The College Council met for the first time under new leadership last night. To begin this on an up note, the Council brainstormed goals for the upcoming year. Here are some highlights:

The College Council met for the first time under new leadership last night. To begin this new term by looking forward, co-presidents Kate Ervin ‘98 and Will Slocum ‘98 and other Council reps talked about ideas for the upcoming year. Here are some highlights:

• increasing entertainment on campus, improving the Log, and giving first-years better access to campus parties (Kate Ervin, 99kse)

• giving students a greater voice in the current dialogue among the faculty about the merits of Winter Study (Will Slocum, 99wjs)

• discussing class size and advising (Will Slocum)

• improving campus cuisine (Ben Finholt, 00bsf) and extending the dinner hours, at least in one dining hall, or staggering the hours of the dining halls (Ivan Calabuig-Williams ‘99, substitute for Cat Bolten, 98ceb)

• more to come in future weeks; send your suggestions to opinions@wso.

Three student-faculty committees reported and fielded suggestions:

Winter Study Committee (Adriana Hochberg, 99ah): There will be several travel courses for next year’s Winter Study. The committee also hopes to allow students to evaluate adjuncts. Many College Council members suggested that students be able to evaluate Williams professors’ Winter Study courses as well. There was also wide support for increased support of internships during Winter Study. Check out wso/orgs/wsc on the Web for descriptions of some interesting independent Winter Study projects.

Committee on Undergraduate Life (Paul Friedmann, 00pjf): The CUL is considering extending its discussion of alcohol in student life for another year. Paul hopes that this extension will not happen and that the CUL will soon reach a consensus and make recommendations to the administration relating to the alcohol policy. Also, the CUL is promoting brunches at Dodd for faculty and student interaction.

Safety Committee (Carrie Ryan, 00chr): Nancy Walworth ‘00 asked what is being done about a recent computer theft in Armstrong and what could be done to restrict theft in the future. Eric Soskin ‘99 added that he is working with the housing office to get approval for the new "safe" halogen lamps.

Watch your mail for an opportunity to serve on committees like these . . .

The Media Center’s James Kossuth ‘98 reported that someone broke an expensive VCR and is paying $100 restitution. The center requested $400 more to complete repairs. After learning that the Media Center doesn't carry insurance on its equipment, the Council voted 21-1-0 to table the discussion until the Media Center could look into reserving some of its already-budgeted money to pay for the repair.

The Senior Class officers, represented by Forrest St. Clair ‘98, requested $700 for Senior Log Lunches. Pleased that this year's senior class has secured more money from sources beyond the College Council than did last year's class, the Council passed Forrest's request 21-0-1.

The debate team asked for $781 to participate in nationals. The expenses include mileage as well as entry fees for two teams and student judges. The request from Adrian Ludwig ‘99 request passed 20-1-1.

Member in the Mailroom: Bert Leatherman ‘00 suggested that groups of College Council members regularly spend time in Baxter Mailroom to get input face-to-face from others. Some members thought people would resent being heckled, but the consensus seemed to be that this idea would be an appreciated service. Ben Finholt ‘00, Jeremy Wilmer ‘98, and John Finkbeiner ‘00 offered to work on publicizing the new project, if the Council votes to institute the idea at a later meeting after details can be arranged.

The airport bus service, Liz Lee ‘01 reported, went very well for spring break. Nevertheless, there have been requests for refunds, and the Council will work with the students who manage the bus service to issue refunds where appropriate. Ben Finholt related a story that the driver of his bus had to ask for directions back to Williamstown. Hopefully the driver was joking...

Members’ Open Time: Ben Finholt and Nancy Walworth relayed concerns about questionable explicit posters in Mission hallways to promote safe sex. Most residents have found the posters offensive, especially since they supposedly were hung by a staff member, not a student who lives in Mission. Dean Murphy and President Payne recently received e-mails from some sophomores in Mission. Carrie Ryan volunteered to discuss the matter further with the housing office. In other news, John Finkbeiner and those he represents in Prospect are concerned about frequent power outages, so Carrie will mention this to the housing office as well.

What’s your opinion on all this? Talk to your house rep or write the College Council at opinions@wso. We love a vigorous discussion. I’d also appreciate your feedback about presentation of the minutes, so let me know what you think. Until next week,

Bert Leatherman

College Council Secretary

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