General Assembly

Minutes from April 5, 2007

Associated Students of Occidental College

General Assembly Minutes

April 5, 2007

12:00-1:30, J200

Minutes by Chelsey Brack

Senate Members Present: Alison Dempsey, Konstantin Chaykovskiy, Andrew DeBlock, John Wilson, Amy Laslett, Matt Kuzio, Patrick McCredie, Max Thoman-Tedford, Rozell Hodges.

Guests Present: Brittany Sanders, Krystal Keough, Sarah Richey, Erika Johnson, Tessa D’Arcangelew, Eric Kim, Chelsey Brack (7).

Katie opened the meeting at 12:11 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. Katie introduced a team from Emmons here to discuss a recent survey they put out – they would like feedback about other stress-related programs

1. Ruth Tavlin – Director of Counseling Services at Emmons, and Bill Mejia and Zara Ashikyan, also from Emmons

Ruth said that she has been thinking about how Emmons hasn’t had much contact with students all year, and it is time to talk to students about what they want to do for the rest of the semester and the year. This is the first year that Emmons Health Center has been part of the college, part of Student Affairs, has changed some of what they do and how they do it. It is rying to be more available, better services to feel healthy, counseling being only one of those because it is only one aspect of feeling good and doing well in college. At the beginning of the semester, they decided to do an interest survey – not a study – just to see what students thought. There was an article in the Weekly yesterday (4/4/07) that misrepresented what the survey was and what it indicated, so the three representatives are here to represent better what Emmons is all about. Discussion that was had with interviewer was taken out of context, but did talk about how Emmons is focusing on helping students with stress. Title of the article misrepresents, the survey was given to a 1-night of hall spreads, 135 students, 60 students in upper-campus and 65 students in lower campus are represented, so Emmons knows that it is not a wide-spread study, just used to get an idea of what students are feeling, an interest study.

Zara asked the GA if anyone participated in the study, no one raised their hands, and a few people raised their hands saying they read the article. The people who participated in study did so because they were at the hall spreads and wanted to fill out the survey, and it reflects that people were interested either in Emmons or the survey. Emmons maintains that results were very typical of most college students. There is an acknowledged general level of stress – it is expected, it is a norm. There are better ways than others to cope with stress. That was one of the biggest concerns that Oxy students expressed. Different percentages on lower campus said that they wanted new ways to cope with stress, felt depressed, experienced changes in eating patterns, etc. Sleep problems – lack of sleep was one of the biggest concerns on campus. Emmons is concerned about students’ needs and wants, maybe more clients coming in during the lunch-hour, or workshops during the evenings or day. Students in study were more apt to come to workshops that were closer to their res halls, rather than just at Emmons. Acknowledged that there could be some demographic differences because they don’t know

Max Thoman-Tedford asked what the purpose of the survey was if the results are skewed, and Zara answered that it was the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get some results. Not very scientifically-based, they know, but it gave them a little bit of an idea of what they need to work on.

Patrick McCredie asked why they did the interest survey, and Zara answered that it was conducted to be used for certain purposes, related to how they do the spring-outreach – chair massages, free food, handouts about reducing stress, getting sleep, etc. They did it in the fall and knowing that students are stressed alerts them to put on the outreaches.

Bill said that this spring their goal is to let people know that Emmons Counseling Center is here for the students . Starting on the 16^th members from Emmons are going to be out in the quad giving out helpful tips to get a good night’s sleep, avoid procrastination, etc. It is a chance to get some good information. It is a good time to meet the members of Emmons. Will also do what they did last semester, up at Emmons – massage therapists, information. Ruth added that time has seemed to run away from them a little, but they do have hand-outs for people that they would like people to take and get interested in. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they would like to get together small-group discussions on how to reduce stress and help students out. Emmons is open to going to hall spreads, though the staff is not really up at 10 o’clock at night. Maybe late afternoon or early evening would be more practical.

Amy Laslett asked about if they thought about doing the massage chairs and hand-outs in The Cooler because so many people pass through there and spend time in there. It has happened there before and has been very successful, and Ruth asked if that is also a place where they could meet in small-groups, and Amy said yes. Ruth asked who they would talk to about that, and Amy and Kenna said that they should talk to senators about it.

Matt Kuzio asked if the tips were online as well, and Zara answered not yet, but it is a good idea and they are thinking about doing it. She said that students need to be aware that they put in so much time into studying, when there are so many other factors such as sleeping, eating, and how much stress hormones are flowing in their body at the time they take the test. Students’ test results depend on a number of things. When our bodies are stressed, they go into fight or flight mode, this mode doesn’t involve any abstract thinking, cognitive recognition, etc. You are in your worst state to take a test. She advised that students take deep breaths, and send signals to your body to calm down.

Ruth said they also have available at Emmons, some things that help stimulate your nerve endings that release energy that release chemicals in your brain. They are supplied by an acupuncturist, and people are open to trying it if they would like to. The Emmons representatives said they are only a short walk, call, or email away from talking to students, so please contact them because they would like to help you. They can only be as helpful to you as you let them be. Counseling is only one part of what they do at Emmons. Ruth also dispelled the rumor that if you came to Emmons you would have to take a pregnancy test. They thanked everyone for their time and interest.

2. Capital Improvement Request – Erika Johnson

ASOC Capital Improvement Request Form

Name: Erika Johnson	Department: Student Activities Center
Date: April 2, 2007	Total Amount: $2300.00

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)
Kelty Light Yr 3D + 25 Sleeping Bag	Backcountryedge.com	89.99 * quantity 8 = $719.92 plus tax/shipping = $780.94
Coleman 4D Pack Away Lantern	Greatoutdoorsdepot.com	14.95 * quantity 6 = $104.69 plus tax/shipping = $129.95
Wenger Mt. Generoso Technical Internal Frame Pack	Campingcomfortably.com	58.52 * quantity 4 = $234.08 plus tax/shipping = $305.02
REI Half Dome 4 HC Tent	Rei.com	249.99 * quantity 4 = $999.96 plus tax/shipping = $1084.09
TOTAL		$2300.00

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

The SAC wants to adequately serve the students who desire to go camping during breaks and on weekends. Our current equipment is disastrous. We are looking to replace most if not all of our existing equipment so students have dependable and reliable equipment when camping.

Please explain how you will protect these investments from damage.

We will ensure that the necessary precautions are taken by requiring students to leave deposits that cover the cost of the equipment shall it be returned damaged or broken. We will also ensure that the equipment is working properly after each use to make sure it lasts for the 3 years or more. ]

Patrick McCredie asked how much they currently charge students to borrow things, and Erika answered about $10 for a backpack, $15 for a sleeping bag, and they also charge people for damages. Erika is planning to replace it all because everything is in really bad shape. Patrick asked if what she was asking for was really enough, and Erika said that the highest demand comes with spring break and it probably won’t be enough, but needs will probably be enough for fall break and winter break.

Alison Dempsey said that she has used the equipment before and says she completely agrees with the request concerning tents, but she thought the sleeping bags were ok, so is just suggesting that Erika keep using the existing sleeping bags. Erika said that usually when people do the backpacking trips, the sleeping bags were too big and bulky to carry, and the ones being requested are much easier to break down and carry. She said that they could ask people before the trips if they want to use the older ones too.

Matt Kuzio asked about the frame of the backpacks, maybe getting different sized frames for different people, because some people are much smaller. She said she could change the Capital Improvement Request, but she was just going with the general one for now. Erika asked for any other questions, and there weren’t any.

Katie and Spencer thanked everyone for coming to the GA, and said to stay tuned for next week when Campus Safety will come in to discuss the recent thefts. Katie said to email them at asocga@oxy.edu with any questions or comments.

Meeting adjourned at 12:43 PM.