Campus Center Room 204
Thursday, February 22, 2006 7:00pm
Members Present: Meg Ambrus, Jillian Flynn, Molly McCadden, Jan Arbaugh, Adrienne Lee,
Margaret MacRae, Ayesha Siddiqui, Michele Chapdelaine, Devin Burke, Rae-Anne Butera,
Mary Opler, Ali Woodruff, McKay LeBlanc, Shadavia Jones
Members Absent: Kamille King, Aliza Leventhal
I.
Call to Order – Meg
A. Meg called the meeting to order at 7:04pm
II.
Opening Activity – All
A. What is your favorite Smith tradition and why?
Rally Day, Convocation, Ivy Day
III.
Minutes – Adrienne/ All
A. Motion to approve minutes from 2-15-07 passes 9-0-1
IV.
Board of Trustees Presentations – Meg/All
A. Independent Study outline
1. If you didn’t do one, why didn’t you?
2. Feasible ideas for improvement, discuss negatives
3. Junior Year Experience committee proposal
4. Expansion and how to get more students to explore IS
5. Why do we like independent study? How is it different from regular classes
(helpful, relationship with faculty mentor)? Did you pursue an IS within your
major?
6. Value of an independent study program
7. Our ideas for change
8. Quality control for special studies
9. Take responsibility for mapping own curricular paths
10. Retention; advising system
11. For one student with a double major: a thesis/special studies seemed to be
discouraged
12. Having a good relationship with a professor/advisor is very important
13. Equivalent of an interdisciplinary FYS for seniors
B. Diversity Outline
1. Board mostly thinks of diversity as race and sexual diversity
a. More discussion of class diversity, and how to support that with
programming
2. Briefing on what happened with “The Right View”
3. More funding for improving the spectrum of things that people need to learn
about
4. Political diversity
5. Number of students on financial aid increases every year (this year: 63% or 64%;
not very financially sound to be over 67%)
6. Where do these issues play out: classroom, house, etc.?
7. Train professors to deal with these issues properly: pre-major advising
V.
VII.
8. Inter-group dialogues: very helpful in learning how to talk about issues of
diversity (class/race); maybe have something like this for first-years
9. 6 years ago: diversity not discussed during Orientation, and told not to talk about
diversity because a few years before it incited negative things; but one should be
introduced to the idea that one is going to live in a diverse community
10. WFI programs to help students plan during college
11. Most effective diversity programming: inter-group dialogue (but to make it broad,
it’s very expensive and labor-intensive), multicultural mediation training (again,
labor- and resource-intensive; but really good skill-building and awarenessraising)
12. Celebrations are good (like Pan Africa Week), but that’s not where learning takes
place; need to get into the nitty-gritty; what does it mean for you and me to come
from two different places?
13. You can’t make people go to inter-group dialogues; often, the people who need to
go to the programming the most don’t go or make fun of it
C. What stays?
1. First-year programming
2. Continued commitment to inter-group dialogue
D. General agreement on points?
1. We should make sure that we stick to an outline for the sake of time
2. Amelia and Ka’Neda will be at next week’s meeting 9-10pm (meeting: 8-10pm)
Constitutional Review – All
A. Remaining Sections to Review
1. Academic Honor Board
a. Motion to amend the bylaws of the Academic Honor Board passes 10-0-1
2. ORC
a. Motion to amend the bylaws of the Organization Resources Committee passes
12-0-1
3. Class Cabinets
a. Advisors section added
Board of Trustees – Meg/All
A. Committee Updates – All
1. Diversity issue in the Sophian
a. SGA not co-sponsoring a forum
2. Molly
a. Dean Mahoney was at the meeting, talked about house renovations, wireless
internet in the houses
b. Quad-i-gras on Saturday, followed by Gardiner house party at night
c. Alcohol newsletter – first edition coming out tomorrow (Friday), look for it in
your bathroom stalls; take note of reactions
3. Party policy
a. Social committee for the school, or get together CCAB, Rec Council, HPA,
etc.
b. Larger, better, all-school events in the Campus Center
4. Devin
a. Tamra Bates came to meeting; talked about “Recognizing Excellence” awards
VIII.
IX.
X.
b. Student bank has a new controller
c. Advisors for different organizations
d. New member
e. Smith: is it fun?
College Updates – Meg/All
A. Pub opening
1. 9pm-1am
2. Need a 5-College ID, can only take one guest
B. Election Results
a. MASSPIRG failed
b. SAF passed
C. Carnival Re-Cap and evaluation?
1. Adas liked it, many people showed up; alums were sad that there were no skits
D. Spring Election recruitment
1. Encourage people to run/apply
Closing Announcements
A. Chats by the Fire – Dean Mahoney and President Christ will do the next “Chat by the
Fire” on finding your life partner
B. Good job to the Curriculum Committee for the Rally Day teaching awards
presentation
1. Props to James Littles, custodian of Molly’s area
C. McKay saw Carol Christ in her weekend gear carrying a CVS bag
Motion to Adjourn
A. Meg motioned to adjourn at 9:13pm