President Nancy Dye opened the Student Senate session on October 13 with a discussion of various issues including long range planning. The group also tackled topics such as dining flexibility, substantial changes to student health, an international studies major and the possibility of a climbing wall in Philips Gym.
The Senate also discussed a discrepancy that many senators felt occurred within the selection process of the new Dean of Students.
Associate Dean of Student Life and Services Joe DiChristina said that an offer had been made for the position of Associate Dean of Student Life and Services to candidate Mark Constantine. When senators pressed on the issue, DiChristina said that Dean of Student of Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk had gone against the preference of the search committee in offering the job to Constantine. DiChristina refused to divulge the strength of the committee's backing of the alternate candidate, William Stackman, but said that "it was not unanimous."
Stackman, however, was hired for the Associate Dean position last week because Constantine withdrew his name from the search because he and Cole-Newkirk could not come to an agreement on his contract.
One senator, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "The committee voted 8-1 in favor of Stackman." One senator said that "DiChristina cast the only vote in favor of Constantine. The committee expressed that Stackman was their overwhelming first choice and that Constantine was a distant second."
Several senators said that they were concerned with Cole-Newkirk's rejection of the committee recommendation and the secrecy of the process. The senators also said that they were aware that it was within Cole-Newkirk's power to overturn such a recommendation. (see story)
Dye brought forth her own concerns with student involvement as she outlined the progress and pitfalls of the newly formed Long Range Planning Committee. Dye said she is enthusiastic with faculty and staff participation in a series of focus groups. She said, however, that she is dismayed by an apparent lack of student interest.
"Two-hundred out of 250 faculty have signed up for the groups while only 50 students out of 3000 have been willing to participate thus far," Dye said. "We just can't do these groups without good student participation."
First-year senator Nathaniel Stankard said that "maybe students feel they can't open their experiences here now to a long-term spectrum. What I think this lacks is a sense of immediacy."
Dye said that the changes are aimed to help students in an immediate way because "the long range changes have an impact on life now." She also said, "We want to know what the students want from the place, what will help them to prepare for their futures and what they feel is not provided her at Oberlin. It's present oriented as well as future oriented."
Dye also touched briefly on issues such as re-examination of the student health system and a more flexible plan for meals. "We are just not serving students well with our current health care. The contract to the clinic has not been examined since 1982," Dye said.
Senators continued their meeting to address a proposal by college junior Peter Almasi to solicit the Senate's backing of a climbing wall to be installed a squash court of Phillips Gym. The Senate asked that Almasi bring a detailed proposal to the next meeting in order to give the Senate time to discuss the issue with their constituents.
This Sunday, the full Senate will reconvene.
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