Provost and Executive Vice President Carol Bresnahan spoke to the Student Government Association (SGA) on Nov. 11 about plans for the College’s Center of Teaching and Learning and clarified details about the pixel art installation and subsequent vandalism.

“Two of the pixels were vandalized and I am very sorry about that,” said Bresnahan. “I don’t care how much you don’t like it, but to mar an artist’s work like that is very sad.”

In hindsight, Bresnahan agreed that informing students about the selection process, the artist’s background and vision, and the artwork choice itself would have served to help maintain a transparent communication process with the College community and quell a large amount of dissatisfaction.

Bresnahan is currently seeking to revive a project, formerly grant funded, centering on the development of a Center of Teaching and Learning that would offer cutting-edge help in pedagogy inside the classroom for student teachers. Though the long-term plan is to construct a building to house the program, the short-term task of getting the project up and running is the responsibility of Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Mark Kiselica.

“Everything on the academic side of your life here, inevitably, falls under my responsibility,” said Bresnahan, “I’m not at all content about where we are, but I am excited about where we’re heading.”

Director of Records and Registration Frank Cooper provided student leaders with an update on the PAWS system.

Cooper said the College is “very satisfied” with how PAWS is working and hoped students could see the multitude of benefits the system offered in the areas of advising help and browsing for and scheduling classes. He recognized three main concerns for students — transfer credit authorization, class waivers and substitutions, and the acknowledgement of specialization declarations.

“The department (is) being proactive to help students avoid the bureaucratic system,” Cooper said. “We brought back a consultant to help fix some problems we knew we would have during the go live shakedown.”

According to Cooper, during the PAWS transfer conversions the sheer volume of courses needing transfer accreditation by the College caused the system to “go out of whack” but he assured students of a swift recovery period. Within the month, the PAWS team said class waivers and substitutions accepted by student advisors will be up to date and Cooper urged students that have not yet declared their interdisciplinary concentration or specialization to do so immediately.

SGA senators voted to recognize three new organizations, Beta Alpha Psi, Students Against Childhood Cancer, and TCNJ Operation Smile, all of whom passed by majority vote.

Beta Alpha Psi representative Alison Weld, senior accounting major, explained her nationally recognized organization would be an honor society for accounting and finance majors.

Passed by unanimous vote, this is the first honor society within in the school of business for either major at the College.

Founder and President of Students Against Childhood Cancer Brad Whitely, freshman exercise science major, said, “you have to have a strong passion for fighting children’s cancer” and defended his club’s difference from the already SGA recognized club Colleges Against Cancer, claiming his organization would be highly active and devoted to their cause.

Alex Gregorek, senior business major, represented TCNJ Operation Smile’s interests at the meeting by showing her devotion toward helping raise money and awareness locally and globally for children with cleft palates.

This College offshoot would work directly with the international organization Operation Smile through fundraising events and surgical missions.

“I believe College students have the skills to raise money and save people’s lives,” Gregorek said, “This program will spread awareness and help College students help kids globally.”