The Uno Reverse Panel was hosted by the Student Government Association to help further develop faculty, staff and student relationships at Dallas College North Lake Campus on Jan. 30.

The event was scheduled to take place Jan. 30 -31, but due to a winter storm, the second day was canceled as Dallas College campus is closed for the remainder of the week.

“The panel name, Uno Reverse, is a nod to the card game,” SGA co-adviser and lead coordinator of Student Life at the North Lake Campus, Mara Dillman said.

The event consisted of multiple activities with the main panel from faculty, staff and students.

Dillman said the word reverse in the name plays on the fact that the professor and staff panel reverses, into a student panel.

Each panel consisted of six to seven panelists, and each took turns answering questions from SGA members.

Dr. Christa Slejko, campus president, participated in the event as a moderator for the faculty and staff panel.

North Lake student Jolly Thomas was part of the student panel and said that it was good to get the perspective of the professors because it is difficult to distinguish what students think professors are dealing with and what they are really dealing with, and that goes both ways.

“It felt like a time that I don’t think we go in-depth about a lot,” Thomas said. “But I think this was a good step in the right direction. I feel like it helped students.”

One of the questions asked was whether attendance should be mandatory in college.

Thomas said that she does not believe attendance should be mandatory because college students should have enough discipline. “If you want to learn, you need to commit … whatever you put in, you get out,” Thomas said.

On the contrary, other students from the panel argued that mandatory attendance gives and maintains structure because it forces them to go to class.

Attendees engaged in small group discussions led by a member of either panel. This was made to get more insights and reflect on what the panel had previously said.

The attendees were presented with a “spectrum activity” where students presented questions of identity regarding their experiences in community college and had to defend their stance.

The game Uno was also played at the end of the event as a fellowship activity, with pizza, drinks and an Uno tournament.