Power to the people: the beauty of student feedback

One of the greatest benefits of Muhlenberg that we as students both embrace and appreciate is the power of student feedback. Student feedback is present in multiple areas of campus life, and ways in which I have been involved in student feedback include academics, dining, and athletics. Though my life consists of more than just studying, eating, and running (others may disagree), I value the opportunities given to me to provide Muhlenberg with my satisfaction or dis- satisfaction with these areas of campus life.

As it pertains to academics, I appreciate the student response surveys I complete at the conclusion of each and every one of my classes. I do not just speed through these surveys and fill in a smiley face in the multiple choice options or rate every professor a five. I value what these surveys measure and the effort the school makes to receive feedback from us students about the difficulty and efficacy of each class and the teaching methods of the professor. I encourage all students to take these surveys more seriously when they fill them out and acknowledge the role they play in student feedback at Muhlenberg as a general measure of every student’s experience in a class among the entire student body. However, as far as the feedback goes, a designated space for qualitative feedback and comments on the survey would be helpful to explain certain feedback measures given on each survey as opposed to attaching a piece of loose leaf paper to every one.

I would simply be remiss to discuss student feedback at Muhlenberg without mentioning the dining shrine of student feedback—the one and only Napkin Board. In a case study of the power and influence of the napkin board, one of my teammates described her dissatisfaction with the alteration of the gluten free and vegan granola. Within days, the granola was altered to its prior, delicious state. In additional cases, the Napkin Board is a useful tool for positive encouragement of what we enjoy in the dining hall in addition to catering to certain dietary restrictions of our students. The dining hall has both a fun and efficient feedback system through the use of the Napkin Board that is checked daily and frequently features responses from the dining hall staff.

Student feedback is also a powerful component in my time as a student athlete. At the completion of my season, I complete a detailed survey about my experience as a student athlete here, which encompasses topics ranging from the facilities to my coaches to my general experience. Notably, this survey also offers me a follow-up appointment with our athletic director to discuss any component of the survey.

These methods and models of feedback present at Muhlenberg are valuable tools for both us as students to make our voices heard and for our administration to ensure we are content as students here. I appreciate the efforts Muhlenberg makes to hear from its students and to gather this information to assess multiple areas of student life.