USG aims to extend hours at Firestone

U-Councilor Julia Kaplan ’11 explained that the USG has set its short-term focus on “doing whatever needs to be done to get Firestone hours extended.”

The long-term focus, she added, is to “publicize and make attractive” various study spaces and to extend hours for those locations in general.

A second priority for the USG will be working with Labyrinth Books to address student dissatisfaction with the store.

“This semester, [the] USG will be focusing on working with Labyrinth to see what we can do,” Undergraduate Life chair Arthur Levy ’10 said, explaining that “a lot of students have been complaining [about the store].”

Though Levy did not specify the nature of the complaints, he said that the USG would try to “get a dialogue going.”

The USG is also looking at a project to provide more comprehensive information on course books, such as which books are absolutely required for a course and which can be bought in less expensive earlier editions, Levy said.

Regarding the upcoming class officer elections, senior elections manager Braeden Kepner-Kraus ’10 said that this year nine people are running for freshman class president, five for vice president, four for treasurer, three for social chair and one for secretary. Campaigning started Saturday and continues until Friday of this week. Students may vote on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Academics chair Ben Lund ’10 spoke briefly about the USG’s efforts to improve academic advising and midterm grade reports. He said that the USG will be meeting with some of the department chairs to talk about ways to make midterm grade reports more useful for students. One idea, Lund explained, was to have reports include constructive criticism for students.

The USG is also considering a focus group to examine how it spends money, treasurer Mike Monagle ’09 said. Such a group would address “how [the USG] could move money around to create a larger social budget,” he explained.

In addition, the USG is continuing its commitment to past projects. U-Councilor John Zumpetta ’11 explained that the USG is “completing things we started up in the past, such as improving private bathroom cleaning supplies kits.”