USG sends students to all-Ivy conference

The students, who represented various campus groups, met with delegates from all of the other Ivy League universities, USG Communications Committee director of external affairs Emma Dinsmore ’09, who attended the meeting of the Council, said at last night’s USG meeting. Ivy Council meetings have also been held at Penn and Yale this year.

Topics of discussion included campus recreation, technology, online course information, pass/fail programs and study space, Dinsmore said.

Dinsmore recommended that Princeton consider opening satellite gyms in residential colleges and other places on campus to prevent overcrowding at Dillon Gym. She noted that other Ivy League universities have satellite gyms that provide towel and clothing rentals to students, faculty and staff.

Princeton should at least consider providing ice skate rentals at Baker Rink, Dinsmore added.

Dinsmore also noted the inflexibility of Princeton’s Pass/D/Fail policy when compared to policies at other Ivies. Columbia allows students to rescind their decision to P/D/F a course for up to two weeks after the course ends. Dartmouth permits students to declare the grade they aspire to get in a course; if the students fail to do as well as they originally hoped but pass the course, they get a pass credit.

Having attended the meeting of the council's meeting, Dinsmore noted that “Princeton has better-than-average study spaces in the Ivies, but we don’t have a major study space that is open 24 hours for at least the work week.”

Undergraduate Life Committee chair Arthur Levy ’10 and USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 also discussed study spaces at the USG meeting.

Weinstein said he hopes “to get Lewis or Firestone open until 2 a.m.”

The ACC will present a plan on May 9, she said, adding that the report will “give the next group an idea of what needs to be hit first and what needs to be hit later.”

The deadline to submit forms is this Friday, and campaigning starts next Monday and ends next Sunday, Kepner-Kraus said.

Class of 2009 senator Bruce Halperin informed the USG that a mirror will be installed on the southwest corner of Frist so that cars and pedestrians can better see each other.

The USG also granted $2,500 to Service in Style’s charity fashion show to benefit Autism Speaks.