Student Government’s monthly Town Hall Forum meeting Thursday night, which focused on gaining more feedback from students regarding the Campus Culture Task Force recommendations, saw an extremely low turnout.

The meeting, which was held in the Student Senate chambers, had fewer than 10 in attendance.

Neil Ballentine, a student senator and organizer of the Town Hall Forum series, said it has been tough to get students to come to the monthly meetings designed to highlight important campus issues.

“It’s a convenience issue,” Ballentine, a junior in biological sciences, said. “You just get so bogged down with going to a full day of class. Most students are involved in some sort of group. When we try to publicize this it’s tough because people view it as just another meeting.”

While the turnout for Thursday’s forum may have been low, the group did listen to a presentation given by Matt Woodward about several of the recommendations the Campus Culture Task Force has been working on.

Woodward, a freshman in applied sociology who serves on the task force, said student feedback is crucial as the task force prepares to make its final recommendations to Chancellor James Oblinger.

“When we make decisions that effect the students it is very important that they come out and tell us how they feel,” Woodward said. “That way, the gap between students and administrators is as low as possible.”

Student Body President Jay Dawkins, a junior in civil engineering, said feedback to the task force has increased despite Thursday’s turnout.

“We’ve seen a whole lot more turnout online and a lot of people speaking out,” he said. “This is what we’re looking for.”

Woodward credited an e-mail sent by Dawkins on Monday for the increase in student response to the task force.

“From my understanding, especially since Jay sent out the e-mail over the HOWL, the feedback has increased,” he said. “We’ve been getting critical feedback. There are some very articulate people out there.”

The feedback the task force receives prior to its meeting on Monday will be taken into account before the group makes its final recommendations.

On Monday, the entire Campus Culture Task Force Committee will meet in 3118 Talley Student Center at 3:30 p.m.The group is responsible for making several recommendations to Oblinger about how to improve campus culture. The group was formed in November following the incident after the election of President Barack Obama in the Free Expression Tunnel.

Once the group passes its final recommendations on to the chancellor, Dawkins said it will be up to Oblinger to make decisions.

“This is ultimately a group of recommendations to the chancellor,” Dawkins said. “His decisions on all of these recommendations will be final.”

Dawkins said the feedback the group has received so far has been reflective of student’s feelings.

“It’s been helpful to see what people have said,” Dawkins said. “When the task force gets back together Monday they will have read the feedback. That should help.”

Woodward said students need to be informed about all of the initial recommendations of the task force, especially regarding the Free Expression Tunnel.

“Students generally have some ideas about the tunnel but unless they are worried that something is going to be taken from them it’s not that much of a concern,” he said. “I hope that changes because there will be a lot of issues where it may not be pressing in one’s personal life but is important for the University as whole.”

Ballentine said the increase in feedback via the online form makes up for the lack of student turnout at Thursday’s meeting.

“I’m satisfied with people as long as they are talking,” he said. “If we have 100 people online saying how they feel it is just as good as having five people in a meeting.”