Home >> Archives >> 04.03.06 Minutes
I. Roll Call/Agenda
II. Old Business
III. New Business
A. SOFC Update (Cortni Jones, Student Bursar)
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: We are going to start with some not-so-fun information. SOFC at our last meeting tried to make a consolidated list of all the priorities we have. This list was set via student concerns, from treasurers, from SOFC discussion internally and one interesting thing was things I learned from our seven sisters' conference. The first thing that SOFC labeled a high priority was looking at Uniquely Compelling to clarify to organizations before they apply to give them a fair chance. The other change we are looking at is establishing, What is a fundraiser? Is the point for profits or activity in the community? The other issue of high priority is the issue of honoraria and who should be involved in this discussion. Another issue is food. We are looking at making it more flexible and more accountable. Last but not least, we are really interested in educating students to prepare for the real world. We are looking at doing a publication of how much paper they put out and making Wellesley a greener place.
Evann Schwerm, SOFC: We wanted to take some time at senate to acknowledge some senators who made it easier for the committee when reading applications. These are basically the A+ treasurers for Spring Budgeting.
Evann Schwerm, SOFC: We wanted to take some time at senate to acknowledge some senators who made it easier for the committee when reading applications. These are basically the A+ treasurers for Spring Budgeting.
Dubravka Colic (Canadian Club)
Julia Lin (SAACS - Chemistry)
Julia Shalnova (Slater International)
Kristen Cuneo (Spectrum)
Jessica Lillian (Students for a Free Tibet)
Alison Miller (Rugby)
Emily Jenkins (Ultimate Frisbee)
Maggie W. Thompson (Equestrian Team)
Rachel Kohl (Amnesty International)
We haven't presented what exactly SOFC has determined for budgeting because we don't have the total enrollment next year since that will establish how much we have for next year. We are checking through every calculation to make sure that we have given the right amount of money and next week we will present on Spring Budgeting.
Julia Lin (SAACS - Chemistry)
Julia Shalnova (Slater International)
Kristen Cuneo (Spectrum)
Jessica Lillian (Students for a Free Tibet)
Alison Miller (Rugby)
Emily Jenkins (Ultimate Frisbee)
Maggie W. Thompson (Equestrian Team)
Rachel Kohl (Amnesty International)
B. SOAC Update (Michel Ballard, CG VP)
Lindsey Boylan, CG President: Michel Ballard will now give the SOAC update.
Michel Ballard, CGVP: I extended the deadline for the Pinanski Prize for next Wednesday at noon. I have been getting some more e-mails. The other committee is the Facilities Committee which is a new committee. It will be in place for a year and it will be chaired by Pat Byrne. It will have two faculty, two staff and two students, and at least one trustee. The point of the committee will be looking at how space is used on campus. There is an opportunity for students to get involved. The application is due Thursday by 11:59 pm.
Cortni Jones, Student at Large: I was wondering because you had mentioned that you want people from different academic areas to apply to Pinanski. Is there any group in particular you want us to take this to or just seniors in general?
Michel Ballard, CGVP: Just get as many seniors as possible to apply.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: The Facilities Committee is a really important committee to work on since it will be dealing with issues like what to do with Schneider, so please spread that to your constituency.
Michel Ballard, CGVP: I extended the deadline for the Pinanski Prize for next Wednesday at noon. I have been getting some more e-mails. The other committee is the Facilities Committee which is a new committee. It will be in place for a year and it will be chaired by Pat Byrne. It will have two faculty, two staff and two students, and at least one trustee. The point of the committee will be looking at how space is used on campus. There is an opportunity for students to get involved. The application is due Thursday by 11:59 pm.
Cortni Jones, Student at Large: I was wondering because you had mentioned that you want people from different academic areas to apply to Pinanski. Is there any group in particular you want us to take this to or just seniors in general?
Michel Ballard, CGVP: Just get as many seniors as possible to apply.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: The Facilities Committee is a really important committee to work on since it will be dealing with issues like what to do with Schneider, so please spread that to your constituency.
IV. Open Discussion
A. Excellency in Leadership Awards (Kate Durso, Director of Student Activities)
Kate Durso, Assistant Director of Student Activities: I really wanted to talk to you about the Excellency in Leadership Awards. In the past there has been an event that is called the Celebration in Service and Leadership. They have the community service awards out of the CWS and they will continue to have these awards. We created some new awards, there are five in particular: the Unsung Hero Award who is someone who is more behind the scenes of an organization, the Excellence in Leadership Award, which is an individual award, the Excellence in Programming Award, which is for an organization and finally the Student Organization of the Year. Nominations are due a week from Wednesday at 4pm to the student activities office. Complete nominations forms are available on first class. The event itself where the award recipients will be recognized will be May 1st at President Walsh's house. Typically we invite a representative from each student organization and then there are students that are highly involved in service that are also invited to the event. We also have some workshops for turning over from your positions and they should be starting this Sunday.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: As Student Activities Assistant Director what was your office's role in planning Dyke Ball and how does your office think it went?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: I was not directly involved in the process. Kris Niendorf was more involved with that and I'm sure Dean Kim will have some insight.
Yang Qiu, Severance: Can you elaborate more on the selection committee for the Excellency in Leadership awards?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: The awards committee is made up of staff, students, and one faculty member. It is a small committee and it is a brand new initiative so I'm hoping students will take the time to submit applications.
Shaheli Guha, Slater: Can residence halls apply for these awards?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: Absolutely.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: Can you talk about the input from the alcohol forum event in Punch's Ally?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: Two things really struck me. First the idea of tradition and how important it is here. The second was the idea of a need for more outlets.
Shelly Anand, CG Sec/Tres: Can you address the issue of events with alcohol?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: Right now we do training with event managers and TIPS training. We talk about logistics and how they want to set up the service area. I really want to get out there and let everyone know that my office wants to help them plan. I really need students to come talk to me because part of the problem is that I don't know when they are planning parties.
Shayla Adams, Ethos: One of the problems my constituents brought to me was using the online calendar to plan events. I was wondering who updates that because she had planned an event based on that and it was not accurate.
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: We use a system called r25 and until we hear from someone that an event is cancelled then the event will stay in the calendar. This is something we have really highlighted as a concern. It is a big issue if someone reserves a space on a Friday or Saturday night and it doesn't follow through.
Shayla Adams, Ethos: Could I suggest doing a check up like a month before?
Kate Durso: Yep, that is something that is difficult but something that we want to do. We just don't have the staffing right now.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: I heard form the Punch's event that there is preference given in terms of funding and scheduling to non-alcohol events over alcohol events. This is something that is on the street.
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: I have not heard of any sort of preference. The only thing I can think of is if there is funding that says that it has to be non-alcoholic.
Yang Qiu, SOAC Orgs Coordinator: You mentioned your training for turnover but SOFC and SOAC have presidents' and treasurers' training in the fall. Do you not think that this is not sufficient?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: No, not at all. Meri Smith had suggested this because of concern that at the end of the year students might not have time to have an extensive training on how to prepare an organization for the leadership for next year. A lot of times people come into leadership positions in the fall not knowing what happened the year before, and we are trying to address this issue.
Michel Ballard, CGVP: You touched on funding sources; can you talk about funding sources through your office?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: We do have a funding pool. Most of this is for organizations that are collaborating to put on an event. We also have a discretionary pool, and a lot of this will go to larger scale events.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: Are you going to include SOFC, the bursar and the CGVP in this turnover training since they know about the turnover process and also are you going to provide binders to keep all the information, because this is the first I've heard about this?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: This is really something new that we are doing so we haven't done any extensive planning, but we were going to contact people from SOAC and SOFC. We also were planning on getting binders for people who attend to put in some of the information that we give them.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: As Student Activities Assistant Director what was your office's role in planning Dyke Ball and how does your office think it went?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: I was not directly involved in the process. Kris Niendorf was more involved with that and I'm sure Dean Kim will have some insight.
Yang Qiu, Severance: Can you elaborate more on the selection committee for the Excellency in Leadership awards?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: The awards committee is made up of staff, students, and one faculty member. It is a small committee and it is a brand new initiative so I'm hoping students will take the time to submit applications.
Shaheli Guha, Slater: Can residence halls apply for these awards?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: Absolutely.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: Can you talk about the input from the alcohol forum event in Punch's Ally?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: Two things really struck me. First the idea of tradition and how important it is here. The second was the idea of a need for more outlets.
Shelly Anand, CG Sec/Tres: Can you address the issue of events with alcohol?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: Right now we do training with event managers and TIPS training. We talk about logistics and how they want to set up the service area. I really want to get out there and let everyone know that my office wants to help them plan. I really need students to come talk to me because part of the problem is that I don't know when they are planning parties.
Shayla Adams, Ethos: One of the problems my constituents brought to me was using the online calendar to plan events. I was wondering who updates that because she had planned an event based on that and it was not accurate.
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: We use a system called r25 and until we hear from someone that an event is cancelled then the event will stay in the calendar. This is something we have really highlighted as a concern. It is a big issue if someone reserves a space on a Friday or Saturday night and it doesn't follow through.
Shayla Adams, Ethos: Could I suggest doing a check up like a month before?
Kate Durso: Yep, that is something that is difficult but something that we want to do. We just don't have the staffing right now.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: I heard form the Punch's event that there is preference given in terms of funding and scheduling to non-alcohol events over alcohol events. This is something that is on the street.
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: I have not heard of any sort of preference. The only thing I can think of is if there is funding that says that it has to be non-alcoholic.
Yang Qiu, SOAC Orgs Coordinator: You mentioned your training for turnover but SOFC and SOAC have presidents' and treasurers' training in the fall. Do you not think that this is not sufficient?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: No, not at all. Meri Smith had suggested this because of concern that at the end of the year students might not have time to have an extensive training on how to prepare an organization for the leadership for next year. A lot of times people come into leadership positions in the fall not knowing what happened the year before, and we are trying to address this issue.
Michel Ballard, CGVP: You touched on funding sources; can you talk about funding sources through your office?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: We do have a funding pool. Most of this is for organizations that are collaborating to put on an event. We also have a discretionary pool, and a lot of this will go to larger scale events.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: Are you going to include SOFC, the bursar and the CGVP in this turnover training since they know about the turnover process and also are you going to provide binders to keep all the information, because this is the first I've heard about this?
Kate Durso, Student Activities Assistant Director: This is really something new that we are doing so we haven't done any extensive planning, but we were going to contact people from SOAC and SOFC. We also were planning on getting binders for people who attend to put in some of the information that we give them.
B. Ally convention (Amita Parashar)
Amita Parashar, MAC: As I have been announcing for the past three weeks or so, CWDI is challenging the whole community to come to our Ally Convention. This is an afternoon of sessions on how to be an ally. We have gotten a lot of questions and a lot of ideas about how to be an ally. Students want to learn how to advocate for groups that they are not necessarily apart of. We will be able to come together and discuss various topics at Wellesley and learn how to ask really difficult questions.
Moeena Das, CWDI member: Some of the issues that will be discussed are how to stop homophobia, understanding and helping those to help those with disabilities, and being an ally of those with mental health issues. I have personally helped with putting together the panel on disabilities. This is really an event that the CWDI has worked tremendously on. A lot of other organizations have worked very hard on this including Spectrum, Ethos, Mezcla, OMHA, and many others.
Amita Parashar, MAC: So the convention is this Saturday afternoon, 11AM-4PM. We will have more abstracts out as the week goes on. To register you just have to email to the Ally Convention conference. So the way it is structured is like a mini Tanner. There will be four sessions that you can pick during each session. So we really encourage you to push yourself into discomfort. We like making people feel uncomfortable; it helps you grow. Feel free to email any of us or someone on CWDI.
Lindsey Silver, Beebe: If there are people that are interested in coming but do not think they can commit to five hours, is there a way for them to come?
Amita Parashar, MAC: If you happen to come in the middle of the session we would ask that you wait because it might hinder the conversations. But yes we encourage you all to come at any time. Lunch is at around 2, so if you want to come for lunch, RSVP
Shaheli Guha, Slater: Can we have the exact time for each of these panels?
Amita Parashar, MAC: That will be finalized at tomorrow's CWDI meeting and then we will send that out.
Shelly Anand, CG Sec/Treas.: Will all the conversations that take place be a safe space?
Amita Parashar, MAC: YES! All of this is a safe space. You should check you inhibitions at the door.
Moeena Das, CWDI member: Some of the issues that will be discussed are how to stop homophobia, understanding and helping those to help those with disabilities, and being an ally of those with mental health issues. I have personally helped with putting together the panel on disabilities. This is really an event that the CWDI has worked tremendously on. A lot of other organizations have worked very hard on this including Spectrum, Ethos, Mezcla, OMHA, and many others.
Amita Parashar, MAC: So the convention is this Saturday afternoon, 11AM-4PM. We will have more abstracts out as the week goes on. To register you just have to email to the Ally Convention conference. So the way it is structured is like a mini Tanner. There will be four sessions that you can pick during each session. So we really encourage you to push yourself into discomfort. We like making people feel uncomfortable; it helps you grow. Feel free to email any of us or someone on CWDI.
Lindsey Silver, Beebe: If there are people that are interested in coming but do not think they can commit to five hours, is there a way for them to come?
Amita Parashar, MAC: If you happen to come in the middle of the session we would ask that you wait because it might hinder the conversations. But yes we encourage you all to come at any time. Lunch is at around 2, so if you want to come for lunch, RSVP
Shaheli Guha, Slater: Can we have the exact time for each of these panels?
Amita Parashar, MAC: That will be finalized at tomorrow's CWDI meeting and then we will send that out.
Shelly Anand, CG Sec/Treas.: Will all the conversations that take place be a safe space?
Amita Parashar, MAC: YES! All of this is a safe space. You should check you inhibitions at the door.
C. Transportation Advisory Committee (Anita Yip)
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: Next we have Anita Yip to talk about the transportation advisory committee.
Kristina, Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): We are here to present on the transportation advisory committee. We are trying to increase awareness of the committee. There is a transportation conference and we encourage you to post questions and suggestions. Also we as a committee are trying to improve the advertising for transportation and the services that we have right now. We want to advertise here why the bus stop changed from Wal-Mart to target. WALRA and the Democrats wanted to move the stop to Target because of Wal-Mart's questionable practices.
Anita Yip, TAC: We want to really address student concerns to the transportation department. We are also trying to make information more visible to students. Things like the Logan Shuttle during Thanksgiving and other breaks that the community needs to know about. We also want to get a conference out on each person's desktop so they can voice concerns. One of the things we are working on right now is having a Bus Driver Appreciation Day. We are looking for any suggestions you may have.
Shelly Anand, Secretary/Treasurer: The Senate Bus has a bad image in the city, and I was hoping that you could take action to revamp that image.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: My first question would be basically involving technology. How have you tried to include zip cars and other forms of technology to help the rugby team and other organizations that are not necessarily community service now that the Senate Vans are gone? Have you thought about moving resources around?
Anita Yip, TAC: We have not been looking at that so much due to budget constraints.
Kristina, TAC: They are really trying to maintain the services right now. I know we want some alternatives but this is the reality that we have to face. We do keep that in mind when considering changing our resources.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: We have a reduction in a certain kind of service. The Senate vans are no longer here. Is the transportation thinking about a way to keep these?
Anita Yip, TAC: It is not the reallocation of money. Gas prices are up and we don't have any money to reallocate. No one is using the Zip cars during the summer, but there is a shortage of them during the school year.
Paola Reyes, Munger: Has there been any consideration for a tracking system like MIT, so you could know where the bus is on its route?
Anita Yip, TAC: I think that would take a lot of technology and it will cost a lot of money.
Sophie Kim, CPLA: Will you be posting the names or pictures of the bus drivers?
Kristina, TAC: We are working on that. I don't know how comfortable they are about pictures but we are going to get them nametags.
Ashira Greene, Claflin: What about buses to Olin or Babson?
Kristina, TAC: I made the suggestion. If the student body wants it back I would say post on the conference.
Edlyn Yuen, Pomeroy: When you dial 4000 it does not actually connect to the Peter Pan company.
Kristina, TAC: You have to get the direct number which is on the website.
Clara Peterson, Bates: I heard a lot of different rumors about how to get to classes at Olin or Brandeis.
Anita Yip, TAC: Because of the budget constraints they cannot pay for it this year. Also as someone who used it, there were a lot of problems with having the transportation come in time.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: I heard some concerns about the different Zip Cars and that there had been a decision to use compact cars. I have heard concerns about getting to a location without a van or a vehicle that works.
Kristina, TAC: I have not heard about it but we can tell Peter Eastman and see what he says.
Kristina, Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): We are here to present on the transportation advisory committee. We are trying to increase awareness of the committee. There is a transportation conference and we encourage you to post questions and suggestions. Also we as a committee are trying to improve the advertising for transportation and the services that we have right now. We want to advertise here why the bus stop changed from Wal-Mart to target. WALRA and the Democrats wanted to move the stop to Target because of Wal-Mart's questionable practices.
Anita Yip, TAC: We want to really address student concerns to the transportation department. We are also trying to make information more visible to students. Things like the Logan Shuttle during Thanksgiving and other breaks that the community needs to know about. We also want to get a conference out on each person's desktop so they can voice concerns. One of the things we are working on right now is having a Bus Driver Appreciation Day. We are looking for any suggestions you may have.
Shelly Anand, Secretary/Treasurer: The Senate Bus has a bad image in the city, and I was hoping that you could take action to revamp that image.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: My first question would be basically involving technology. How have you tried to include zip cars and other forms of technology to help the rugby team and other organizations that are not necessarily community service now that the Senate Vans are gone? Have you thought about moving resources around?
Anita Yip, TAC: We have not been looking at that so much due to budget constraints.
Kristina, TAC: They are really trying to maintain the services right now. I know we want some alternatives but this is the reality that we have to face. We do keep that in mind when considering changing our resources.
Cortni Jones, Student Bursar: We have a reduction in a certain kind of service. The Senate vans are no longer here. Is the transportation thinking about a way to keep these?
Anita Yip, TAC: It is not the reallocation of money. Gas prices are up and we don't have any money to reallocate. No one is using the Zip cars during the summer, but there is a shortage of them during the school year.
Paola Reyes, Munger: Has there been any consideration for a tracking system like MIT, so you could know where the bus is on its route?
Anita Yip, TAC: I think that would take a lot of technology and it will cost a lot of money.
Sophie Kim, CPLA: Will you be posting the names or pictures of the bus drivers?
Kristina, TAC: We are working on that. I don't know how comfortable they are about pictures but we are going to get them nametags.
Ashira Greene, Claflin: What about buses to Olin or Babson?
Kristina, TAC: I made the suggestion. If the student body wants it back I would say post on the conference.
Edlyn Yuen, Pomeroy: When you dial 4000 it does not actually connect to the Peter Pan company.
Kristina, TAC: You have to get the direct number which is on the website.
Clara Peterson, Bates: I heard a lot of different rumors about how to get to classes at Olin or Brandeis.
Anita Yip, TAC: Because of the budget constraints they cannot pay for it this year. Also as someone who used it, there were a lot of problems with having the transportation come in time.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: I heard some concerns about the different Zip Cars and that there had been a decision to use compact cars. I have heard concerns about getting to a location without a van or a vehicle that works.
Kristina, TAC: I have not heard about it but we can tell Peter Eastman and see what he says.
D. CG Elections Update (Penny Mesen and Sophie Kim)
Lindsay Boylan, CGP: We have some exciting news about elections from Sophie Kim. We have all these decorations up to celebrate the upcoming CG elections this Wednesday April 5th. It is extremely important that you forward your questions about the elections and support those that are running. It is really important to come out and vote. We have heavily contested races and you should really encourage your house councils to come out and vote.
Sophie Kim, CPLA chair: So we have a very exciting day this Wednesday for CG elections. The tail end of our election schedule. So tonight April 3rd, send access to the Q&A conferences will be stopped tonight at midnight. Today we have a very exciting event on the east side of our campus. This is the last opportunity to have face time with our candidates. I also wanted to mention that campaigning officially ends at Tuesday at midnight. Active campaigning is defined by posting that will be going up tomorrow. The polls are being manned by you guys on Wednesday. You are all given the distinct honor of manning the polls. I wanted to share this diagram for all the senators who will be manning the polls. The nook where the main entrance is is where voting is taking place.
Leslie Kim, Elections Committee: We have a color-coded system. We have blues, greens, yellows, and purples. These have everyone who is eligible to vote. We decided to color code them so if you are working the yellow table and you get a purple ballot you can redirect them to the right place. So first you need to check the id of the person that is working and we will accept a printout from the college website. You will highlight their name on the master list and make sure they turn in the correctly colored ballot to you. As poll workers you will not go through the envelopes.
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: We trust that you will abide by the honor code and elections committee members will be with you but keep in mind that they are counting the ballots so they will be running around.
Leslie Kim, Elections Committee: If in the event that there is a student who comes to vote and they are not on the master list just write their name and id number.
Penny Mesen, DOOCA: I don't know about you but voting is fun. Yes we are having an election party which WZLY is DJ-ing. From the tickets you receive when you vote, we are giving out prizes when you vote. The run down for spring week will be announced at the party. Also Ethos and CG will be commemorating all the fundraising for Hurricane Katrina. Tell your constituents to come and party on a Wednesday.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: If I were a senator and I was going to work on the election day could I wear a t-shirt in support of a candidate?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: We do ask that you remove any paraphernalia when you are working the poles. But put it back on when you come back to work your shift.
Clara Peterson, Bates: Is it possible to vote by absentee ballot if you are on campus?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: You were but unfortunately the requests have closed. Also all students that are abroad were sent an absentee ballot.
Shayla Adams, Ethos: How would someone be ineligible to vote?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: It means that you are a full time student. I will specify in the minutes.
Katie Landise, Severance: What if a student does not have a college id and is not on the list? And can we wear cg gear?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: In that event we will have to contact the registrar to see if they are a student. And yes please wear cg gear!
Edlyn Yuen, Pomeroy: What time are you announcing events from spring week?
Penny Mesen, DOOCA: Anywhere from 11:15-12.
Marjorie Mocco, CGPC Member: Together on CGPC we worked to promote Lindsey's brilliant idea of the 'Be a Friend' campaign.
Katie Landise, CGPC Member: When we first started with the campaign we started a thread on Community and people responded by saying I will help a friend who is drunk but it also means 'hey you have something in your teeth.'
Marjorie Mocco, CGPC Member: To me it also means not going out to party but just hanging out and chatting.
Hannah Aronhstein, CGPC Member: Being a friend encompasses a wide spectrum.
Marjorie Mocco, CGPC Member: We would like you all to go to your house councils and discuss the meaning behind the Be A Friend campaign. We have about 5000 stickers and we would like you to go back to your constituents and talk about the 'be a friend' campaign.
Hannah Aronhstein, CGPC Member: Make sure you are giving out the stickers in a meaningful way. As you wear and have the stickers make sure you have conversations about what it means.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: If you feel comfortable we encourage you to do this. But do not feel forced to do this, only if you feel like it means something to you. This campaign really started at Punch's Alley. This is just something to start a discussion.
Yael Gafni, Pomoroy: Is this at all connected with res life?
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: No. This is purely for students and it is purely optional.
Sophie Kim, CPLA chair: So we have a very exciting day this Wednesday for CG elections. The tail end of our election schedule. So tonight April 3rd, send access to the Q&A conferences will be stopped tonight at midnight. Today we have a very exciting event on the east side of our campus. This is the last opportunity to have face time with our candidates. I also wanted to mention that campaigning officially ends at Tuesday at midnight. Active campaigning is defined by posting that will be going up tomorrow. The polls are being manned by you guys on Wednesday. You are all given the distinct honor of manning the polls. I wanted to share this diagram for all the senators who will be manning the polls. The nook where the main entrance is is where voting is taking place.
Leslie Kim, Elections Committee: We have a color-coded system. We have blues, greens, yellows, and purples. These have everyone who is eligible to vote. We decided to color code them so if you are working the yellow table and you get a purple ballot you can redirect them to the right place. So first you need to check the id of the person that is working and we will accept a printout from the college website. You will highlight their name on the master list and make sure they turn in the correctly colored ballot to you. As poll workers you will not go through the envelopes.
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: We trust that you will abide by the honor code and elections committee members will be with you but keep in mind that they are counting the ballots so they will be running around.
Leslie Kim, Elections Committee: If in the event that there is a student who comes to vote and they are not on the master list just write their name and id number.
Penny Mesen, DOOCA: I don't know about you but voting is fun. Yes we are having an election party which WZLY is DJ-ing. From the tickets you receive when you vote, we are giving out prizes when you vote. The run down for spring week will be announced at the party. Also Ethos and CG will be commemorating all the fundraising for Hurricane Katrina. Tell your constituents to come and party on a Wednesday.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: If I were a senator and I was going to work on the election day could I wear a t-shirt in support of a candidate?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: We do ask that you remove any paraphernalia when you are working the poles. But put it back on when you come back to work your shift.
Clara Peterson, Bates: Is it possible to vote by absentee ballot if you are on campus?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: You were but unfortunately the requests have closed. Also all students that are abroad were sent an absentee ballot.
Shayla Adams, Ethos: How would someone be ineligible to vote?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: It means that you are a full time student. I will specify in the minutes.
Katie Landise, Severance: What if a student does not have a college id and is not on the list? And can we wear cg gear?
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: In that event we will have to contact the registrar to see if they are a student. And yes please wear cg gear!
Edlyn Yuen, Pomeroy: What time are you announcing events from spring week?
Penny Mesen, DOOCA: Anywhere from 11:15-12.
Marjorie Mocco, CGPC Member: Together on CGPC we worked to promote Lindsey's brilliant idea of the 'Be a Friend' campaign.
Katie Landise, CGPC Member: When we first started with the campaign we started a thread on Community and people responded by saying I will help a friend who is drunk but it also means 'hey you have something in your teeth.'
Marjorie Mocco, CGPC Member: To me it also means not going out to party but just hanging out and chatting.
Hannah Aronhstein, CGPC Member: Being a friend encompasses a wide spectrum.
Marjorie Mocco, CGPC Member: We would like you all to go to your house councils and discuss the meaning behind the Be A Friend campaign. We have about 5000 stickers and we would like you to go back to your constituents and talk about the 'be a friend' campaign.
Hannah Aronhstein, CGPC Member: Make sure you are giving out the stickers in a meaningful way. As you wear and have the stickers make sure you have conversations about what it means.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: If you feel comfortable we encourage you to do this. But do not feel forced to do this, only if you feel like it means something to you. This campaign really started at Punch's Alley. This is just something to start a discussion.
Yael Gafni, Pomoroy: Is this at all connected with res life?
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: No. This is purely for students and it is purely optional.
V. Dean of Students' Corner
A. Deans Kim Goff-Crews and Michelle Lepore
Dean Kim: So Michelle Lepore is sick today. And I am still recovering from this weekend. So we had a really intense week. There were a lot of community dinners that we managed to attend. On Tuesday we had the alcohol talkback or the meeting at Punch's Alley. It was great to see a lot of you there. There were people that were really big on the party circuit that I don't usually get to see. I was heartened to hear the reaffirmation for students concerns for each other. There are some things about the alcohol policy that we really need to look at. I thought we learned a lot of it. Kris Niendorf and I have numerous pages of notes. It gave us a lot to work with. I mentioned that we had the New England deans with us. They were all in the campus center and we had a great time. They really enjoyed the center and we talked about a great number of topics. That turned out to be a really great event. Then that night we had the Pan-Asian cultural show. Are they going to do it again on Saturday because I would have gone to it again. They had people from Brown and it was fabulous. And then again we had Dyke Ball which was a great success. But thanks also to the student leadership: the "be a friend" campaign, the student led initiative. There are several people that made a huge impact like Lisa Barbin and Juda Dorrington. So we look forward to thinking about that for next year. We had about 600- 620 students. We only had four transports for the entire weekend. None of them came from the residence halls. I think we should be proud of ourselves. So next week we will be making decisions. The only other thing I want to mention is that there is an external team on Friday on April 7th from 1:30-2:30 they would like to have an open discussion with students about the PLTC.
Cortni Jones, Bursar: You went to community dinners and have been talking about alcohol education. Someone had suggested to me having wine served at community dinners for older students to set an example.
Dean Kim: Yes Colby College is doing something similar. We should look into that.
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: Will you be attending the election night party?
Dean Kim: I will actually be out of town but I will try to come by at midnight if I'm not too tired. I do want a play by play of who won!
Shelly Anand, CG Sec/Tres: Some students were concerned with the other people besides the police that were at the event?
Dean Kim: Yes we will be looking into that for next year. We can't help the fact that the police are mostly men but the other guys we are going to change that for next year.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: Thank you so much for Saturday night and I really liked your tuxedo.
Cortni Jones, Bursar: You went to community dinners and have been talking about alcohol education. Someone had suggested to me having wine served at community dinners for older students to set an example.
Dean Kim: Yes Colby College is doing something similar. We should look into that.
Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair: Will you be attending the election night party?
Dean Kim: I will actually be out of town but I will try to come by at midnight if I'm not too tired. I do want a play by play of who won!
Shelly Anand, CG Sec/Tres: Some students were concerned with the other people besides the police that were at the event?
Dean Kim: Yes we will be looking into that for next year. We can't help the fact that the police are mostly men but the other guys we are going to change that for next year.
Lindsey Boylan, CGP: Thank you so much for Saturday night and I really liked your tuxedo.
VI. Beyond the Bubble (Sophie Kim, CPLA Chair)
A. Moussaoui Jury Reaches Verdict
A federal jury reached a verdict in the sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, who faces the death penalty for conspiracy in connection with the September 11 attacks, the court said today.
The verdict, reached after about 17 hours of deliberation, was to be read at 4 p.m. EDT. Moussaoui pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy in connection with the hijacked airliner attacks and the jury will determine if he faces execution.
The verdict, reached after about 17 hours of deliberation, was to be read at 4 p.m. EDT. Moussaoui pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy in connection with the hijacked airliner attacks and the jury will determine if he faces execution.
B. Sudan Blocks Visit of U.N. Official to Darfur
The government of Sudan today blocked a planned visit by the United Nations' top humanitarian official to the western Darfur region. The Sudanese government offered various explanations for the decision not to allow the under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, to visit Darfur, the region where a war has raged for three years.
The United Nations said that the trip had been planned well in advance and that the objections from Sudanese authorities appeared to be politically motivated.
The United Nations said that the trip had been planned well in advance and that the objections from Sudanese authorities appeared to be politically motivated.
C. Good news from Iraq (Special Thanks to Catherine Lee, Republicans Representative)
Last month, 196 Iraqis graduated from the Baghdad Police Academy.
Construction is to begin on a $3.4 billion project to build an underground metro system in Baghdad. The project will be completed in four years.
In 2003 there were 14,731 kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools, most of which suffered from years of neglect by the Saddam regime, an insurgency intent on intimidating teachers and students, and the damage caused by war. Over the last three years nearly 6,000 of those schools have been renovated or undergone some form of rehabilitation.
Construction is to begin on a $3.4 billion project to build an underground metro system in Baghdad. The project will be completed in four years.
In 2003 there were 14,731 kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools, most of which suffered from years of neglect by the Saddam regime, an insurgency intent on intimidating teachers and students, and the damage caused by war. Over the last three years nearly 6,000 of those schools have been renovated or undergone some form of rehabilitation.
D. Bush Throws Ceremonial First Pitch
President Bush delivers the ceremonial first pitch in Cincinnati to signal the start of the 2006 Major League Baseball season.
E. On this day: April 3
1948: Truman signs Marshall Plan
In 1948, President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, which allocated more than $5 billion in aid for 16 European countries.
In 1948, President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, which allocated more than $5 billion in aid for 16 European countries.
VII. Cabinet Announcements
VIII. Adjourn
