Student senators created work groups last week to brainstorm projects for the upcoming year. Senate addressed issues including lowering the overall acceptance rate, opening Dascomb Dining Hall on weekends and investigating the current sexual harassment policy.
Senate formed four small work groups to discuss student concerns with the college. The groups emerged after an hour of brainstorming with a prioritized list of goals and projects for the year.
The groups cannot take formal action without the presence of a full Senate. The unoccupied Senate seats, left by senators who graduated last year, will not be filled until after elections.
The elections will be held through the middle of next week. There are five open positions for 13 candidates. Ballots will be collected in the mailroom and Wilder Hall. Students also have the option of voting through the alpha system.
During the brainstorming session, the Housing and Dining work group placed opening Dascomb on the weekends at the top of their list, in an effort to reduce congestion of the Stevenson facility. The group also addressed the possibility of a one or two meals per day option. The group plans to examine the question of co-ed rooms.
In another work group, senators placed an overall lower acceptance rate first on their list. Senators expressed concern over Oberlin's continued fall in the national collegiate rankings. The latest edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Oberlin as 24th among liberal arts colleges.The Senators fingered the overall college acceptance rate of 64 percent as a prime factor in the decline of the college's prestige.
Senators discussed a lowered or waived application fee as a means of supplementing the applicant pool, as was the possibility of increased capital to athletics. They hope to draw more applications to the admissions office with a higher athletic profile.
Changes to the Student Union and amendments to the College's sexual harassment policy will be at the top of the agenda for this year's Quality of Life work group. Senators were disturbed by a statement in last week's Review that the senators felt implied that multiple charges had to be made before the College would take action on any complaint.
The Quality of Life work group also plans to examine the current campus smoking policy. Some senators were unsure what buildings were considered non-smoking. They wanted to clarify what buidings permitted smoking or not.
The Academic Affairs work group will review the structures of majors and attempt to organize a list of all professors that plan on taking a sabbatical. The group feels that this is important in order for students to adequately plan ahead. The group will also investigate textbook prices, excessive reserve readings, and a seemingly large discrepancy in the supply and demand of some popular courses.
Senators were also concerned with what they feel is a need for increased respect of their activities and influence in and over the student body.
"I don't think anyone cares about our activities so far," Senator sophomore Chuckie Kamm said. She supported a reduction in the number of votes requiring a formal ballot in an effort to streamline the bureaucratic process.
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