SGA Hosts Town Hall With Liberty President Dondi Costin and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell
SGA’s Town Hall with President Dondi Costin and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell occurred Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. in the School of Business Towns Auditorium.
The event started with student body President Isaac Kantola and Vice President Abbye Morgan asking Costin and Falwell questions before taking questions from the audience.
“Transparency between students and upper administration is the best it has been in many years, and we’re grateful that they are willing to listen to the student body and answer their questions,” Kantola said.
In light of the increased lines and not having enough seats for Convocation, Costin and Falwell both mentioned that a short-term fix will be adding temporary seats in the back rows of the Vines Center. At first, they will use bleachers before eventually adding permanent seats. Because of all the concerns with long lines at Convocation, Costin spoke about Liberty growing responsibly.
“We want to make sure that the experience you are having as a student is not diminished,” Costin said.
An important issue for students Kantola mentioned is the dancing rule. Falwell said there will be a meeting happening Sept. 17 where a group of about 10 students will be presenting a proposal to change that policy.
While answering the question, Falwell said the rule is in place not because all dancing is bad, but it would be too hard to monitor dancing that crosses the line.
Another issue on students’ minds is the cost of tuition. There has been a six-year freeze on tuition; however, inflation and increased insurance costs might cause an increase in tuition. Costin reassured the students that if there is an increase in tuition, it would be less than other schools.
The upcoming presidential election also came up in the questioning. Falwell expressed the importance of voting.
“As Christians and citizens, we have a responsibility to stand up to the values and biblical principles,” Falwell said.
While voting is important, Convocation will not be used to endorse political candidates. Instead, the goal of Convocation is to train champions for Christ. Falwell said if a person is currently running for office, he or she would not be allowed to speak at Convocation.
Previously, Liberty had invited Sarah Huckabee Sanders to speak at Convocation. However, she was not able to take the Convocation stage because of her campaign to run for governor of Arkansas.
After the prepared questions, students were able to ask Costin and Falwell their own questions.
“The Q&A portion of the event stuck out to me as it is a good way for the students to directly voice their concerns and thoughts to the leaders of our school,” sophomore Skye Wooten said.
One student mentioned the difficulty of finding parking spots on campus. Costin said the new north campus parking garage should help to alleviate any parking concerns. He also said that parking is something that they will continue to prioritize, with the caveat that the parking spots are not guaranteed to be right next to the building.
One student was concerned about Liberty’s reputation following the former president Jerry Falwell Jr.’s resignation. Jonathan Falwell started by saying that Liberty is run by people, and people will make small and big mistakes.
“I love my brother,” said Falwell. “He is human, just as I am and you are. We have all had issues, problems and mistakes.”
Looking to the present and future, Falwell believes that this is the best Liberty has been because of the students, faculty and staff.
Another student asked a similar question about the Clery Act violations against Liberty. Costin admitted that errors were made and talked about the changes that have been made to prioritize safety for students. He encouraged parents and students to share ways other schools make their campuses safer, and Liberty will work to implement those ideas.
To get involved with SGA, visit https://www.liberty.edu/students/sga/.
Twitchell is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.