Howard College Students Break Ground on SOS Project

Today at 8:00 am, the Student Government Associating (SGA) of Howard College broke soil and began a Student Outdoor Space (SOS) Project.  Overall, 21 people that included a mixture of faculty and students from Howard College came out to participate in this project.

Howard College does not have any sports or dorm rooms. It also does not provide a real lounging area or cafeteria for its students. With none of these facilities, students do not have a common ground to relate on.

Thus, the idea of the SOS Project is to “create a place for students to connect in a quiet lounging/study area”, said Mary Baty, vice president of the Student Government Association and President of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Club at Howard College.

Baty continued, “This is a deeply personal project to me. It’s something I have been working on since last May.”

Previously, the Student Connection Center was made available for student use in January of 2015. The building, however, is out of the way and hard to see. Baty said, “The idea is to redevelop this horrible eye sore into a useable outdoor space.”

Caryn Truitt, Student Life and Outreach Coordinator and Student Government Association Advisor, said, “We’re beautifying the campus; we’re making it look even nicer. More importantly though, it is bringing students together into a community-type project.”

Leonard Christo (A.K.A. Lenny), a faculty member at Howard College who teaches business classes and runs the STEM Grant, explained, “The SGA is coming together and creating an area and space that is done by them and organized by them.”

However, one issue the SGA faced was funding. The SOS Project currently has no funding at all.

“We have no money for this project whatsoever, none," said Baty. "Absolutely every ounce of this has to come from our own labors and from donations.”

Baty said the estimated cost of the SOS Project is $15,000. The SGA is hoping to have everything finished by May of 2017.

By May 2016, a concrete slab will be poured, landscaping will be finished, a glass door will be installed for easy access and crushed granite will be placed. The covered structure over the concrete slab will have to come later. The SGA is asking SAISD building trade students to help in building that covered structure.

“A lot of teamwork has gone into this project behind the scene. The SGA Officers started on this project last summer” Truitt concluded.

Christo added, “I have pride on watching my students succeed. As a faculty member, you will absolutely support your students anyway you can.”

This project means a lot to the faculty and students of Howard College. A tremendous amount of work and time has been put into this project to help make it possible.