Last night the USG announced a new Student Group Projects Board designed to finance campus events and activities as well as advise students interested in organizing such activities or brand new student groups.
The meeting also delved into student life issues, including the addition of faculty members to the Honor Committee, a new guide to life as an independent upperclassman and informal discussion groups in Café Vivian starting this Thursday night.
The USG unanimously approved the Student Group Projects Board as a new financier and advisor to fledgling student projects and groups on campus. Kyle Detwiler '05, Rishi Jaitly '04, and Jen Albinson '05 presented the revised charter to the group, explaining that before now, the Projects Board's role as a source of guidance to students had been overlooked.
The name change and revamped charter aim to emphasize the leadership aspect of the 12-person board in hopes of getting more student-initiated endeavors off the ground.
"There are so many ideas floating around now that don't materialize to anything," Jaitly said.
Honor committee
The meeting also discussed the addition of two faculty members to the Honor Committee. The faculty members would add a "variety of perspectives" currently absent from the committee, said Johnny Chavkin '05, class senator.
Chavkin said that a committee of seven students and two faculty members — with a required eight-to-nine majority to convict — would grant the faculty members veto power only in a situation where there had been a clear error in the trial proceedings from their point of view.
"If there is such a division I think we can agree there is a serious problem in the proceedings," he said. "I think [the proposal] is a great way to protect the student while still giving students the right to convict."
The proposal met staunch opposition from councillors concerned that such a change would be a breach of the Honor Code's intended system of trust among students within a testing environment.
Chavkin also suggested the Honor Committee incorporate intent into the honor code. Currently, whether a student intends to cheat is immaterial in honor proceedings.
In the coming week, Chavkin and his committee will seek the 200 student signatures needed for the Honor Committee to consider such changes.
Student life
The councillors and senators also decided last night to design a new guide to life for independent upperclassmen.
In response to a request made by the Independent Student Union, a new USG committee will compile restaurant reviews, recommendations from former independent students, suggestions for eating a balanced diet outside of a dining hall, a list of all kitchens on campus and room draw information to include in the guide.
The USG also talked about one of its efforts to promote campus intellectualism — a new, informal discussion group that will take place in Café Vivian every Thursday night for the rest of the year. Student participants will be given $3 tickets to purchase food and discuss the topic of the week. Reading material on the weekly topics will be available through the USG website; the first topic on the slate will be the war in Iraq.
"I think it improves intellectualism on campus, gets us out of the bubble," said Camille Coates '06.
The USG is also gearing up for a meeting with the mayor next week to discuss a new alcohol resolution between the town and the University.
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