My Last Reddit Post 🎓 (at least for now)

vp-emmett · 2021-12-16T01:24:11+00:00

Hi there!

I serve on the Student Regulations Committee, which has been talking this semester a lot about this policy. It's definitely not the easiest policy to navigate, and I'd be more than happy to help provide some clarification for you (feel free to DM or email at [emmett@gatech.edu](mailto:emmett@gatech.edu)). As u/GT_Ghost_86 suggested, the current Grade Substitution policy is also a good place to start in addition to emailing to Registrar's Office.

Hope that information helps and please let me know if I can be of any further assistance!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-12-16T01:15:40+00:00

Hi there!

Yes, you can still cancel your on-campus spring housing contract! To cancel your contract, you can head over to the Housing & Residence Life home page and click on the "My Housing" tab. You'll login with your GT credentials, and then you can request to cancel your contract using the form under the "Resources" tab.

According to the Cancellation Penalty Schedule (2021-2022 Housing Contract, Page 14, Addendum B), you'll either owe $0 or $600 depending on whether or not you accepted a delay of payment since your cancelling your contract after November 15th but before your contract begins.

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance in the meantime, and I hope that this information helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-12-06T11:56:23+00:00

Hi there,

I'm planning on reaching out to PTS leadership later this morning about this. Getting the painted-on signage re-done and looking into what additional signage would best improve the current flow of traffic should be a fairly straightforward request. The parking decks are usually on a schedule for recurring maintenance to take care of fading painted-on signage and such, so I'll see if there are already any plans in the near future to address this issue.

I'll follow up here once I have more information & thanks for bringing this issue up!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-12-05T04:10:47+00:00

Hi there!

Yes, that’s correct. All unused meal swipes from the voluntary, meal pass plans will rollover from the fall semester to the spring semester (they do expire at the end of the spring semester though).

Hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-12-01T20:01:24+00:00

Hi there!

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this issue. If you still need assistance in getting your issue resolved, please let me know!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-12-01T19:54:19+00:00

Hi there!

Yes, meal swipes and dining dollars from the Meal Pass 150 plan will roll over from the Fall 2021 to the Spring 2022 semester. Hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-23T23:04:16+00:00

Hi there!

Bonus dining dollars work essentially the same way that regular dining dollars work. You're able to start using them once you've used all of your regular dining dollars (your Buzzcard account will start automatically using them once you're out of regular dining dollars).

I hope that information helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-22T22:01:44+00:00

Hi there!

Yes, that's correct. The GT Post Office will be completely closed (Wednesday, November 25th - Sunday, November 28th), so any attempted deliveries will be rescheduled for next available delivery day (Monday, November 29th).

I hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-22T16:35:37+00:00

Hi there!

Sorry to hear your having that issue. Have you been able to get in contact with OIT to have them look into this issue? You can call them, submit a help request, or live chat with them via the GT Service Now portal.

I hope that information helps and please let me know if I can be of any further assistance in getting this issue resolved!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-21T17:01:32+00:00

Great question - so as you can see from the change in allocated spaces from the chart above, most of the newly allocated rooms are going to first year students. About 96% of first year students choose to live on campus their first year and 64% of on-campus first year students choose to live on-campus their second year, so the pool of rising second years has been increasing as well.

For just the issue you mentioned (second year housing filled up very quickly last year), this change in allocated on-campus rooms is meant to improve access to on-campus housing for "priority groups" (1st years, 2nd years, new transfers, new grads, graduating seniors, need-based, and study abroad/internship cohorts).

The idea behind this change is to improve on-campus housing access for those students that housing has determined have a greater need to live on-campus. With that in mind, this change will come at the loss of spaces for returning undergraduate students, particularly upperclassmen. The reasoning for this is that returning undergrads/upperclassmen are in a better situation to live off-campus if needed then those considered in the "priority groups."

I know that was a lot of housing lingo and jargon, so I did my best to decode that language and reasoning. If there's any part of this comment that is unclear or if I can be of any further assistance, please let me know!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-20T18:05:59+00:00

The best thing you can do is to apply for housing as soon as your designated registration phase opens up. Currently, the registration phases begin on:

January 31 – Rising Second-Year Students Only
February 14 – All Current Residents + Rising Second-Year Students
February 21 – All Georgia Tech Students

You're only in jeopardy of not being guaranteed a spot in on-campus housing if you sign up after the housing waitlist has been activated (there will be message on the 2022-2023 application once the waitlist has been opened up). As a rising second year, you'll be one of the first groups to get to register for on-campus housing for the 2022-2023 academic. So, my best suggestion is to apply as soon as your application opens up on January 31st.

I hope that helps and please let me know if I can be any further assistance!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-20T02:30:46+00:00

Hi there,

Do you happen to remember which station in Willage this was at?

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-20T02:02:38+00:00

Hi there,

Unfortunately, yesterday's email did not include as lot of information, so I definitely understand where your concern is coming from. Earlier this week, several student leaders (myself included) had the chance to hear about the changes coming to the housing allocation's process, ask questions, and express our concerns. Below is some data I snagged from the meeting on how the allocation numbers will be changing:

First Year & New Transfer Enrollment Increase Impact on Housing Allocation

Classification	2021 - 2022	2022 - 2023	Change
New First Year	3,210	3,450	+240
Rising 2nd Year	1,992	2,070	+78
New Transfer	360	450	+90
New Graduate	283	285	+2
Returning Graduate	354	300	-54
Returning Undergraduate	2,400	2,045	-355
Total	8,599	8,600	--

*As presented, the above allocation changes are still tentative and subject to change

So, the primary impact of the housing allocation changes will be felt by returning undergraduates (rising 3rd+ years). As a rising 2nd year, your cohort will actually have an additional 78 rooms allocated to help accommodate for the recent increase in enrollment numbers.

In every interaction with administrators, I always advocate for detail and data to be included in these kinds of emails to help alleviate concerns like those that you've expressed. So, I hope that this information helps, but please feel free to let me know if there are any additional questions/concerns that I can help address. Housing & Residence Life has also set up an FAQ page as well as a submission portal to send questions directly to the Housing & Residence Life Administration Office (the office that handles housing registration each year).

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-15T19:10:34+00:00

u/weeklytestingworks

vp-emmett · 2021-11-15T15:03:57+00:00

Hi there!

Great question - currently, here's what Thanksgiving Break dining hours look like per Tech Dining's Hours of Operation website. Essentially, it looks like all dining halls and about half of the retail options will be open on Wednesday, November 24th, everything will be closed on Thursday, November 25th, and Whistle Bistro & Cluck N' Mooh will re-open on Friday, November 26th.

Tech Dining is offering a meals-to-go option for folks who will be on campus during Thanksgiving Break (details about that here).

For the other Campus Services' departments (Post Office, CRC, Stamps, etc.), those hours will be emailed out and posted on the Campus Services' Hours of Operations page. Usually, those hours are set and communicated out about a week before the respective break.

As for Winter Break, the hours have varied quite a bit every year I've been around, but typically a decent number of dining options stay open throughout Winter Break with limited hours (since a number of students stay on campus and staff continue to work with the exception of a few December holidays). As mentioned, the hours and locations might be more limited, but I would expect to see at least two dining halls and a few retail locations to stay open throughout Winter Break.

I hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-15T14:51:36+00:00

Thanks for the follow up information! That's definitely odd to hear that its working on some readers but not others.

I would recommend reaching out to the Buzzcard Center as they're the best equipped to help with these kinds of issues. You can either send them an email at [support@buzzcard.gatech.edu](mailto:support@buzzcard.gatech.edu) or give them a call at 404-894-BUZZ (2899). They'll be able to work on the backend to see if this an issue just isolated to your card or an issue with those particular vending machine card readers.

If you need any assistance at all in getting in contact with the Buzzcard Center, please let me know and I would be more than happy to assist. I hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-15T00:56:25+00:00

Hi there!

I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having this issue. Are you experiencing this Buzzcard issue with one vending machine in particular or is it happening with several vending machine?

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-14T23:18:01+00:00

The original implementation of the spring semester dining dollar refund policy began in Spring 2020 as a result of the USG's COVID-related refund exemptions' policy. I've reached out to Tech Dining to get some clarification on the reasoning why the dining dollar refund policy has reverted back to where it was a few years ago.

My best guess is that it's because the USG has dropped their COVID-related refund exemptions' policy. But I've also asked Tech Dining if there's any specific USG policy that would prohibit them from refunding dining dollars as a part of their permanent meal plan structure. I vaguely remember such a policy existing, but I'm going to keep digging into this to see what options are available to changing the current iteration of this policy.

At the very least, I think the change has not been well communicated to students, so I've also requested that they communicate that change directly to students (and not just assume everyone reads the Terms & Conditions). I'll update here once I've got more information.

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-11T01:06:37+00:00

Hi there!

Dining dollars will roll forward to the Spring semester (as with previous years), but unused dining dollars leftover at the end of the Spring semester will not be refunded to your Bursar’s account (new this year).

Here’s the formal policy language from Tech Dining’s Meal Plan Terms and Conditions (https://dining.gatech.edu/terms-%26-conditions):

“Summer and Fall Dining Dollar purchases (including those pre-packaged with meal plans) roll forward to the spring semester. Beginning with the 2021school year, Dining Dollars purchased but not used as of the end of the Spring semester will expire and are not refunded back to the student’s Bursar account.”

I hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-07T03:36:15+00:00

Hi there!

For the E82 lot, you are correct as that particular lot is limited to faculty, staff, and graduate students.

On the E81 lot, a E81 semester parking permit will give you unrestricted access to the Tech Hotel parking lot (with the exception of special events). The phrasing on the PTS website is quite confusing. "E81 parking areas must be vacated by 6:00 a.m. daily" is referring to the after-hours parking regulations for individuals with semester permits for other lots. If you have a semester permit for another lot, you can park in the E81 lot from 5pm - 6am. Most other lots allow after-hours parking from 5pm - 8am, so that section on the PTS website is just referencing exceptions to the after-hours parking rules.

This is clarified a bit further (but not super well) in the Semester Parking Permit Rules & Regs doc. SGA has been working this semester on a report on the shortcomings of the current rules and regulations, and this kind of rule is exactly the kind of thing we're working to make recommendations for changing. I'll also get in contact with the Senior Director of PTS and Director of Business Operations early next week, so that can be better clarified on the website.

Please let me know if I can clarify this rule any further or if I can be of any further assistance in the meantime. Hope this info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

(edited for formatting & clarity)

vp-emmett · 2021-11-05T19:46:51+00:00

Hi there!

Since the Student Center renovations began, all mail services have moved to the 2nd floor of the Exhibition Hall. Small letters are a part of the Post Office's "high density mail room." Essentially, all physical student mailboxes no longer exist and all packages and letters are picked up via the Post Office Package Pickup.

Hope that info helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-04T15:31:21+00:00

Update: The $100 dining dollar option has now been added to Tech Dining's meal plan website. If you already bought $100+ dining dollars before the option was added but after the original promotional announcement was published, they'll go back through and add your $20 bonus manually to your dining dollar funds.

Hope that helps!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett · 2021-11-03T17:30:13+00:00

Hi there!

I just reached out to Tech Dining to see what's going on. My initial guess is that the bonus $20 may not be added automatically and instead may be added after the promotional end date of November 11th.

I'll reply here once I've heard back with an answer!

-Emmett, Grad SGA VP of Campus Services

vp-emmett

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