The staff senate held its 4th annual open forum in the Campus Cinema of Witherspoon Student Center Saturday.

Speakers were selected in the areas of legislative updates, campus safety, state health plans, human resources and the Hillsborough Street roundabouts based on a survey that was sent out to staff, according to staff senate chair, Gail Willis.

“I think we addressed everything that was sent to us through the surveys and the Web site, especially benefits and salary,” Willis said. “We had a good turn out, but you always expect more.”

Provost Larry Nielsen opened the discussion by saying that Witherspoon was a fitting place to have the forum because it is where a lot of conversation goes on about the University among people who care about the University.

“I really believe that N.C. State is on a roll, and we are in a good state,” Nielsen said. “Chancellor Oblinger is the right man, in the right time, at the right job, and with his leadership, we are heading where we need to be heading at a breakneck pace.”

Roger Henderson, the Hillsborough Street project director, gave a slideshow presentation on the proposed plan for Hillsborough Street.

“I appreciate all the support from the University community, especially from your chancellor and campus architect,” Henderson said. “There are a lot of interesting renovations that I think run with the character of N.C. State.”

The plans for the Hillsborough Street renovation have been in the works for about eight years and aim to tackle some of the current problems of insufficient public parking and poor sidewalk maintenance, according to Henderson.

“We want to make urban streets be all they can be,” Henderson said. “This has been a community-initiated change, so it’s been really fun to work with it and watch it grow.”

The new plan would turn the four lanes of travel into two, add full-time parking to the south side of Hillsborough Street, and add more pedestrian crosswalks, according to Henderson.

The superintendent of maintenance Garden C. Freeman said he was not a proponent of the roundabouts at first but has changed his mind since seeing how well the roundabout at Pullen Road and Stinson Drive has worked.

“We have not had a major upgrade of Hillsborough Street in one hundred years — we can definitely make it look better,” said Freeman. “Hillsborough Street is our front door, and we need to make it look good and look after our people.”

Freeman, who has been in maintenance at N.C. State for over twenty five years, said that the plan proposed by Henderson will right innumerable wrongs and slow down the traffic on Hillsborough Street while keeping it moving.

David Rainer, associate vice chancellor of environmental health and public safety, spoke about keeping campus safe by having a well-trained campus police and being aware of what is going on around campus.

“We do keep track of persons of interest at N.C. State, and our campus police have drills and are trained in active shooter,” Rainer said.

One of Rainer’s main concerns is that students do not recognize and report suspicious persons because they often expect other students to be odd, according to Rainer.

Among all the updates Kevin Howell, assistant to the chancellor for external affairs, reminded the group of the staff’s importance.

“The hallmark of a great University was its faculty and staff,” he said.

Howell said he hoped the forum would help to address the concerns of those people who kept N.C. State running.