General Assembly
Minutes from February 1, 2007
Download Word File: Minutes-2-1-07
Associated Students of Occidental College
General Assembly Minutes
February 1, 2007
12:00-1:30, J200
Minutes by Chelsey Brack
Senate Members Present: John Wilson, Rozell Hodges, Patrick McCredie, Amy Laslett, Konstantin Chaykovskiy, Mike Myers, Max Thoman-Tedford, Matt Kuzio, Alison Dempsey, Jimmy Gillan, Andrew DeBlock
Guests Present: Will Carlson, Dan Miller, Meagan Colvin, Ali Raymond, Jake Stevens, Katie Democker, Max Read, Eli Isaacs, Katherine Lonsdorf, Sadia Afolabi, Krystal Keolegh, Spencer Jemelka, Daniel Santiago Mendez, Anna Livejan, Lauren Keyes, Jenn Kyle, Jacob Weis, Chelsey Brack (18).
Katie opened the meeting at 12:07 PM. Katie welcomed everyone to the official student forum. The General Assembly is a place for students to bring up issues and policy change. The General Assembly recognizes that the student body is one of many forums that form the community. This is a forum for students to work with other students and administrators.
1. Emily Bergman - Library Services, Erik Frank - Dean of Occidental College, Barbara Avery – Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Jonathan O'Brien - Senior Associate Dean of Students, Mike Groener - Vice President of Administration and Finance, Kecia Baker - Director of Res. Life and Housing, Amy Munoz - Associate Vice President of Campus Dining and Hospitality Services, Holly Nieto - Director of Campus Safety, Pam McQuesten - Chief Information Officer of ITS, Amanda Atkinson - Assistant Director of Residential Life
Katie introduced Emily Bergman of the Library Services, who introduced Laura Serafini of the Library as well.
Emily expressed that she wants a liaison between herself and the students, saying that it would be much appreciated. She would be able to hear from many students, and it would be good to have someone bring your general concerns from the ASOC to the Library. She talked about the renovation in the library, installing (never been before) smoke alarms. She knows that it is very disruptive, and is trying not to let it be too disruptive, but the renovation will be going on for at least another two months. She said if the students have concerns, to come talk to the staff. When its all done, the whole old wing will be beautiful, complete with much more study space, just the price we have to pay is some disruption this semester. She knows that people see the "no food" posters, and asked that the students keep paying attention to those signs, please. It helps keep control of the pest problem.
She said that the good news is that the library is working on a 24 hour-a-day/5 days-a-week library schedule. The weekend schedule will remain the same, but there will be new hours (students can email her for that). Meagan Colvin thanked Emily, and Emily said that there are many people who are responsible for it, and they know that it is for serving the students' needs. She added that it is also a test, and if not treated respectfully, the changes will be rethought.
Amy Laslett asked when the new hours will begin, and Emily said that they will start the Sunday after spring break. Ali Raymond asked if she could be more specific about the previous problems in the library. Emily said that, for example, someone tried to flush a journal down the toilet, and someone broke into a closet, etc.
Erik Frank, Dean of Occidental College, said that he wanted to emphasize that the extension of the hours is something they know students need to help with academic success. It has been an issue brought up by student services and with Dean Avery, and the administration has been weighing the options of what is the best way to do this. The conclusion of the best way to do this is on more of a "trial-basis" or a "pilot-program". The intention is to continue it, not just use the hours for a little while and shut down.
Katie asked if there were any other questions, seeing that there were none, led to the next speaker.
Barbara Avery, Dean of Students, introduced herself, and said that there are many new changes coming up, including the new Res Hall. She said she is open for questions.
Jonathan O'Brien, who works closely with Dean Avery, advises the HB, and is the Senior Associate Dean of Students, said he also works with students in dealing with crises, and that he is open for questions
Kecia Baker introduced herself as the Director of Residential Life and Housing Services, and said that she is also here to answer questions.
Amanda Atkinson introduced herself as the Assistant Director of Residential Life, and said that if people are thinking about applying for HC or RA, the deadline is tomorrow.
Earic Peters introduced himself as the Associate Dean of Students.
Mike Groener, VP of Administration and Finance, introduced himself as being in his first year at Occidental.
Holly Nieto introduced herself as Director of Campus Safety.
Amy Munoz introduced herself as the Associate Vice President of Campus Dining and Hospitality Services.
Pam McQuesten, introduced herself as the Chief Information Officer of ITS.
Katherine Lonsdorf wanted to know what is the college's official stance on kitchen usage in Res Halls and where is it going, acknowledging that is an on-going process that has been looked at. Kecia Baker said that she knows how important kitchens are to Res Halls and that there are issues surrounding the kitchens, fire safety issues have been a problem. Katherine said she is simply trying to figure it out, and that has been hard for her to find someone who she can directly contact to figure it out. She said she would personally like to see the fire codes that people say the kitchens aren't meeting. She knows many other students feel the same way that if the kitchens were phased out. She brought up how The Cooler is the only place open on Saturday nights, and it has food that not everyone wants. She explained how we as students are growing up, and want the opportunity to cook our own meals. Amy Munoz said that her knowledge of safety codes in kitchens is that they are getting stricter and stricter Katie Orme interjected that facilities will be here at next week's meeting, so at next week’s meeting the GA can talk about it more.
Patrick McCredie asked about the television program, asking if it is getting disbanded, and Pam McQuesten said that it was disbanded already because only some sixty-some students signed up for it, but that number of subscribers did not pay for the excess expenses. Jonathan O'Brien confirmed what Pam said. Patrick McCredie said that at other schools it’s subsidized, there are other stationary cable lines, and asked if that would that be too expensive. Pam said that the cables aren't there right now and would be way too expensive to install. Amy Laslett acknowledged that this topic was discussed at a previous meeting, and that not everyone who was using it was represented at other meetings. She said that the number was misunderstood because a lot of other people around campus were using it, including herself, without paying for it. Ali Raymond wanted to know about cable TV/ direct TV that is accessible. Pam said that there is currently direct TV available in the dorms.
Dan Miller asked if the new dorm is being built with the cable lines that will be needed someday. Kecia said she didn't know. Pam said she is pretty sure that the cable lines are being installed, but suggested asking facilities. She said that generally, internet connectivity is what is being focused on. Mike Groener said that they are airing on the side of conservative, putting in as much conduit as possible right now for possible future plans (the cable lines will be there for future use if future use is intended).
Mike Myers asked if anyone knows exactly how costly it would be to install the cable lines to the already built Res Halls. Pam said that she can talk to the facilities people, but thinks its somewhere in the million-dollar range
Katie Democker said she heard earlier in the year about a plan to renovate the gym, and asked if its on the schedule right now or not. Mike Groener said that it is an issue, and renovation will occur at sometime, and that in the master plan there is an element that calls for the improvement of athletic and fitness facilities. He said that it will come out as a product of time and money, but that there are no specific plans at the moment. Erik Frank added that the indication on master plan is for upgrade of athletic facilities and fitness facilities, in terms of prioritizing, the administration is extremely focused on that as a priority in the future, not just one of a serious of things that are equally or less important. Erik said that that issue is something that is very high on their attention scale, but they have to work hard to identify the funds that would pay for those renovations. Katie asked if its something that is a current issue, or ten years from now. Erik said he can’t give her a time frame right now, that he can’t really anticipate it, that the funds today for a substantial renovation and upgrade to the gym are not in place, but looking to put those in place soon.
Rozell Hodges said he knows that equity is embraced here, but brought up ability, and how Oxy is not really an ability-friendly campus. He asked what the administration is doing to make Oxy more disabled-friendly. Mike Groener answered that whenever there is a renovation, an institution is required to go over such issues, and right now they aren't looking at it, but will in the future. A committee could be formed if people would like to form one.
Andrew DeBlock asked about the new dorms, saying that there is a lot confusion about who is going to live there. Kecia said as of now it is slated for upperclassmen - juniors and seniors. Depending on who ends up living there, could end up being sophomores, but definitely not first years. Starting in March, everyone will get information about room-draw, and in April they will be choosing the students spaces. Slated to open in Spring 2008.
Max Thoman-Tedford said that he has applied to go abroad, and asked would seniors like him who are coming back from abroad get to have a chance to live there? He said that he has heard many rumors about Res Hall shuffling. Kecia answered that seniors wouldn’t be automatically put in the new Res Hall. She said that as far as hall closing and shuffling, there are various conversations taking place, and that a Spring opening is scheduled. She said that they are trying to make the transition as smooth as possible for students, even if it means housing staff stays here over winter break to get the students in by Spring 2008.
Mike Groener said that this is an opportunity for renovations that are needed to take place. No specific dorms have been identified, other than the ones students would probably guess. He said that time is limited for students in facilities, and that they are trying to figure out what they can do financially for students.
Jake Stevens asked about the current projected cost of the completed dorm, and the MRR renovation cost. Mike Groener said that the projected cost is, at his best guess, $39 million dollars. Concerning MRR (Major Renewal and Replacement funds), that the threat to Occidental, every dollar (3.56 million projected for next year) goes into technology replacement, and renewal replacement. For example, painting and carpeting projects. He said that they are not setting aside money for major renewal of a building right now.
Jake Stevens asked about the $40 million dollar bond put into the new Res Hall, since the building will only cost $39 million dollars, he asked about the excess money. Mike Groener said that whatever was left over would go into additional projects, and are hoping to have somewhere between 2 and 3 million dollars for projects from the bond.
Jenn Kyle said she heard that first years are going to be living by themselves from now on, but thinks that fosters a division. She said that from her own experience, upperclassmen are instrumental in the lives here of first years. Kecia answered that some first years will continue living together and as far as the decision why that happened, came into place before she arrived. She said that a few years ago, Stewie used to be the all-first-year dorm. Dean Avery said that first years come in and have different adjustment issues than students of other ages, that most colleges have first year res halls, and agrees that upperclassmen are an important element as a mentoring role. She said that these are ideas Res Life was looking at. She said also if you ask a lot of students who live there, they are not unhappy, and that in general, Res Life is hearing that the first-year Res Hall is working well this year.
Jacob Weis asked about reading days coming this spring semester. He said that he was aware that last semester, Finals schedules didn’t begin until following Friday, students had a final on that day, and he asked if rescheduling is being talked about. Erik Frank said that he is very aware of the need for space towards the times of finals, and that the larger issue is that it becomes a calendar issue concerning holidays. The holidays impacts how it is all adjusted. He said that there will be a Calendar Task Force to figure it out once and for all as an institution to work on the space needed before finals. As far as exam schedule for this term, he said he hasn't seen it yet, but assures the GA that he will look into that and to the best of his ability will make sure that there is space between classes that end and finals, and that classes that end close to the first final day wont be so close together.
Katie Democker said that as a first year she would like to say that Braun residents like where they live. She said that feels that her dorm is somewhat anti-social (not Braun), where many upperclassmen live, whereas at Braun there is a big connection. She said she feels that if you’re going to do a big freshman dorm, frosh who are not in the dorm are kind of left out. The idea of an all-first-year dorm should be fully implemented, or not implemented at all. Kecia said that the plan is for ALL first years to live together, but there simply isn’t enough dorm space to do that. The Braun piece this year, like the library, is a pilot-program.
Ali Raymond asked about the 18-point mission initiatives, asking what it looks like now, and what the focus is. Erik Frank said the mission initiatives, the set of goals that were established three years ago, have made substantial progress since they have been put in place. He said that they have moved forward, and have been working hard to do so, but says that the 18-points when completed, will not be really completed. They will always be the center of all discussions and will drive the way resources are spread throughout the institution. He said that President Prager wants to be engaged very specifically about the future plan with the issue about the relationship between the mission and how we plan, and Erik fully expects the president, the faculty, and community to engage with these issues. Same issue with the accreditation issue - there will be a variety of ways to express and test and to obtain a total consensus about how they will move forward with progress. The initiatives will always be a part of the way in which we define ourselves here at Oxy.
Jake Stevens asked Kecia about the storage program for students who go abroad, and Kecia said that the program started with The Cooler – they knew that more furniture wanted to be put in The Cooler, then came the question: where do we store it, etc. But then wanted to look at all storage spaces across the campus. Storage, the way it is supposed to be, is that students store their stuff in the dorms where they are going to live in, which has not been happening. She said she is going to work with other people in Housing to figure out spaces. There is an issue of bicycles and bicycle racks, and there is a possibility of converting some storage rooms into bike storage rooms or for extra items, etc. There is a group of RA's that are working with her to figure it out. Jake asked about students who go abroad, would they be able to store their things while they were gone, and Kecia that there is a storage system for those students, and she asks that in general, students clearly label their things. Policy is just to store two boxes, which is not happening. There are many things in storage that are not labeled and not in boxes, which becomes a fire hazard, as well as the issue of things being stolen.
Jimmy Gillan asked about the installation of the new Res Hall and Oxy TV, asking if there is any way of integrating cable TV like at other colleges across the country. He said he sees lots of opportunities with a campus-wide cable institution. He knows that Oxy TV on the internet wasn’t very good and was taken way, but doesn’t want administrators to think that its because students don’t want cable TV. He asked if we can find a better way to get cable in the dorms. He added that it is not to say that TV connects society, but personally he feels that watching the news keeps students connected with the outside world. He said it would be a positive contribution to the school for advancement. Kecia said that she does hear that from the students, but as far as working with the Director of Facilities to solve this problem, she was told that it wouldn’t be that feasible - we could have wires running externally, but we are not sure if we would really want that (aesthetically). She concluded that it is something they are working on.
Meagan Colvin asked about the plans about the Student Union. Earic Peters thanked everyone for bringing up these issues to all of the administrators, first of all, and then said that he is very happy about the implementation of TVs in The Pavilion, NOT The Cooler, he emphasized. He also said there are new Cooler hours posted. There is an issue of donated furniture, trying to figure out where to store it, etc. In addition, they are implementing programming by the staff, including events such as movie nights, board game extravaganzas, etc. He said that the idea is to have The Pavilion/Cooler/Tiger Den/whatever students call it, to be the viable, exciting, gathering place for students. He said that the next phase is to look at what a true student space looks like, and they will work on achieving that.
Krystal Koelegh went back to the storage issue, explaining how she is from Japan and that she left all of her stuff in the storage spaces and had some things stolen. She said she wanted to know about security measures being taken. Kecia said that the history was that students would come in and have storage unlocked, there is no check-in/check-out procedure, so there ended up being many complaints about items being stolen. She added though that students stored their things at the students own risk. She said knows that the students are missing their stuff, so they're going to fix this and control this issue to have a secure space for students to store their things.
Krystal also asked about policy of people staying in dorm rooms who don’t go to Oxy, using the facilities, using the computers, and she asked what the policy is. Kecia said that the policy is that a visitor may stay for up to three nights if a the student hosting lives in a double or a triple. She said that if this is an issue, take it up with your HC.
Daniel Mendez asked about travel on campus, wanted to know if a new program was going to be installed. He said that there is the three-month period of summer that could be used for something along those lines. Erik Frank said there are funds available for students to do extracurricular activities including travel, Richter funds, etc, that are applied for and evaluated and granted. Concerning the question of whether there should be more funds, he answers "yes," and is thinking that both summer, January, and course programs should include travel in some way. He said that right now those funds aren’t there, but hopes to develop funds to augment this interest, and is definitely up for using other open terms to activate student educational activities. His office and office of international programs, faculty, and Dean Avery, have talked about these issues and are very aware of this need.
Max Read was wondering about the drug bust that happened last semester, saying that he knows that its not a single instance, but was struck by the quantity of prosecutions that took place last semester. He said that he is afraid if there is some sort of worrying silence by administrators, and how that is affecting the community. He thinks it has been very unclear to students the institution's ability to search their rooms, wondering if administrators could push more information about this for students, concerning their rights. He also wondered about the fact that there is to some extent a permissive attitude about drug use, and if the college will treat is like this, this stance should be known about from the beginning. He also added that he was wondering about drug tests of Res Life employees, so that rumors and hearsay could be put to rest.
Dean Avery said that first off, she agrees, and added that they are constantly reviewing and revising the policy, and that administrators have had a long time to go over this. People have approached her about reviewing the policy and procedures. Concerning the drug bust, she said her office received an anonymous tip that turned out to be real, it became given information that couldn’t be ignored. She clarified that the administration would not search rooms if they didn’t have a concrete reason to. Dean Avery asked for clarification about what Max meant in terms of drug testing, and Max said that not to single out certain students, but he feels that it is something that needs to brought to the table - not mandatory drug-testing - but maybe some implementation to show that the selling of drugs is not permitted.
Kecia said that it is a tough process, that they have been reviewing everything, and that they do want to protect student's rights, which is why there wasn't a lot of forthcoming with information last semester concerning the incident. She commented as well that a tip was received, and that it was not necessarily a student that came forward. She added that students who want to seek out information can come ask Kecia and the administrators, though there is a lot that cannot be shared with the entire student body. The rights of the students must be protected, but they are also keeping in mind the rights of the entire Oxy community.
Jake Stevens asked Holly Nieto if Campus Safety ever designated an Oxy Weekly article towards what was going on for Campus Safety. Holly says she doesn’t remember, but that the article raised Campus Safety awareness. She said she remembers that a group of concerned students came forward. Dean Avery clarified that the anonymous tip came about as a call from a parent, and that is why the college paid such attention to it – they had no other option but to take it very seriously, and that they could not ignore it.
Jimmy Gillan said that he saw the campus safety report, and said that he felt that there was heightened awareness due to an Oxy Weekly article. He said he thinks that it is such an interesting situation, and wants to know why the parent call information wasn’t brought up earlier. He feels that there is a lot of grey area, there are rumors that it was someone who was busted but had connections to people who were selling, and in dealing with their sentence gave names to get it reduced, etc. He said he recognizes that the protection of the students names is important, but everyone knows that the five names of kids who got kicked off campus, so in this situation it seems like something out of a bad cop show. He said that maybe the nature in which the information can be distributed can be improved, so students can get the actual story, while the administration protects the rights of those students involved.
Jonathan O'Brien restated that a call came from a parent, and that confidentiality is important. Information distribution is not what they're responsible for, they are concerned with confidentiality. He said that when we concentrate on where the information came from, people need to see that there it is: the students who were busted were breaking rules of their lease of living here.
Dean Avery added that protection of the community is important as well, so the details are being kept confidential. She said she knows that people are going to be worried that there is a drug problem, as well as an alcohol problem (which is also a whole other issue). She said that the administration doesn’t want Oxy to look like a drug-tolerant school, and when that kind of reputation gets out, Oxy is not as credited and doesn’t get funded, respected, etc. In turn, the eligibility of the college can be pulled. There are things that must be demonstrated from the handbook, and if not carried out, the institution can become in violation with federal policies. It is a very real possibility to not be eligible. Erik said there are policies that the federal government looks at, and if an institution is not following them, that’s where the issue gets us in trouble. Jonathan said that reading a handbook of any kind is absolutely necessary – in life. He said that if you're going to get an apartment someday, you have to read the handbook. In general, the rules are important and are there for a reason.
Katie wrapped up the dialogue, and returned to where the GA left off last week concerning the Honor Board Bylaws.
Matt Kuzio talked about the structure of the Honor Board, gesturing to the Bylaws on the PowerPoint presentation. Matt added that this was good way to seg-way into the Honor Board changes. Matt pointed out the changes and revisions made at last week's meeting to the Honor Board bylaws.
Changes
Article IV, Section 1, D. Term of Membership – A term of membership shall be two academic years. No Juror shall serve more than a single term. The position of Chair shall be voted on yearly. Seniors are eligible to run for single year terms. If a juror decides to study abroad during the middle of the term, s/he may complete the remainder of the term upon his/her return.
(Concerning publicity)
Article IV, Section 2, C.iii. Send a copy of the report to the program director of KOXY.
Vote: 15-0-2
Passed
Katie announced that the opportunity to elect a new GA co-chair and a new senior representative is happening right now until 11:59 PM tonight. The Women's Forum will be happening in Stewie to discuss the future of the women's center – the event is coming up. Katie thanked everyone for coming to the GA and said to email her at asocga@oxy.edu with any questions, comments or concerns.
Meeting adjourned at 1:27 PM.