Wesleyan Student Assembly — Wesleyan University

Minutes: November 3, 2002, No. 6

WSA Officers

President: Joey Wender
Vice President: Yaw Agyenim-Boateng
Coordinator: George Briggs
Treasurer: Adam Lachman

Meeting Agenda and Business

1. Meeting Opening
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Discussion of Freeman Construction
4. Committee Reports
5. Chalking Forum
6. Dining Update
7. New Business and Announcements
8. Adjournment

Opening of Meeting

The meeting was opened at 8:07 pm.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes were approved by a great majority.

Discussion with Matt Meyershon and Shaleen Bowman, Students Working on Athletic Facility Construction

Matt Meyershon explains that since a new university center is being built in Fayerweather, everything that is currently there must be brought to Freeman.

Shaleen Bowman lists the sports that will be moved, among them being varsity squash, volleyball, basketball, and the rowing practice room. They are creating room in the back of Freeman for new locker rooms, storage facilities, a new training room, and a new fitness center.

Mr. Meyershon informs the Assembly that the committee in charge of renovating Freeman is very in tune with students' needs. There is a lot of room for improvement due to the moving of the facilities. They are working to place the importance of the renovation on improving the function, not just the appearance of Freeman.

Stacks

• Matt Lerner asserts that it is good that students are on the committee and are pushing for student needs.
• Mr. Meyershon informs him that they are especially pushing for making sure that things are changeable with time and that the new gym will accommodate all students.
• Ms. Bowman reports that the faculty is more concerned with improving Freeman's appearance than with improving upon its quality. The student representatives, however, are working on expressing students' desires to improve the equipment.
• Mr. Meyershon tells the Assembly that if people have other ideas, they should email Ali Gomer at agomer@wesleyan.edu.
• Joey Wender asks if there are different types of focus groups to have a wide range of views.
• Ms. Bowman informs him that there isn't enough money to finance a large number of people working on the plan.
• Mr. Meyershon assures him that the committee is taking major student issues into consideration.
• Colleen Galbraith thinks that making a place that is not for athletes is a good idea.
• Ms. Bowman responds that the committee is also very interested in having the student body and athletes mixed in one place.
• Selina Ellis asks when the plan is supposed to be finished.
• Ms. Bowman says that it should be finished by the fall of 2004.
• Mr. Meyershon adds that they hope to complete it soon so that they can start work on the university center.
• Sam Franklin inquires into the sports that will still be at Fayerweather.
• Ms. Bowman answers that there will be a meeting room in the new campus center to be used during the halftime of football games.
• Mr. Meyershon inserts that they didn't want to change the field as the center of campus.
• Ms. Bowman asks the Assembly its feelings on the Master Campus Plan and how to represent students in discussions about it.
• Matt Lerner thinks that the plan is inevitable seeing as it has been considered for a long time.
• Ali Gomer adds that the plan isn't concrete yet.
• Ms. Bowman also asks if she should sacrifice improvements in Freeman for the Master Plan.
• Colleen Galbraith answers that it is a complex plan for which they have many consultants. It is very much for the students.
• Joey Wender states that positive issues will result from the Plan.

Committee Reports

1. Student Budget Committee (SBC)
   Adam Lachman, WSA Treasurer and SBC Chair, reports:
   The SBC met and allocated funds.

2. Student Affairs Committee (SAC)
   Emily Polak, SAC Chair, reports:
   Ms. Polak defers to the Dining Updates and Chalking Forum.

3. Finances and Facilities (FiFac)
   Ali Gomer, FiFac Chair, reports:
   Ms. Gomer and Matt Lerner met with Second Stage, Public Safety, and the Fire Marshall. They discussed alternate spaces for performances. Before it is complete, they will present the plan before the Assembly for approval. Second Stage is looking at all of the available options.
   Mr. Lerner held a meeting concerning community standards. He is currently looking at the efficiency of registering parties and the number of complaints about each house.
   Mr. Lerner also met with the Student Space Committee. The meeting was very productive; they plan to open up different kinds of spaces (performance spaces and rehearsal spaces). Before that happens, however, he needs to come up with a survey to assess student usage, students' needs, and students' desires. He hopes it to be an online survey that will be up by next week. If people have ideas about those issues, email Mr. Lerner at mlerner@wesleyan.edu.

4. Educational Policy Committee (EPC)
   Colleen Galbraith, EPC Chair, reports:
   The EPC did not meet because Bruce Masters is away on vacation. All four members, however, attended the faculty meeting. There was an overwhelming faculty vote in favor of rescinding the chalking moratorium. This week, the EPC will discuss the University Major and changing its requirements in general. If anyone would like to voice an opinion, email Ms. Galbraith at cgalbraith@wesleyan.edu. The new requirements were voted down last year, but will probably be passed this year; the WSA should therefore try to get in as many friendly amendments as possible.

5. Community Outreach Committee (COCo)
   Jeremy Abrams, COCo Chair, reports:
   Mr. Abrams met with Maryann Wiggins on Tuesday and set an agenda for PSaC. They will focus on a communications strategy, and Mr. Abrams is pushing for a personal defense/sexual assault workshop. They are also working on improving safety shuttles and escort services. Parking issues are regulated by Middletown, so the committee can't do anything about that. A FiFaC member might be added to the committee instead of an SAC member. COCo has acquired the freshmen evaluation of orientation week.
   COCo is in the process of getting updates from all student groups.
6. Independent Projects Committee (IPC)
   Yaw Agyenim-Boateng, IPC Chair, reports:
   The IPC is waiting for a tech person to be appointed so that it can continue with the resurrection of esquid. When the Freshman Forum is over, the IPC will help the freshmen implement ideas.

7. Coordinating Committee (CC)
   Sara Mirsky, WSA Assistant Coordinator, reports:
   The CC met and appointed two new members: Sam Franklin on FiFac and Juan Moreno on the IPC. The member of the week is Gabe Tabak for his representation of the University of Virginia.

8. Executive Committee (EC)
   Joey Wender, WSA President, reports:
   The Board of Trustees are coming to town over the weekend.
   The EC is sitting with President Doug Bennet tomorrow. If people have issues they would like to be discusses, bring them to the attention of committee chairs.

Chalking Forum

Emily Polak, SAC Chair, informs the Assembly that the Chalking Forum will be held on Wednesday at 9 pm in Science Center 150. She describes the format of the forum (see appendix 6A) and asks the Assembly's opinion on having President Bennet give reasons for the moratorium.

Matt Lerner says that it will be hard to make it so that it is not just a forum for students to speak out against the moratorium.

Colleen Galbraith responds that most students don't want to hear the reasoning behind the moratorium, even though President Bennet should be there.

Sam Franklin states that President Bennet should speak about his post moratorium hopes in order to create a positive atmosphere.

Sara Mirsky points out that an Argus editorial called for President Bennet to create the discussion he said it would. He should therefore attend the Forum.

Ms. Polak continues that Dean Mike Whaley's idea of a webboard won't work because people can't post anonymously. They are thinking about setting up suggestion boxes around campus.

Jesse Watson, EPC Member, reports on Professor Abeloff's speech at the faculty meeting concerning chalkings. Professor Abeloff feels that there should be free speech and that any harassment should be handled by the police, not the university. A moratorium is antithetical to philosophical inquiry and the purpose of this institution. Furthermore, there is a fundamental contradiction in adopting community standards seeing as they would make us less free than all other US citizens. Professor Abeloff told the WSA that as representatives, we have an obligation to do what we feel is right. Emily Polak adds that there seem to be a pattern of past restrictions becoming more severe on chalkings.

Dining Updates

Adam Poswolsky reports on the potential quick fixes in dining and asks for the Assembly's thoughts on each of them.

1. There is a proposal to have a dining cart in front of the Science Center from 11:00 to 1:30. There will be a two week trial period, and the idea will be implemented if it goes well.

   Stacks

   • Karen Courtheoux asks from where the idea originated.
   • Mr. Poswolsky informs her that the faculty suggested it.

2. Mr. Poswolsky asks if it would be beneficial to have Wesshop open and close later on Friday and Saturday.

   Stacks

   • Joey Wender states that it doesn't really matter since people will adapt to whatever times Wesshop is open.
   • Adam Lachman insists that one hour will not make a difference. He suggests a trial basis to see if there is a change in useage.
   • Selina Ellis likes the fact that Wesshop is open for lunch and that there is always a crowd of people there waiting for it to open.
   • Camille Zahniser suggests splitting the times so that it can be open for both lunch and dinner.

3. First Harvest may extend its dinner time to 8:30 pm.

   Stacks

   • Selina Ellis asserts that it is a great idea because there is nowhere to get a meal after 7:00.
   • Adam Lachman warns Mr. Poswolsky to look into the effects that the change will have on the union.

4. Mr. Poswolsky is pushing to have the deli open at dinnertime. If it stays open, however, something else will have to be taken away.

   Stacks

   • Nezia Azmi suggests that Mr. Poswolsky sees if the deli will really upset things and to find out what else will have to be taken away.
   • Adam Lachman once again warns Mr. Poswolsky not to agree on anything until the full range of consequences is realized.

5. There has been a freshman meal equivalency plan that has been in place since the beginning of the year that no one knew about. There are still many problems with it, though.

   Stacks

   • Jesse Watson asks why the freshmen didn't know about this since the beginning.
   • Emily Polak answers that it is because people don't communicate with each other.

6. No late night dining proposals have been approved.

   Stacks

   • Matt Lerner points out that the most important issue right now is obtaining longer hours, not more places to eat.

7. Dave's Hot Diggity Dogs will be here this coming weekend.

New Business and Announcements

Jesse Watson announces that the Freshman Committee met tonight for the first time and discussed the freshman forum, freshman dining, and freshman academic issues.

President Joey Wender announces the women's field hockey team's latest victory in order to humor his girlfriend.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:44 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Monica Arduini, WSA Secretary