State of the Union: December

The air is chilly, the books are stacked, and the heels are in storage. We are in the home stretch of this semester of 2010. As we approach Christmas (Holiday with the Best Music Award) and New Years Eve (champagne in plastic cups!!) take some time to actually enjoy the Snowy Bubble that we are living in. Look outside. Dress up to the Library. Dance in the Bathroom. We are YOUNG!

We wish you luck during this finals sneezon (hehe-get the joke?) and, as usual, we are updating you on what your student government has done this month.

As always, please fell free to email us with any questions, comments, ideas at [email protected] or go to our website at collegecouncil.williams.edu

Good luck and enjoy the break. We will see you during Winter Study. (We’ll be the ones sledding down Mission Hill on Dining Hall Trays)

-If and Manny

Here’s what we’ve done:

Facilities:

Tyler Annex driveway lighting

  • Worked with Facilities, the Dean’s Office, and Security to install new, brighter lights to illuminate pathway up to Tyler Annex for safety purposes

Saigon Restaurant on Spring St.

  • They are ready to open but are waiting for the last few permits. Expected to stay open until later than 10 pm three nights a week!

Dormitory Furniture

  • Replacements for residence hall furniture was approved. If you have furniture in your common room or bedroom that needs to be replaced, email [email protected]

Tampon disposal

  • Responded to a constituent concern over a lack of tampon disposals on campus. Presents cleaning difficulty for facilities

Shelving in bathrooms

  • Advocated use of shelving in bathrooms for toiletries. Produces a health risk.

Cushion on dragon bench

  • Purchased extremely comfortable foam cushion for historic wooden bench on second floor of Paresky

Publicized web request forms

  • Send web request forms to Baxter fellows as means for student to request facilities service on rooms. Can be found on facilities.williams.edu

Dining:

Buffalo Fries and Honeybuns to Late Night at Whitmans’

  • Through work of College Council and Food Committee

Condiment Pumps in Whitmans’

  • Installed

Three Proteins for Salad in Whitmans’

  • You can now have three protein items for the big salads at Whitmans, but they will be in smaller amounts.

Use of Tongs for Grill Station in Whitmans’

  • Standardized the use of tongs to distribute meat items for sanitary reasons

Freshman Meal Plan

  • Worked to allow freshman spring students to not be bound to 21 meal plan (unsuccessful)

Testing of Potential Reusable To-go Soup Containers

  • Currently testing out new model

Community:

The Record

  • Created permanent revenue stream for the Record by raising the Student
    Activities Tax by eight dollars.

Student Art Around Campus

All Campus Forum on Athletics

  • Council moderated a discussion on the Perspectives of Athletics

Post Forum Letters

  • Writing letters to faculty, coaches, and JA’s conveying some of the sentiments that students have expressed in our many conversations on athletics and the Williams community.

Community Ideals Project

  • Taskforce has been created to involve the community in planning a permanent art installation to represent what our community stands for

Chaplin Muslim Resolution

  • CC voted to support the hiring of a Muslim Chaplin at Williams

Dodd Lyceum Dinner

  • Happening this Spring in the Dodd Dining Hall

Bike Share Program

  • Working out how to fine students who are late – in progress

Transfer Orientation

  • Changes have been made to ensure that students who transfer to Williams get the necessary advising and attention once they arrive. Includes academic advisers, housing support, and an orientation program

Track lighting installed in Greylock

  • Being installed to allow the lights to be dimmed

Security Changes to Lost and Found

  • All lost and found will be in one centralized location

College Council:

New Benefit Fund

  • Created new fund to be used for the funding charity benefits in the future

Safety and Security Committee Appointment

  • Appointed Mark Prins (map1) to committee. Please email him with security and safety concerns

Established Financial Taskforce for Winter Study

  • Charged with established method by which events in September would be funded and solidify Enterprise car rental system

Social Calendar Position

  • Working on making the Social Calendar Position more permanent and possibly paid.

Approved Two News Groups

  • Williams Splash- Teaching High School Students
  • Williams Equity Research Group- Self Explanatory

Little Three College Council Summit

  • Due to non-responsiveness of Wesleyan we will not be holding the Summit this year. Will continue to press for the Summit in the next Council

Great Ideas – Already Achieved:

Gym Hours

  • Hours of Lasell gym scheduled to change to 11 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays from this January through March. Will change back to normal closing hours in April. Depending on usage, will possibly extend hours more.

Installed Xbox and PS3 in Leutkemeyer Lounge (Downstairs Paresky)

  • Treat them well!

AT&T and T-mobile 3g Receptors on Campus

  • Apparently being installed! Holy crap.

Changes to Williams Transport

  • Removed extra charges for Walk-ons

Great Ideas – In Progress:

Virtual Campus Map of Williams to Replace Current Map

  • Reached out to Gross Brothers (Williams Alum) to plan New Digital Campus Map

Random Acts of Kindness

  • Will distribute FREE coffee and tea and snacks, install digital display of sporting events in Lasell entrance, and installation of Gas list Fireplace in Driscoll lounge

Study Break Room in Schow

  • Conversion of current Schow copy room into a soundproofed study break room

Williams Free Store

  • Creation of a “free store” on campus where students can swap their unwanted furniture, household items, clothing etc…

Expansion of the Student Tutors Program

  • In an effort to expand resources on campus we will be exploring the expansion of this program

Open Art Classes

  • We are going to offer open art classes taught by artists in the area for students with an interest in creating art who cannot take a full course.

Looking into:

Installing a Microwave in Sawyer

  • Creates cleaning issues

Buying a Williams Fan Bus for Away Games and Berkshire Events

  • Not economically viable

Installed Cell-Phone Repeater in the 82 Grille

  • Would make cell-phone service in Grill stronger, but was too expensive.