General Assembly
Minutes from October 4, 2007
Download pdf: Minutes-10-4-07
Topics: Office of Student Life, ICC, Resolutions
Associated Students of Occidental College
General Assembly Minutes
October 4, 2007
12:00-1:30, Fowler 302
Minutes by Chelsey Brack
Senate Members Present: Tilak Gupta, Andrew DeBlock, Mike Myers, Patrick McCredie, Denise Loera, Nonda Hanneman, Ken Smutny, Xochiltl Ramos, Ryan Bowen, Santiago Mendez.
Guests Present: Scott Nishinaka, Stacey McShane, Riley Steiner, Tope Sosanya, Trevor Fay, Libby Mizlin, Laura Laughlin, Selbie Salonga, James Taber, Tomas Boatwright, Aron Shimeles, Sabrina Strand, Tony Jhang, Meagan Colvin, G. Max Raules, Richie DeMaria, Ben Dalgetty, Robin Hamilton, Lindsey Fuller, Debbie Kim, Mimi Liao, Amanda Atkinson, Bobby Rodgers, Nadia Valacias, Chelsey Brack (25).
Laura Knuttunen and Jess Simes began the meeting at 12:04 PM. They said that the General Assembly is the official student forum of ASOC and is a place where all students are welcome to address campus policies, raise student issues, and begin the process of developing comprehensive solutions to student concerns. It is also a place that recognizes that the student body is one of many groups that help to form the community of Occidental College. In this respect the General Assembly is a tool of the entire community to begin dialogue and the collective process of working together to solve problems. In other words, it is a forum for students to communicate and work with students; it is a forum for students to communicate and work with the administration; and it is a forum for the administration to communicate and work with the student body. Finally, the General Assembly is a place that recognizes that the people who make up the Occidental community vary greatly in perspectives and ideals. For this reason the General Assembly will operate as a forum that encourages dialogue and debate, but will under no circumstances become a forum for personal attacks, hate speech or disrespectful conduct.
Riley Steiner, Tope Sosanya, Trevor Fay, Stacey McShane, Aaron Shimeles, and they were missing a few members. Riley explained that they put on student programs. They are currently working on Alcohol Awareness Week and the Blood Drive (which is next week). Trevor said that in general they also help clubs do things that they would want to do. He said that if someone has an idea, they should come to them, and OSL helps them find the ways and the means - funding, etc. OSL are the facilitators. Riley said they just finished a series of introductory club trainings, which was a new thing the office has started, and they would love to get feedback from everyone that attended those trainings. Aaron said OSL is a great working environment and he loves it. He said that it’s a great way to get people together on campus. Stacey said that one of the best parts of OSL is its freedom to help people on campus do what they would like to. They have a decent budget, have money allocated toward student events. They can do anything from throwing dances to having a speaker, etc. There are programs that take the whole year to plan and then there are also events they can throw together very quickly. Riley said that they are also working on reaching out to the campus and draw different groups of people together. Tope said that Mike Ellison, a spoken-word artist, is coming, there will be Recess this Friday in the quad, dodge ball and four-square, coming up, etc.
Nadia Valacias, Brandy Jones - ICC advisor, Selbie Salonga, Libby Mizlin, Lauren Laughlin, Lindsey Fuller, Debbie Kim.
Nadia said they are putting on a book club that has about eighteen members, A Taste of Oxy, the author of a book they are reading ("Caucasia") coming in November. They will be hosting MLK week, bringing Helena Montes here who is another author of a book they are reading, Hip Hop and Social Justice Week, a gang historian coming during their Gang Violence Awareness Week.
Selbie is responsible for Hip Hop and Social Justice Week, which is attempting to discuss hip hop as an art form and a political form. He said that it originally came out of violence and racism and that he wants to explore what has changed, where hip hop has gone. There will be speakers, discussions, film series, graffiti workshop, movie screenings, etc. They are also doing Gang Violence Week, a week devoted to critically analyzing gangs, their activity, presence, why they're there to begin with, etc.
Libby's programs are the Book Club - has eigtheen people in the book club, reading the book "Caucasia". Another program on judgification which will be focusing on Highland Park, Eagle Rock, surrounding and nearby areas. She thinks that it’s an important thing for college students to know about.
Lauren said she was running Value and Diversity Week, the theme is Chez, and they will be exploring the five sense categories of what race is. She is also in charge of Women of Color Dialogue Circle, and a contact for ICAP.
Lindsey said she is heading A Taste of Oxy, already have fifteen restaurants participating, almost all of the cultural clubs on campus participating, probably about 350 students participating, and will be located in Lower Herrick. They will have seventeen student performers and other outside performers as well. Second semester she will be heading a program on interracial dating, something she feels like should be explored. It will be a three-day program, a fun interactive program that is somewhat like speed-dating, but isn't giving details right now.
Debbie said she is working with Selbie on Intercultural Dialogue, going to talk about issues on campus of different cultures and how we are interacting. They are trying to come up with more ideas to attract a bigger crowd. She is also working on Interpretations on Love, coming second semester. Feels that many religious and ethnic groups don’t have their voices heard, so wants them to be able to present themselves a little, how they show love for each other and people in their community. She is also trying to bring a professor from UCLA to perform and speak on issues about being Asian-American. Nadia added that they are overseeing many of the cultural months (Native American history month, etc).
3. Q and A
Jess opened up the GA into a Q and A session.
Mimi Lao asked the ICC about doing something to focus on class, not just race. She feels that even when people are the same race but different class, it can create a gap between them. Nadia responded that she should look out for that in the coming programs. Selbie added that his gang program would definitely cover that. Libby said that her program would be very privilege-focused as well, so that would look at class as well. Jess asked if she meant issues of class on campus too, and Mimi responded yes.
Tope asked when the ICC will open back up in the house. They said they weren't sure, but that currently they're in Johnson 107. Kenna said the OSL wants to know too.
Patrick McCredie asked if the ICC will fund club events and Nadia said they have more funding for speakers, etc. Riley Steiner added that OSL has funding for co-sponsorship of club events. Kenna said that the forms are online.
Ryan Bowen asked who the point person is for the Remsenberg fund and Nadia said it was Eric Frank. Kenna added that it has to go through either the ICC or OSL to be approved first. Nadia said they can't tell you yes, they have to get approved as well. Patrick asked if they are the only two programs who give this Remsenberg funding, and Kenna and Nadia responded yes. Kenna said that it is mainly because they have more funding than most academic departments. She asked that people send it to them first. Jess clarified that the Remsenberg fund is a specific fund for a certain type of event - students have to meet certain criteria to get funding. It must be open event to all students, and the speaker or artist needs to be able to speak while performing. It is approved through the dean of the college.
Jess Simes asked if the ICC and OSL are planning on collaborating this year, and Nadia said they have not met yet, but plan on working together because they serve the same community. Trevor said that he and Selbie will be working on the Hip Hop event, which would be with the two programs, also working with KOXY. Kenna added that there are multiple events that can happen at the same time that target the same students, which doesn’t really work out because there are only 1800 students, but wants people to know that all the events are shared and work together to make sure that they're not conflicting. Even if they are not collaborating, they will be working on not conflicting on those types of events. Riley added about event-planning that from the introductory club trainings she can tell that people are kind of frustrated with all of the forms they have to fill out, etc., and she wanted to say that it isn’t to make peoples lives harder, its to make the events more successful.
Laura Knuttunen said that if people have any further questions or ideas to go to the ICC (Johnson 107) and the OSL (Johnson Student Center) and meet with them. She then thanked both groups for presenting.
Laura and Jess said they are working on getting more students involved in writing resolutions because they can be a great tool. They presented a PowerPoint slide on how to write a resolution, and excerpt taken from the Bylaws. Jess said that students should contact them at asocga@oxy.edu to get the process going.
[Article VI. – Resolutions
Section 1. Definition.
Resolutions are official statements of the Associated Students of Occidental College once passed by the ASOC General Assembly and ASOC Senate. Before a resolution can be voted on, it must have been publicized to the student body for at least one week.
Section 2. Types and Formats.
A. Types of Resolutions: Resolutions can be proposed in three formats: Action, Discussion and Declaration.
1. Action Resolutions: Have a statement of the problem and proposed action (committee, letter, etc.). Action Resolutions are voted on in the GA and passed on to the Senate for ratification.
2. Discussion Resolutions: Have a statement of the problem and propose a discussion during the GA about the problem. No other action is proposed. No vote is taken and the resolution is not passed to the Senate but Senate is made aware that the discussion took place.
3. Declaration Resolutions: A student group makes a written declaration notifying the GA of their position on an issue and discussion at the GA meeting is up to the writers of the resolution. No vote is taken and it is not passed on to Senate for a vote, but Senate is made aware of the resolution. The presentation of the resolution is made by the authors of the resolution, but the discussion is facilitated by the GA co-chairs.
B. Format of Resolutions: Resolutions can be proposed in two formats: Closed and Open.
1. Closed Resolutions: A Closed Resolution cannot be changed by the general body of the General Assembly. It must be vote on in its original form.
2. Open Resolutions: An Open Resolution can be changed by the general body of the General Assembly. If the resolution is changed during a meeting, it may not be voted on until the next meeting.
Section 3. Meeting with Co-Chairs.
Students are required to meet with at least one of the Co-Chairs prior to the meeting in which they will present their resolution. Should the student fail to meet with a Co-Chairs, the Co-Chairs have the right to postpone the resolution until that individual meeting has occurred.
Section 4. Support.
Resolutions should come to the GA with at least 5 students’ support. Those 5 students’ names should appear on the resolution. The 5 students should be familiar with the resolution. All supporting students are encouraged to attend the meetings in which their resolutions is presented. ]
The presentation seg-wayed into a resolution that came about last semester, the Graduate Assistant Hall Coordinator resolution.
[ Graduate Assistant Hall Coordinator Resolution
Passed by GA on May 3, 2007.
Passed by Senate on May 4, 2007.
As residents of Occidental College, we believe that any Hall Coordinator (from here on referred to as an HC) should be a member of the Occidental community. The administration of Occidental College has put forth a proposal to employ graduate students from the surrounding community as the HC in both Pauley Hall and first-year residence halls. We, as students of Occidental College, write this closed action resolution to be considered and voted on by the entire student body through the representative bodies of the General Assembly and ASOC Senate. Through its passing we request that the administration of Occidental College not use the proposed plan of employing graduate student HCs from the surrounding community until a committee made up of students and administrators working collaboratively and mutually agree on a plan and procedure.
The following reasons should be reviewed by the appropriate administration and student committee:
1.) Hiring from within the Community:
The Occidental Community is a unique and diverse community, and necessitates leaders who are both excited and familiar with this exceptional community. By hiring outside the Occidental community it goes to alienate those who strive to uphold Occidental’s ideals. It is illogical to hire an employee who is instrumental to the functioning of the community but has never before been a part of it before. There are cases of our own Occidental students turning down the opportunity of serving as HCs due to their lack of experience. HCs are not simply positions to be filled; HCs provide a unique example of an Oxy leader within the Occidental Community. Residents are more likely to become involved with student activities in the presence of an Occidental student leader
2.) Logistics
If it is our goal to create a Occidental community it fits that one of the key members at least be a part of that community. In hiring a graduate student from an institution in the surrounding area we recognize that the HC would be commuting to class, literally leaving the campus of Occidental to attend their graduate level courses. Also, the level of work a graduate student has is often more of a burden than that of an undergraduate student, particularly if they’re commuting. Furthermore, as a graduate student, the HC would be removed from the social network of Occidental as they would be part of a scholastic community outside our own. This only goes to further remove the HC from the students he/she is supposed to serve.
3.) An Opportunity for Student Service
To be selected as an HC is a tremendous accomplishment for those working in Residence Life. In taking away the opportunity for our students to be HCs and giving it to an outside graduate student, we are also taking away opportunities for our own students to grow and learn within the Oxy community. HCs serve as a source of leadership and community within Residence Halls, and have the opportunity to engage students more directly in a vibrant Oxy Community.
4.) Lack of Dialogue
An ongoing problem here at our small, liberal-arts campus is the lack of dialogue between those making key decisions and those affected by them. As proven during the General Assembly meeting of March 29, 2007 students are generally angered and disappointed about the possibility of outside graduate students being employed as our HCs. We ask that in the future student considerations being taken into account, especially when students’ lives are affected by the decisions being made. As such this policy should not pass as there has been exceptionally limited discussion between administrators and students. This is not due to a lack of student interest but rather to a lack of administrative outreach.
For the reasons stated above we do not agree with the passing of the stated policy. Through the passing of this resolution we DEMAND the following:
1.) Graduate students from outside the Occidental community not be employed as HCs in any residence hall until such a decision is reviewed by the committee established below.
2.) A committee of students, RAs, HCs and administrators be formed for the 2007-2008 school year to review the decision about graduate student HCs and come to a mutual decision about the best course of action.
A) This committee shall be established by G.A. co-chairs.
3.) This committee shall remain established to review future housing policy decisions BEFORE said decisions are finalized. At least one RA and/or HC of each residence hall must be on the committee for purposes of equity and community. This committee shall not rule out the possibility of a campus-wide vote about housing policy decisions, and shall make it a goal to publicize through appropriate modes (KOXY, The Weekly, Campus E-mail and Hall-Spreads) the new policy before such a decision is made.
Be it known that if this resolution passes it becomes the voice of the entire student body. If the administration acts against this resolution it is acting against the will of the students and of ASOC. The Students of Occidental College feel this is indicative of a larger issue of communication between students and administration that has yet to be rectified. We, as tuition paying students at Occidental College, request our voices be heard when critical decisions that affect our lives are being made.
Signed,
Sarah Arvey
Jessica Lobl
Rosny Daniels
Max Read
Amber Penland
Catherine Petru
Berit Anderson
Presented by Sarah Arvey on April 26, 2007. ]
Jess said that the entire content of this resolution is located on the ASOC - GA website. She said there are some problems with the resolution since it was passed on May 4th last year, which was really close to the end of the year. The committee was never formed. There are some issues with going forward because the resolution calls for the delay of the hiring process till a committee was formed, but the Housing Services did not wait to go forward with it. Jess opened it up for dialogue on the issue to hear what people thought.
Kenna wanted to comment that the graduate student who has been hired is an Oxy grad from this past may, Violeta Ruiz. Kenna said that personally she doesn’t know if she would define her as NOT a member of the Occidental community, just wanted to put that out there. Jess said that this discussion would continue next week as well.
Ryan asked if there are any committees currently with students that are connected to res life. Meagan Colvin said that RHA would probably be interested in discussing this, so she is going to take it to them. Bobby said that this is usually the way this works, because RA's work so closely with administration and members of Housing, then it goes to Senate, and then it moves from there. Riley said that OSL would probably be interested in collaborating as well. Laura Knuttunen added that there are other institutionalized groups already set in place, like RHA, GA is a tool as well. If any group of students would like to form a community, students can use this space for more resolutions, etc., but they want to make sure they collaborate with programs already set in place. Jess said that she agreed that the proposed committee sounds like it’s very outside of what is already intact in institutional places, but it’s meant to be something within the community. Forming a committee is something they will consider in the future. Andrew DeBlock added that this is difficult because the author of the resolution isn't here, possibly a new point person should be appointed. Meagan asked if RHA can't take it on because of how the resolution is written or how the ASOC perceives the written resolution, and Jess responded that it’s a mix between the two, because the way it was written, it should be a separate body, a separate committee created of students and administrators. Jess said they have a responsibility to carry out the resolution as it stipulates, but she and Laura are encouraging RHA to get involved.
Riley asked if there is a procedure in place for the GA with appointing committees. Kenna said that in the past there have been resolutions that are very clear about how the committee should be formed, but if the resolution is not clear about it, then they would take it as it comes to make sure they do what is best for each individual. Ben Dalgetty asked about the resolution, asking if the administration knew about it, if Senate had anything to do with it, and Kenna responded that the day it was passed was the second to last day of classes, which meant that the Senate and GA would be done with work as well, so the resolution was left alone. Kenna said that realistically, even if the resolution is picked up again and worked with, administration is not going to go fire Violeta Ruiz. Jess said that while they want it to be proactive, they do not want to undercut the issues that these students care about. Though things cannot be undone, they need to respect the work that was done. Jess added that they still have time to create this committee, it may happen anytime in the 07-08 academic year.
Amanda Atkinson said that from a legal standpoint, they should double check with HR about appointing people. She said she doesn't think the students can just appoint anyone as graduate student RA's. Andrew DeBlock said that he doesn’t think students are trying to dictate who is being hired; he just feels that the author of the resolution wanted their voice to be heard because administration wasn't really listening to the students.
Lindsey Fuller said that it needs to be publicized whenever the discussion takes place because there are plenty of students who have something to say. That is an issue that students ultimately do not have a say in what ultimately happens with the administration.
Mike Myers pointed out in Article 3 how “The committee shall remain established to review future housing policy,” he said that Sarah Arvey was the author of the resolution and though she is abroad there are other students who signed the resolution, suggesting that the GA should go to them as possible point people. Jess said this committee formed does not have any power in hiring, it’s more of a way to express their voice and opinion, which is what the GA is for, and if they don't follow the resolution then the GA becomes obsolete. She added that this is simply beginning a dialogue that forms a committee that vocalizes student needs.
Scott Nishinaka asked if the hiring of graduate students as HC's is a trial program and Amanda said that it is currently permanent.
Ben Dalgetty asked if there is some method of making sure the administration knows what resolutions are being passed, and Jess said that the GA Co-Chairs, when resolution is passed, contact administrators who are involved with the content of the resolution. The problem in the past has been that there has been dialogue NOT followed by action, but this year the co-chairs are going to work very hard to make each resolution followed by action. Max Raules asked with the hiring of grad students, people who aren’t in the oxy community, is it more expensive to hire those people into those positions rather than hiring students, and Amanda said she didn't want to spill all the details, but said that they made it work out. Max said he thought that there would be a big difference between graduate students and students and their compensation, and Max asked if it flat-out is more expensive to hire graduate students, and Amanda said she doesn't know exactly what it is, but knows that they made it work, so there was not a huge cost difference. Laura and Jess thanked administrators for coming to the GA meeting.
Bobby said he has been an RA at UCLA, student body president at UCLA, and generally has been in many student leadership positions. He said he keeps hearing terms like "the administration" and he feels like it sounds like "us vs. them" situation, and what he wants the students to be careful of is that Oxy is a microcosm of society in general, and if there was a situation like this (resolution being passed and not turning out in the favor person who wrote it) know that that is life - its not that they're not listening to that voice, they are trying to keep the process fair and equitable. He doesn’t think that any dialogue really has taken place, and he strongly advises that the issue be revisited, postponed, whatever needs to happen to implement whatever needs to happen. He suggested that students do some serious research on it, too. He said that it is really difficult, and is not something that can be dealt with in a 1-hour GA meeting. Jess responded that as a GA Co-Chair they are working to create the bridges, the dialogues for what people think, and that their role is to inspire that dialogue, etc. She thanked Bobby for his contribution. Santiago Mendez asked what exactly the res life hierarchy was Bobby said that it’s not really a hierarchy, RA’s aren’t' evaluated by the HC's, it’s done by Bobby. He said that he even allows the RA's to evaluate him, so it’s really a 360. Ryan said that he thinks the list of people who signed the resolution should be contacted and pick a new point person through that.
Jess and Laura encouraged everyone to access the ASOC website for more information on resolutions, past and present, and if students have feedback about this GA to contact them at asocga@oxy.edu.
Meeting adjourned at 1:06 PM.