Wesleyan Student Assembly — Wesleyan University

Minutes: March 27, 2005, No. 19

WSA Officers

President: Emily Polak
Vice President: Jeremy Abrams
Treasurer: Brittany Mitchell
Coordinator: Ali Gomer

Meeting Agenda and Business

1. Approval of Minutes
2. Cari MacDermott (we're asking her to come in to give an explanation of the whole WSA Office Coordinator position, but are really going to tell her about our fundraising idea to honor her)
3. Summary Report from Trustees' Meeting
4. Committee Reports
5. New Business and Announcements

Opening of Meeting
Meeting opened 7:06 PM.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes approved.

Cari MacDermott

• Cari MacDermott has been the WSA administrative coordinator since 1978, since the WSA first began. She helps plan student events on campus. She helps negotiate contracts, books venues, keeps students able to work on their own initiatives and makes sure that they are done well. She has also made.

• The WSA will start a Cari MacDermott fundraiser so that her legacy will live on. The funds will help finance student activities. Fifty percent of the funds we make will go to the WSA and fifty percent will go to financial aid. There will also be a large banquet at the end of the year in support of Cari to bid her farewell.

Stack

• •Jesse Watson asks whether Red & Black might be able to help. Brittany Mitchell says that the WSA will be participating in a mandatory phone-a-thon.
• •This is an unprecedented way of setting up an endowed fund. The SBC will be able to allocate money that will help to extend Cari’s legacy. Cari and the SBC will decide which types of student activities will be funded.
• •Elaine Garven asks why are we working with University Relations. They will provide us with mailing lists, stamps, envelopes and other things. They will put Cari’s fundraiser on the commencement program and help fund the event.

SBC Update on Funding Criteria and Spring Fling

Brittany Mitchell presents a document created by the Social Committee about the issue. If the WSA passes the document, then the document will be sent to student mail boxes.

Stack

Emily Polak motions to approve the document. Motion passed

Summary Report from Trustees' Meeting

Emily Polak presents on the Trustees’ Meeting. All of the chairs attended and attended different meetings. She wants to discuss a few things that were covered. Campus affairs, finance and university relations were the three meetings. In the campus affairs meeting, financial aid was discussed. Wesleyan will remain dedicated to need-blind admissions. Peter Patton discussed the issue of student representation, touching on issues of diversity training, the multicultural dean and talking about the events that occurred in December. On Friday afternoon, there was a meeting with various student leaders and a number of trustees that showed up. Polak heard positive responses about this. On Saturday morning, there was a full board meeting at which the new strategic plan was discussed. At the alumni council meeting, there was talk about improving university communications. Next week, Justin Harmon will speak in front of the WSA and try to come up with a mission statement for the university communications office. At the universal relations meeting, there was talk about improving funding at Wesleyan. In addition, there was talk about how students can stay connected.

Stack

• Josh Ente wants to go on record for saying: “What the fuck is the university doing raising tuition prices after we raised $300 million?” Brittany Mitchell and Ali Gomer say that the university has been in a tough spot for a while. Although the school has made quite a bit recently, it has many things that must be accounted for.

Discussion on Selection of the Dean of the College

Ana Weigben suggests that students should support a vote for the dean is that it is important a recorded student vote. The WSA could show that it is behind student voice.

Committee Reports

SAC

• Elaine Garven says that her committee will be doing some projects for dining as part of dining accountability week. One is that WSA members will be walking around at dinner time to ask people what they think about Wesleyan’s meal service.

CC

• This Wednesday the Constitutional Review Committee will be holding its first meeting of the year.
• Thomas Coen is selected as member of week.

COCo

• Izzy Greenburg has been working to set up a Wesleyan night at the Buttonwood Tree. She has been meeting with the director, who is excited about the idea. There is a new shop in downtown Middletown that is offering 20% off for students.
• Sam Ruth says that he and Jacob Mirsky are compiling a list of the leading questions about Public Safety. There is no set list of the powers that Psafe has, so Mirsky and Ruth will be looking into it.
• Psafe is requesting that students will be respectful to officers.

EC

• The WSA Office Coordinator job description has been posted online. Emily Polak will be talking to people to know how to respond to candidates and how the WSA will be involved in the search process.
• We are involved in the process.

FiFac

• There will be a bookshelf, a desk, chair and a twin-sized bed in the prototype model. Do we want this?

EPC

• Billy Weitzer expanded the role of orientation leaders and they are now earning $100.
• There is the possibility of a faculty diversity training video being shown at faculty meetings.
• EPC is kicking off two task forces.

SBC

• There will be four drafts of the letter about fundraising.

Stack

• Anda Greeney asks that the assembly should consider not giving so much money to University Relations for financial aid. Cari worked with students who were seeking financial aid.
• •Jacob Mirsky asks if there is any way we will make enough money to lower tuition. No. We will not make that much money.
• •Nora Connor asks if phoners will make money by calling. We’re not sure yet.
• •Nathan Victoria says that we should target Wes alums who were involved in WSA. We have 900 people in an excel list
• •Izzy Greenberg states that the financial aid contribution is not a bad idea because it allows students like her to come to Wes.
• •Sam Ruth says that WSA people from the past will hopefully donate; it won’t necessarily be people from the alumni fund.
• •Tim Radcliff asks how the SBC will continue to fundraise for the fund. Emily Polak suggests that we put the requirements into the constitution. Izzy Greenberg says that the fundraising should be institutionalized. Sam Ruth suggests that we might not want to give out the money at first but instead let it gain interest.
• •Elaine Garven suggests that we might be able to add the money from the surplus into the fund. Brittany Mitchell and Emily Polak say that we need to look into this carefully.
• •Jacob Mirsky asks if we can do propaganda on the listserv. Yes.
• •Brittany Mitchell says that we should pass the new language in the constitution so that the treasurer will have formal meetings with Dean of Academic Programs, Rick Cullin. This is so that we don’t have to report to student services.
• •Emily Polak suggests that we change the language from “weekly” meetings to “regular” meetings.
• •Nathan Victoria asks why is the treasurer not meeting with Leilani. Polak says that it might blur the line between Leilani’s role as a donator of funds and as an administrator.
• •Motion to add the by-laws on the amendment. Passes.

Stack from Other Committee Reports

• Emily Polak asks what the name of the dining week should be. Jacob Mirsky suggests Dining Evaluation Week. Brian Brotman suggests that “Accountability” would be good because it will be on the heels of the workers’ rights meeting on Wednesday night. This meeting will be big because other campus dining workers will be coming from other campuses. Nathan Victoria asks, “Isn’t it a problem if we call it ‘accountability week’ problematic when we don’t have any accountability.” Thomas Coen says that the point of calling it “accountability week” is that students will be able to compile a list by putting together a large list of grievances and present it to the administration. Brotman says that we need participation and “feedback week” will not garner enough support.
• •Brittany Mitchell asks if we will be advertising the Constitutional Review Committee. Yes. Another question: should we furnish wood-frames or not? Polak says that we should push for bigger beds. Thomas Coen says that financial aid students should be able to have furniture in their houses. Point of information: financial aid does not cover the rise in housing costs. Victoria says that this year’s decision will set a precedent.
• •Zach Kolodin suggests that we need to have trash cans in the new Fauver dorms.
• •Nora Connor asks if we could rent beds from an outside company. It might be more expensive.
• •Anda Greeney suggests that we furnish one of the two houses. Other assembly members suggest that financial aid students would be harmed by this.

New Business and Announcements

• Constitutional Review Committee will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
• Brittany Mitchell suggests that the WSA could make some sort of strategic plan for the next year. Would the WSA be interested?
• Elaine Garven says that the Queer Task Force will be meeting on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in the Queer Resource Center.

Adjournment
The meeting is adjourned at 8:37 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Arie Eernisse, WSA Secretary