Fellow Ephs,
Happy Valentine’s Week! We hope your weekend was filled with fun and your week will be highly successful and productive, leading up to WINTER CARNIVAL. Sadly, this will be our last State of the College. However, we are currently super excited to be working on and presenting a booklet with everything that CC has done over the past year! We will be sending it out with our final address to you all as well as distributing them around campus early this week. This booklet and our final state of the college will not include our final meeting of College Council, though we still will be working hard to finish all of our projects. If you are interested, please come to our final meeting on Wednesday at 7:00 in Hopkins Basement. Everyone is welcome!
January and February have been highly productive months for CC. We completed our Great Ideas Campaign, split into a number of committees, and worked on large and small issues that affect you on a day to day basis. One of the highlights of February was the effortless perfection forum, which MinCo and CC co-sponsored and co-led. We have attached the overarching themes and notes from that forum for those of you who are interested or may have missed the discussion. We hope you continue to wrestle with ideas of where stress resides on campus and how to dispel the myth of effortless perfection.
Finally, we are about to start the College Council Elections for CC 2012-2013. Make sure to keep an eye out for your email and to VOTE! Voting opens on Tuesday at 8 PM and closes on Thursday at 8 PM.
And now, without further ado, the State of the College! Please email us with any questions or if you would like any more information.
With huge amounts of love,
Nick and Francesca
CC Co Presidents
Great Ideas
Projects Completed
1. New York Times in Paresky
It is easy to lose touch with the outside world at Williams. Newspapers in the dining hall allow students to stay informed on current events and feel connected to global issues. Therefore, CC approved funding to bring the New York Times back to Paresky Center beginning in February
2. Staff Appreciation Day
Organized the first every Staff Appreciation Day for all of the Staff and Administrators that work at Williams.
3. Gourmet Salads in 82 Grill
Worked with Dining Services to provide gourmet salads as a healthy dinner option at 82 Grill. You can know order a salad at the grill with any 4 toppings you want.
4. Resource for Students Questioning Gender or Sexuality
Confidential peer support group would allow for students who are questions their sexuality or gender identity/expressions. Support would be constituted by facilitator trained student “allies” who can provide information and personal experience with issues of coming to terms with identity.
5. Public History of Student Advocacy and Historical Photos
We hope that by placing photos from student advocacy in Paresky, Williams students can see themselves as inheriting a spirit and history of advocacy and engagement in their community. It would allow students to engage with their community’s history and situate themselves in a narrative of student engagement on campus.
6. Ice Cream at Paresky dinner
Ice Cream will be served at Dinner each night in Paresky
7. Expansion of the Video Game Library
Invested in renewing the current selection of the Video Game Library
8. Mission Beautification Project
Facilities will be planting more trees and flowers down Mission Hill to improve the aesthetics of that section of campus
9. Clarification of Funding between College Council, MinCo, and the MCC
Clarified the varying allocations between College Council and the MCC pertaining to the Spring agreement is exchange of funds (see Funding Section)
Projects in Progress
1. Advertising Open Exercise Classes
After working to create weekly exercise classes in Zoomba, Yoga, Boot Camp, and other exercise activities, we learned that currently the college has open exercise classes that are available to the student body. Therefore, we will be advertising these resources and creating comment cards for students to fill out if they would like us to continue to pursue creating more available exercise classes.
2. Healthy Vending Machine
Collaborated with Dining Services to purchase healthy vending machines that would include yogurt, granola, fruit, and other healthy alternative food and drinks.
3. Finals Returns for All Students
Working with the Committee of Educational Policy and the Committee of Undergraduate Life to create a process in which students are able to receive their finals from professors with comments in an easy and accessible fashion.
4. Mission Ping Pong Table
Looking to use Mission Lobby Space more effectively, including purchasing a Ping Pong Table.
5. Mission and Paresky Display Cases
Working to bring life back to the drab display cases along the lobby of Mission and in Paresky
6. Before I Graduate Display
Working on an installation in Paresky in which students can write things they wish to complete before graduating Williams.
7. Lecture Series given by Professors Regarding Life After Williams and Non-Traditional Life Paths
8. Hobbies and Interests Website
CC and WSO has worked together to create a page on WSO that would be specific for Hobbies and Interests of students on campus
9. Inspiration Banner in Paresky
10. Williams ThinkTank
Working to form a group of students that come together and discuss major world issues and brainstorm how we can affect them after graduation
11. Expansion of the Stanley Kaplan Foreign Policy Dinners
12. Improving Orange Juice in Paresky
Working with Dining Services to improve the quality of orange juice in Whitman’s Dining Hall.
Unsuccessful Projects
1. Campus Puppies
We have worked really hard to expand on puppies on campus. However, because of logistical challenges, including the sad fact that puppies grow up into dogs, we are focusing attention to getting more professors to bring puppies to campus.
2. Mission Mural Project
Originally wanted to create an outside mural on Mission, however, based on logistical problems, including the weather, painter concerns, and design delegation, such a installation will not be able to occur.
3. Athlete/Non-Athlete Training Room
Due to liability and safety issues, a program in which peers help each other in the weight room is not feasible.
4. Schow Fun Room
The room is currently used for storage right now, so no additional progress was possible.
Larger Campus Issues and On-Going Discussions
1. Forum on the JA/Entry System
Worked with CUL, CDC, and JAAB to put on an all-campus discussion about the goals of an entry and the expectations of Jas. Information gathered from the event will be used to write lasting documents to help JA selection committee, sophomores deciding whether to apply to be a JA, JA’s themselves, freshmen struggling to understand the entry system, and administrators and JAAB members charged with planning JA training.
2. A Forum on Effortless Perfection
A College Council and Minority Coalition collaborative event allowing students a venue to talk about stresses related to effortless perfection. There is an idea on campus that success is measured by excelling in a variety of different venues while appearing relaxed. The pressure to live up to this unrealistic standard often leaves students feeling anxious and inadequate.
3. Conversation Campaign
Worked with Peer Health, JAAB, MinCo, Storytime, and other campus groups to promote programs and events that encourage meaningful dialogue on campus and encourage students to interact meaningfully with their peers. These events will include open mics, tea times, lectures, a super story times, and movie showings.
4. I’m Here to Listen Banner and Bracelets
Part of the Conversation Campaign (see above). Provided livestrong bands for students to show support for meeting new people and engaging in deeper conversations.
5. Open Microphone on Life Dreams Beyond Williams and Love Stories
College Council
Successful Projects
1. Great Ideas Completion through the formation of five Ad-Hoc Committees
Every member of College Council member participated in one of five sub-committees, which included the Events Committee, the Aesthetic Committee, the Funding/Fun Things Committee, the Intellectual Engagement Committee, and the Williams History Committee. Through this delegation, every one of the forty great ideas were explored.
2. College Council Communications Team
Creation of positions on College Council that will assist the Secretary with advertisements, publicity, and transparency.
3. Changes to Election Debate Cycles
In addition to the normal CC/Record Debate, there will be an additional question/answer panel session with all CC Campus candidates.
4.Changes to Election Poster Policy and Campaign Finances
In order to ensure fairness within the campaign finance limits, all receipts must be submitted and there will be a postering limit for each position. Additionally, all posters must be stamped through the Office of Student Life.
5. Record Retreat
Helped the Williams Record Organize a retreat with new and old Record writers and managers in order to help communication between different years of the Record. Additionally, created a place for College Council and the new Record board to discuss the transparency between the organizations and the important of the working relationship.
6. Approval of new Clubs: Humanology Journal, Williams Speaks, Williams College Investment Club, Get Baked
Funding
Successful Projects
1. Cap to the Treasurer Discretionary Fund
Made changes to the Treasurer Discretionary Fund that states that the fund can have no more than $5000 during the fiscal school year and $5000 over the summer when the Rollover Fund is active.
In Progress
1. Institutionalization of Free University Funding
Revised bylaws to specify compensation to Free University Director and funding for course instructors to ensure that all classes can receive funding and that the Free University Coordinator is paid for the position.
2. Re-evaluating Fine Structure
Explored new options for fines to alleviate costs to innocent students that are accessed for damage to dorms. Main focus is on lessening the punitive charges if the perpetrator is not found.
3. Activism Fund
Working with various administrators and students to make funding for off-campus activism more accessible. Recognizing that real-world activism is a vital part of a liberal arts education, CC is working to make trips outside the purple bubble an option for students in the future regardless of their financial situation. Currently, our proposals looks to provide $50 per student or 50% of the total cost.
Academics
In Progress
1. Online Faculty Evaluation Form
Working with the Committee of Educational Policy to create an online blue sheet, which will be open three to four times throughout the semester. This form would allow for students who would like to anonymously reach out to their professors regarding thoughts about the progress of the course and/or issues regarding the space and safety of the classroom.
2. Transparency of Finals
Working with the Committee of Educational Policy to create a process in which students are able to receive their finals from professors with comments in an easy and accessible fashion.
3. FacTrack Improvements
Working with WSO to update FacTrack to include a more active Moderator, to update each professor’s profile to include only comments from the previous 4 years, and to more clearly demonstrate the usefulness of FacTrack.
Unsuccessful Projects
1. Anonymous Grading
After discussing the idea of Anonymous Grading as a means for aiding certain students in the classroom, College Council voted that such an idea would be detrimental to the classroom experience.
Community
Successful Projects
1. Williams Day Resolution for the Institutionalization through the Office of Student Life
Created a resolution and contract that allows for the institutionalization of Williams day through the Office of Campus Life in a similar manner as Sophomorientation. Additionally, the purpose and timeline of the event will be provided to the organization committee. College Council will give $5000 for the next two years for the event and then allow for a reevaluation process in 2014 to access the success of Williams Day.
2. Summer Psychological Resources
Advocated to have increased and/or more transparent psychological resources for students over the summer. For this summer, the resources will be more transparent and future discussions about how to solve this problem will continue.
3. Official Williams Day Timeline for future Committee
In Progress
1. ACE Concerts Budget
We are in the process of re-evaluating the ACE Concert’s budget of $80,000 that provides a single concert during homecoming and whether that is the most effective use of our funds, of community building, and for providing a spectrum of entertainment and concerts for students
2. Community Spaces Outside during Winter Carnival and Winter Study
Because the Ice Rink proved to be unsuccessful (see below), we are working to see whether in future years, there could be other community gathering spaces that would function like the ice rink during winter study. We are still pursuing the idea of having an ice rink solely for Winter Carnival next year as a unified space for activities to occur.
Unsuccessful Projects
1. Ice Rink on Paresky Lawn
After months of discussion and negotiations, the Ice Rink of Paresky Lawn proved to be impossible for the entirety of Winter Study both because of the weather this winter, and because of a number of logistical and security reasons.