North Lot has plenty of vacant spots for students to fill but realizes it is far from many classroom buildings. Students suggested if there was a shuttle to transport them directly from North Lot to their classes and if security was heightened, more students would use the lot.

Walter Kraft, vice president of communications for the university, was available to address the progress of media relations.

Kraft discussed new plans for billboards and using social media to help recruit new students. Over the past two months, Facebook and Twitter have also had a 25 percent usage increase among students.

Although the student diagnosed with tuberculosis was not addressed during the forum, it was an important issue to junior Dominique Jones.

“I just want to know why only a few students are being tested and why the Eateries were not closed,” Jones said.

Martin and Bernice Lindke, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, answered this concern.

They expressed that students who interacted with the infected student closely were tested and after careful observation the health department it was decided it was unnecessary to shut down the Eateries.