The debate over Dining Services was the focal point of the meeting. Among other grievances, senators complained that Valentine dinner times, which currently run from 4:30-7:30 p.m., are too early. Many also voiced the opinion of many upper-class students that napkin dispensers are inconveniently located in the serving area rather than the seating area. Senators also alleged it is non-sensical that first-year students are required to have unlimited meals, since many of them lose the cash value of the breakfast meals they do not consume. Many senators believe that first-year students should have equivalent meal plan options as upperclass students.
After considering the possibility of creating an ad hoc committee to deal with dining issues, the AAS opted merely to charge the Dining Services Committee with expediting its meeting process and beginning to make some headway on policy recommendations.
Also at the meeting, some senators discussed a third student seat on the newly introduced Committee on Academic Priorities (CAP), a body devised by President Anthony Marx that will begin meeting in December to assess the efficacy of the College's academic program. Marx has already assured AAS President Ryan Park '05 that he has reserved two seats on the committee for student representatives.
Park explained that Marx had not responded to the AAS' request for a third seat on the CAP. "He will talk to CAP and get a decision," Park said. The CAP will convene every Tuesday from 9-11 a.m., a meeting time which raised some concern among senators because so many students have class during that time frame on Tuesdays. Some senators were concerned that the time of the meeting will make it more difficult to select student representatives to the committee. In the next few months, before the CAP holds its first meeting in December, the AAS will elect representatives to serve on that body.
Students on the College Council announced that the Council has been grappling with housing issues such as room draw and dorm damage. Representatives on the Interterm Committee reported the committee has been eyeing the development of alumni networks and workshops run by alumni. Students on the Committee on Priorities and Resources said they have been assessing the strength of the College's faculty benefits and salaries.
Senators also reported that the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid has been addressing the anomalous drop in black students in the Class of 2008, and the Committee on Physical Education and Athletics is considering the possibility of a turf field, similar to the one currently under construction at Williams College.
By the end of the meeting, the AAS approved legislation urging the installation of lights on the stairs to Memorial Hill. JC Chair Ryan Smith '07 suggested that all constitutional amendments pass through the judicial committee in the future before making it to the floor.
The AAS also tweaked and subsequently confirmed budgetary allocations at the meeting.
After an appeal for extra funding, the Juarez Group was awarded $658.59 to pay for its upcoming program on murder victims in Mexico. The event will feature guest speakers, and the group projects attendance of about 300 community members and five-college students. The club's additional budgetary allocation ($350.00 of the total) will pay for a post-speech gathering space at the College, and the extra money will pay for refreshments as well.
The Senate approved the appropriation in the hopes of facilitating a constructive dialogue between students and the guest speakers after the speeches.
Additionally, Hillel received $500 to fund a visit by comedian Steve Hofstetter, a columnist on collegehumor.com. The additional $10 provided to the club was allocated for publicizing the event.