General Assembly

Minutes from February 8, 2007

Download Word File: Minutes-2-8-07

 

Associated Students of Occidental College

General Assembly Minutes

February 8, 2007

12:00-1:30, J200

Minutes by Chelsey Brack

 

Senators Present: Caroline Kim, Matt Kuzio, Jimmy Gillan, Andrew DeBlock, Amy Laslett, Max Read, Patrick McCredie, Mike Myers, Max Thoman-Tedford, Konstantin Chaykovskiy, Rozell Hodges, Alison Dempsey, John Wilson

 

Guests Present: Daniel Landesman, Dan Miller, Ben Nyberg, Allison Reimer, Eli Isaacs, Richie DeMovia, Jim Hartley, Carol Cortez, Bruce Steele, Ronald Seymour, Joe O’Hara, Erica Nunez, Abe Cohen, Thomas Carroll, Meagan Colvin, Reed Mettler, Kyle Bruin, G. Max Rowles, Trevor Fay, Dhyandra Lawson, Kai Allen, Claire O’Connell, Shanna Devine, Natalie Gonzales, Jen Kyle, Rachel Morin, Sandra Runyan, Chelsey Brack (28).

 

Spencer Jemelka and Katie Orme opened the meeting at 12:06 PM. Katie and Spencer 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. Katie welcomed a team from Facilities, who are here to answer questions that we have.

 

1. Jim Hartley - Director of  Facilities, Carol Cortez - Assistant Director of Resources / Transport / Rentals, Bruce Steele - Environmental Health and Safety Manager, Ronald Seymour - Assistant Director of Services, Joe O'Hara - Assistant Director of Planning/Design/Construction.

 

Jim Hartley, Director of Facilities, said the group that represents Facilities is made up of 93 people that take care of a campus of over 150 acres. Their goal is to make us feel comfortable at Occidental. Also have a division where they are involved in planning, design, and construction. They work with contractors as well. He introduced the management team, Carol Cortez, Assistant Director of Resources, who works in the front office of Campus Facilities. He said that they look after all of the rental houses that the college owns, transportation, and the stock group. He also introduced Ronald Seymour, Assistant Director of Services, in charge of cleaning the grounds and keep it looking good. Jim then introduced Bruce Steel, Manager of Safety and Environmental situations, as well as Joe O'Hara, Assistant Director of Planning and Construction.

 

2. Question and Answer Session with Facilities

 

Dan Miller asked why there aren’t paper recycling bins in res halls, and Jim answered that they are a fire hazard and that there is a safety issue. It has been reviewed with the fire inspector and they are trying to find new locations for the recycling bins. He said that when students are trying to get out during an emergency, don't want to be tripping over recycling bins, and paper is obviously flammable and builds up. Bruce Steele said that he wants to set up a program that is away from buildings and doesn’t present a fire hazard. Dan asked if there is a reason that some of the plastic recycling cans can’t be converted to paper recycling bins. Ronald Seymour answered that they tried that a few years ago, but people put trash in the recycling bins too, and when there is trash (like pizza), recycling services won't take it. System was ruined by students.

 

Matt Kuzio asked if they could go over the process of requesting a repair. Jim answered that they want you to go through your RA's, then your AC's make a request, which goes to trade-people, who go out and repair, then it goes down in the records. Working on a system where the trades-people will give you a slip (receipt) for the repair. The slip will tell you that they've been there, they have to get parts, and that they will be back to repair what needs to be repaired. There is a time frame, there are priorities: 1, 2, 3. 1 is taken care of in a few days and is the highest priority, 3 is taken care of in a couple of weeks, which is usually close to 3 weeks.

 

Daniel Landesman asked if it’s possible to inform students of the priority of their request after they submit it. Jim answered that they aren't currently doing it, but they could, it would be extra work for the front desk, but that they could. Reed asked if they could put it on the slip on their front door.

 

Kyle Bruin asked about a tracking system, on the web possibly. Carol said that they're trying to improve their tracking system. Working with a new system called Webmail, where students can check their progress, and that requires the repair-people to be more on top of their work orders.

 

Allison Reimer said she was worried about the watering of the plants around campus, and thinks it looks excessive. She asked if Facilities could replant more plants that are native and that require less water. Ronald said that they have two things going: trying to put in more plants that require less water, but especially when there isn’t rain, they have to help the plants a lot. They have a computer system that operates via satellite for a watering system, and we are one of the few colleges that have this system. Computer system operates the valves to let water out. They want to make sure that we have a campus that is green and will not suddenly wilt on you. He asked how many people have been in the quad, everyone raised their hands. He said look at the quad and we’ll notice there is fescue grass along the perimeter, oak leaves from the oak trees, and said when he went in and did work on the quad, they decided not to put grass under the oak trees, left it natural. He said that the Oak trees require water, and that they will be watering them once a month. He also said that they are trying to cut the water use, not cut the beauty of the landscape.

 

John Wilson asked Ronald what Facilities is doing to prevent flooding, like what happened two years ago. Ronald answered that they use sandbags to divert water back to the drains. They have found the problem, engineering solution for the drainage system that comes down off of Gilman road. The campus had intense rain two years ago, and system couldn’t' hold it. He said he has been here 18 years, and has never seen water a couple feet deep like what he saw two years ago. It reminded him of going over rapids. When it rains in general, they put up sandbags, open the drains up, and are looking for long-term solution. Matt Kuzio asked if the sandbags aren't an eternal solution, Ronald answered no, they weren’t.

 

Max Thoman-Tedford asked when a DirecTV system is broken in a common room, what students should do. Jim said that it's a question for Res Life. Serenity Blauvelt, Assistant Director of Housing Services, said not to try to fix it yourself, could cause more problems, but when they do go out, give a call to housing services the next day. She will get the message, will probably go to the dorm, work over the phone to try to figure out the problem, and then work with Worldwide Satellite to fix the problem. She says sorry if there were problems in the past, but they've fixed most of them now. 2531 is the extension for housing services.

 

Kyle Bruin asked about the kitchens in res halls, clarifications on the policy, what has been set up for the campus. Bruce said that the kitchens in the residence halls are really designed for warming up things and eating them, warm up water for tea, etc. Problem in res halls is people understanding the grey line there. It’s not really a cooking kitchen, but a warming kitchen. If a student brings in raw meat and prepares it there, there can be bacterial-borne diseases, and if someone comes along and makes a sandwich right afterward, they will be infected as well. He commented that there are so many bacterial diseases, and that they are trying to eliminate those. He said that students cannot operate official kitchens, Amy operates the kitchens, and that there will not be any cooking kitchens because there are too many hazards to deal with. Bruce said that he knows that students are nervous about the stoves being taken out, but when they had an inspector there, many of the stoves had to be removed. He says now though, they could potentially start replacing the stoves. It’s up to administrative controls, but the students must make sure they are using it as a warming kitchen. An engineering-type control would be just to take out all of the stoves out of the res halls. Kyle asked about the standards that apply to res halls and residential kitchens. He then clarified that they are simply warming kitchens.

 

Joe said there are going to be warming kitchens in the new res hall, and that 135 units will be in that building. He said that in order to get that facility with the building through, Facilities had to work with Amy's team, and had to go through LA Department of County Health. This particular kitchen will be locked and only used by licensed, trained food personnel. Not considered a full-on kitchen, but a place where you can heat things and finish making things. He said that Facilities had to jump through a lot of hoops to get this. The kitchens will be functional for many events, but won’t really be used by the students per say. Every unit of the dorm will also have a Microfridge unit. The rooms will be built as doubles and RA's will have single units. There will be a few suites with 3 singles. Matt Kuzio asked about the Microfridge that’s included if there is a rental fee, and Joe said that it was built in, no fee included.

 

Kyle Bruin asked about how other institutions are able to have more than just warming kitchens in their res halls, and we cannot. Bruce talked about the houses that are not on meal plans, which are licensed differently than the res halls on campus, licensed by the Health Department. Bruce explained that there are two sides of the issue, and there have been problems at other institutions too. He read an article as an example, about Southern Utah University, which had a Luau that got food poisoning from meat that was not prepared properly by students. He added that Oxy will not be going in the direction of cooking kitchens, the requirements are amazing.

 

Erica Nunez asked about the replacements of stoves, when that is going to happen. She talked about students trying to warm up their food in the res hall because there isn’t anything offered in the Marketplace that they would want, and also said that most students aren’t aware that the res hall kitchens are not cooking kitchens. Bruce suggested that she talk to Amy to get food made in the Marketplace that would appeal to those vegetarian students that Erica brought up. Ronald said Facilities has been very hesitant to buy any stoves because they are usually asked to get rid of the appliances they buy, though they will be working on getting new appliances and repairing what is broken right now. Knows that there are several dorms where the appliances are broken or not working properly, all halls have various problems. Bell-Young and Stewie are currently the best.

 

Amy Munoz said that they have three services that they offer to students with special needs. She said that as for students with food allergies - Judy Runyon applies emails about food ingredients. Students are able to buy substitute items that aren’t in the marketplace. People who work in Amy’s department will also buy things for students with special needs, will shop for them. Students can mail-order too. The cafeteria does do special diets for medical needs - chefs cook special menus for these students on a regular basis. She added that they have info posted on the website if anyone is interested.

 

John Wilson brought up how Jim talked about the seismic abilities of the buildings, and referred to Swan Hall. Bruce said if there was a 5.6 earthquake for example, he'd rather be in Swan Hall than facilities management. He said there are big concrete panels that are attached, near the tennis courts. When rocking happens, the concrete panels can fall, which makes it unsafe outside, but the inside structure of Swan Hall is unique, made with very unique materials, is historic, and relatively safe. Its construction includes clay tiles, rebar, and there is about a 2-inch concrete pour on the floor. It’s basically made of flower pots on the interior, he says. Swan Hall has also always retained the same structure, but has been reinforced in the 1982 remodel. He said that the beauty of Oxy is that we're at the base of Fiji hill, good concrete and Topanga foundations, but that the building itself is fairly ductile. Fowler is an issue because outside of the building, it has masonry construction that is particularly unsafe that Johnson doesn't have. Wind billows against it, it is unstable, and it would be safer for students to go back into the building than to be outside during an earthquake. He added that if they have an annual disaster drill, he encourages the students to please participate.

 

Erica Nunez asked about plumbing, using Pauley as an example. She said that especially since the new construction started, the toilets are leaking and many of the showers don't work. Jim said that Pauley had a mini renovation a few years ago, and that they're looking at those problems again right now. Bruce said they are aware of the problems. Matt added that problems like those are not just in Pauley, but are in Stewie too.

 

Kyle bruin asked more questions about the kitchens. He brought up how Pomona College is able to have kitchens that are for more than warming and asked if it is because of financial situation. Secondly, he added that  1601 has cooking kitchens, that they are licensed to do so, so asked what does it take for the res halls to be licensed as well. He asked what the difference is between the other res halls and 1601. Bruce said they would have to take a look at Pomona, but 1601 and the other off-campus houses are more like houses, apartment-style, and they have to deal with control. He said that if people look at the website for the Department of Health, they have a step-by-step procedure explaining why. Kyle thinks that it wouldn’t really be any different. Not using kitchens to prepare food for other people or sell it, but for themselves. Bruce said supposed you're a user, what do you want to prepare? Kyle said he wasn’t sure. Bruce said that if people generate any grease while cooking, have to have a grease trap, a hood, etc. 1601 Campus Road and 4909 Rangeview have grease catchers and a hood, that’s why they can cook there. Bruce went back to the hamburger example from before, saying that if students are taking that meat and putting it on a surface where other people prepare food, the ability to transmit bacterial disease is much greater. If they're doing that over at Pomona, they are probably just as susceptible to having health problems concerning food-borne diseases. have all the hot-hand-washing issues, it’s a can of worms. Bruce said he isn’t really the one to talk about for this issue anymore, talk to the department of health.

 

Erica Nunez asked about how we're counteracting those issues in 1601 or the Women's Center. there are people who come from other locations off campus that come in and use the kitchens, Bruce said that he isn’t comfortable with that - it’s like a ladder of risk, people come in and use and don’t clean up after themselves. It’s a scary issue. Amy said that if it’s a registered student event, they register with her office, and they know that they're going to be there. It’s a situation that deals with what they're serving at that event. It’s a measure of safety they're taking, but it doesn’t cover cleanliness completely.

 

Daniel Landesman asked if it would be possible to have safety/food prep training for students, then a key could be given to the student. Amy said that its expensive, requires minimum of $150, then would have to make sure that one of those food handlers is there and on duty at the time. Amy said it’s just a matter of whether the college wants to put work into that. Bruce said he agrees that would be valuable for the college and the students.

 

Andrew DeBlock asked about if a gourmet kitchen could eventually be built somewhere on campus, people have to sign up, sign contract saying they understand the rules of policy, etc. Jim said that he would have to go through other administrators. It would have to go through certain board members, he's not sure exactly.

 

Matt asked if Facilities checks the sprinkler heads that often because he noticed they look a little leaky sometimes. Jim said that they check them as much as they can, and that they depend on students to report this type of thing too. Bruce said a lot of the sprinkler systems on campus are still manual, and sometimes aren’t closed all the way; you're reporting it is the key to keeping water conservation going. Ronald said that they start around 7 or 8 at night, have to make rounds throughout campus. He said that students help is needed, he has two irrigation men working on it, don’t want to waste water.

 

Erica Nunez asked why the sprinkler systems can go off 4 or 5 times a night. Jim said that that shouldn’t be happening. If they get a report that it’s happening, they'll change it. Bruce said that different systems go on that you hear from your windows, but it could be different systems going off that sounds like the same one. Regardless if its sections, he said that he feels that it’s excessive for whatever is falling from the trees to get watered. Jim said it sounds like a malfunction to him, and that they will work to change that. Bruce said that the observation was appreciated.

 

Daniel Landesman asked if it’s possible to get a stop-sign put up near Hameetman and Wiley. Max said that there is just a stop-sign written on the ground, but a sign would be useful. Ronald said that because of the cement trucks coming through, certain things were taken down. He talked about the speed bump near Hameetman that has been nudged over the years, jokingly saying he would hate to see the car that nudged it first.

 

Reed Mettler said that while walking through campus he has noticed a wide diversity of plants, that Oxy has a gorgeous campus, and was wondering if there could be placards in front of the somewhat exotic plants. Ronald said that he will get the placards made, and will get them out. Both Jim and Ronald think it’s a great idea. Matt asked if they could solve the myth of the rose gardens. He has heard that they are planted every year for an alumnus. Jim said that they aren’t replanted every year.

 

Katie thanked everyone for coming today, Jim thanked everyone for being interested in Facilities, and if anyone ever wants to come down and walk around Facilities they are more than welcome.

 

3. Capital Improvement Request from Ben Nyberg and the TOA

 

Katie introduced Ben Nyberg as being here to do a Capital Improvement Request Form.

Ben said that he manages the graphic designs for clubs and administrative departments, works for TOA. He is requesting two new computers. He said that right now TOA only has one computer that doesn’t even have software for graphic design.

 

ASOC Capital Improvement Request Form

 

Name:  Ben Nyberg

Department: The Occidental Agency

Date: 1/31/2007

Total Amount: $3,620.00

Capital Improvements allow departments to grow and develop.  The Capital Improvement fund is no more than 10% of the total savings each year.  The fund provides for purchases outside of the range of the yearly operating budget.      

Capital Improvement Guidelines:

§         Item must last for at least 3 years without needing updates. 

§         The minimum amount of a capital improvement expense must be $300 per item/system.  A system is defined as a set of items that do not work alone, such as walkie-talkies, or the items that will protect the purchase from damage, such as a bag for a camera.  

§         Software is not included in this price because it changes rapidly.  Software should come from the department’s operating budget. 

§         All requests must be reviewed by the ASOC Advisor, the ASOC Finance Manager, and the Associate Dean of Students prior to being presented to the Senate to ensure that the items meet the guidelines and that the plans for protecting the investment are adequate.  Should you have any questions, please contact Kenna Cottrill at kcottrill@oxy.edu. 

 

 

Itemized list of purchases:

Item

Purchase From

Cost (be specific)

20-inch 2.16GHz iMac with 2 gigabytes RAM and AppleCare

Apple

$1,676 + $134 Tax (price includes education discount)

20-inch 2.16GHz iMac with 2 gigabytes RAM and AppleCare

Apple

$1,676 + $134 Tax (price includes education discount)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please explain why your department needs these items, including how they serve your department’s mission, and how they will benefit students.

TOA currently has one computer.  However, it is unfortunately useless for TOA’s purposes.  The issue is the lack of software, and the computer’s inability to run the software required. It is running an extremely out-of-date version of MacOS X (10.2.8), the amount of RAM is lower than Adobe specifies (512MB), and occasionally the computer will freeze without any apparent cause.   A new computer would allow TOA to set aside funds from the operating budget for the purchase of Adobe Creative Suite, as well as Microsoft Office software, necessary for TOA to run smoothly.

            For the most part, I run TOA out of my personal laptop.  All of my graphic design as well as all of my management files (such as a work log, employee applications, policy guidelines) are kept on my personal computer.  This is problematic for several reasons.  First, it is somewhat inconvenient for me (and future TOA managers) to keep everything on my computer.  Second, it is possible that a future TOA manager may not have a personal computer to use for TOA.  Using lab computers for TOA things would be extremely inconvenient.  In the interest of equity, all students who are hired should have a computer on which to organize TOA.  Lastly, after I am no longer manager of TOA, my old files would likely be lost, while they could be of use to future managers.  It would benefit both the manager and clients of TOA to have a centralized location to store all of the past designs, as often clients with monthly or yearly events want to keep a consistent look to all of their publicity materials.  Keeping files around such as designer guidelines, and the TOA application would be very useful for future managers.

            Two computers are necessary because the TOA manager should have a computer to work on whenever she or he needs one, and there should be an open computer for designers to work on.  Currently, most of TOA’s staff has graphics programs on their personal computers.  Because of the high cost of the software, some use pirated versions, which is not only illegal, but also unreliable—being prone to crashes and other problems.  The TOA staff members who have not acquired the software on their own need to use one of four computers available to students in the library equipped with Adobe Creative Suite.  This is inconvenient for them, as the computers are often occupied, and the work environment there does not suit everyone.  Because designers often work on a tight schedule, it would benefit them and TOA’s clients to have a workspace that is always open to them.

            While Apple computers are often more expensive than their PC counterparts, there are reasons that they have become the industry standard for audio, video, and graphics editing.  Their operating system is better suited to multi-tasking with features such as Exposé and allowing programs to run in the background without taking up much memory.  Color calibration—something necessary to make sure what you designed on the screen looks like what you get printed—is also better on a Mac.  Additionally, in my experience, they tend to be more reliable and the hardware is generally better for graphic-intensive uses.

Please explain how you will protect these investments from damage. 

            The computers will remain the TOA office in the Bengal Room, which is protected by a security code.  Additionally, they will be password protected to ensure that only TOA staff has access to the computer/files.  They will also be routinely cleaned—old files that are not necessary will be deleted so as to prevent cluttering.”

 

Jen Kyle asked if the software needed would come standard with the new computers. Ben said that it would need to be allocated in the budget for supplies for next year. Software doesn’t fall under the improvement requirements. Kenna said that Capital Improvements includes warranties that are necessary. John Wilson said that right now it’s about $100 each. Ben said that these are education discount prices, used for educational purposes, institutional purchases only work with purchases of 5 or more computers. John Wilson asked how Ben is planning on linking the computers together, Ben said that they would be on the same network, could be accessed over wireless network. Matt Kuzio asked why he went for the 20-inch and not 24-inch screens. Ben said he didn’t want to ask for too much, ideally he would ask for five 24-inch computers. Kyle asked about the iMac vs. the PowerMac, which is going to benefit better. Ben said that a PowerMac would cost an additional $500. Max Read said that TOA does a really good job at what they do, and everyone applauded.

 

4. Phil Barney and the coalition for a student strike

 

Phil Barney and a 20-person group of people came into the GA meeting towards the end of the meeting and the discussion of the computer request for TOA. When that discussion wrapped up, Katie talked to Phil privately, and they Phil proceeded to address the GA.

 

Phil Barney said that many colleges are going to go on strike on February 15th, 2007. He said that students are no longer going to be complacent with the war in Iraq that is going on. His group is planning for all classes to be cancelled Thursday, and that at least 10 professors have already complied. Phil Barney said that he brought in about 20 students who are here to encourage dialogue within the GA. He said that Howard Zin also wrote a support statement for the strike. Spencer Jemelka said that if they want to write a resolution, they could bring it next week. Lia Fishburn said she had one, a shortened version. Lia brought up a statement and read it aloud to the GA:

 

[“The Occidental College community, acting in solidarity with students across the country on February 15, will strike against the Iraq war and the war crimes being committed under the banner of a “War on Terror.” Our coalition believes in the equal humanity of all persons, and by striking, we will be making a clear, powerful statement that demands an end to the overwhelming death, lawlessness, and inhumanity that characterizes the occupation of Iraq and U.S. foreign policy.

 

Our strike will bring these issues to the forefront of our consciousness both inside and outside the classroom, dramatically changing the political climate on campus. To express the sense of urgency that we should all feel at this moment in history, we will not participate in business as usual on Thursday, February 15th, and will continue to fight for these demands until they are met – anything less will make us complicit in these crimes.” ]

 

Katie said that this, as a statement, is allowed to come to the GA, but ASOC is supposed to remain non-partisan and not take a political stance. All are allowed to listen to and discuss it on campus, and the GA encourages the dialogue that this will bring up. Phil asked for everyone’s support here at the GA, encouraged people to talk with friends, talk with professors, to spend Thursday, February, 15th to engage in dialogue about the war on Iraq.

 

Spencer brought the meeting to a close, and said that if anyone has any comments or questions to email them to the GA at asocga@oxy.edu, and thanked everyone for coming.

 

Meeting adjourned at 1:19 PM