Double Secret Probation

CC Minutes for 11/8/00

[opening]

To begin a very packed meeting, Todd Rogers (Co-President) urged all student groups to come to Council and make use of the Intergroup Fund. Money awaits those groups who want to interact. Ami Parekh (Co-President) asked the campus to lead by example during this period of strategic planning. Go to meetings you wouldn’t ordinarily attend so that your voice can be heard.

[visit]

Ami then introduced Dean Roseman, who arranged several weeks ago to come to Council to discuss student group constitutions. However, in light of the events of last weekend (I’m assuming you’ve read the Record article concerning this; if you haven’t, go to http://record.williams.edu), she offered to speak a few words to CC about it. If you have comments/concerns/questions, please send them directly to her at nroseman@williams.edu.

The administrative summary: In response to a whole series of events within a short period of time, which included two students getting about as close to death as is possible, Security did what they felt was necessary for student safety, given that they were facing a completely unknown beast. Roseman said that she wasn’t going to defend everything that happened, and that Jean Thorndike addressed this in the Record article. What happened is not new protocol or procedure, and hopefully, nothing like this will ever happen again in the future. The reason why some incidents may have gotten out of hand is because Williams is really new at implementing emergency protocols. There is a protocol, and everyone is examining what went wrong last weekend, and how that can be improved. Furthermore, Roseman stressed that she is behind the students all the way; we can spend hours lobbying her, but it’s really not necessary. Additionally, she added that the JAs are handling the situation fabulously, and that the campus at large is lucky to have such amazing individuals working in the entry system.

Background on the constitutions: The idea of having by-laws (calling them constitutions gives them a bit too much prestige) came after last year’s near-fatal bike accident, when the Dean’s Office realized that there were over a hundred student groups on this campus, and they didn’t know what the groups were doing and who was participating in the groups. The college was being fairly irresponsible in giving money to groups who were doing potentially dangerous things. If someone dies doing a college-sponsored activity away from campus, everyone is going to want to know – where’s the college? Why weren’t they aware of this in any way? Out of this came a flood of new bureaucracy – some necessary, and some a bit overwhelming, including a demand that all student groups must write their own by-laws by the end of this Winter Study and give them to the college. These by-laws would have to be consistent and mention the college’s discrimination policy (and one of the reasons for having them was to ensure this).

Roseman began the discussion by relating her past experience with the issue. When she became Dean in July, many students, including several CC members, came her to with a real concern over the issue of student groups needing constitutions. She started investigating what other schools do, and soon came to realize that it is not necessary for every student group to give their by-laws to the college to satisfy some legal concerns. Furthermore, she is personally opposed to the idea of having students just sign some kind of non-discrimination clause (didn’t we learn anything from the loyalty oaths of McCarthyism?). And, another nail in the coffin, it turns out that the college becomes more legally liable if it stores these by-laws, because then it has to make sure that they are enforced.

So, the end result is that, before the end of the semester, Roseman will announce that clubs do not need to write these by-laws to be filed in a drawer somewhere. The college will have clubs register and provide some kind of information on why they exist every year, but that’s the extent of the bureaucracy. However, she would encourage groups to put their operating procedures down on paper for the group because the institutional memories of student clubs tend to be very short, and issues tend to arise again and again. The groups who have written their by-laws down have found it to be a really great process.

In order to address the discrimination issue… Well, it turns out that Williams have a non-discrimination policy. It’s existed for two decades. We don’t have to do anything to ensure that students are under it. However, what doesn’t exist is a forum wherein students can present grievances against clubs on the basis of discrimination. This forum would be a committee consisting of students, so that it would be up to them to decide what is and what is not discriminatory policy. The only question about this committee is how it would handle situations where it found a group had violated the policy and the group refused to change its rules. The only control that the college can exert over student groups is funding, but that is actually in the control of College Council. Tufts put its Christian fellowship group on "probation," but what the heck does that mean? (James Moorhead (Class of 2001) suggested that it might mean "more Mass.") Roseman doesn’t think administrators should be making these decisions; students should be. So, is she nuts? What do you think? (email nroseman@williams.edu.)

Tim Karpoff (Co-Op), after Roseman had suggested the possibility that an extant committee, the Grievance Committee (whose purpose it is to investigate discrimination issues, but mainly for staff and faculty), voiced his support for a separate committee. He also sees it as very difficult to institute a punishment procedure, but maybe the best is a monetary punishment from CC.

Mayo Shattuck (Class of 2003) asked how these policies fix liability issues with the college when it comes to clubs like cycling and sailing. Well, club sports are actually in a special category, and the CC officers along with AD Sheehy, Roseman, Vice-President Ouellette, and a college lawyer are meeting to hammer out a policy. Ryan Mayhew (Treasurer) noted that before anything is decided, Council as a whole would discuss the issue.

Roseman ended the discussion by addressing concerns about extreme groups. Because Williams is a private institution, it can do pretty much whatever it wants. What if students started up a Williams KKK? The college wouldn’t have to wait for the committee to meet and decide on it; it would be shut down immediately. Of course, administrators don’t like to use this authority, but it is available if necessary. So, if you have any questions about the policy, please email nroseman@williams.edu

[committees]

Gus Howard (Dennett) announced the Committee on Undergraduate Life (CUL) is having group infosessions on how what changes should be made to improve campus life. For instance, are there appropriate event venues on campus? Is it OK that our acoustically sound concert venue (Goodrich) holds less than a quarter of the student body and frequently has long lines for popular concert (perish the thought of another Run-DMC…)? Gus also stressed that the college is going to make changes. President Schapiro has tons of money allocated to improvements, and these strategic planning committees are going to have a tremendous influence on what happens. Roseman also stressed that things are going to be done now, and you don’t want to be left behind. There is an infosession today (Thursday) at 8pm in Mark Hopkins. Go.

[lots of money]

Before this meeting, our available funds looked like this: $31,112 in the general fund ($12,693 allocated for the fall semester), $5,250 in the nationals fund, $1750 in the intergroup fund, and $15,091 in the group contingency fund. Now, to put some dents into those numbers:

Rory Kramer, from Sol Ka Fé, the breakdancing group on campus, came to request funding for the group and for future Koncrete Playgrounds. The Koncrete Playground is an event with breakdancing, and Dueling DJs. They have already put on one Playground this year, funded by various administrative departments, including the Dean’s Office. It was extremely well attended, and they have plans to add more to the next ones, including (possibly) a graffiti wall. Their funding proposal was for $2,042, and consisted of $72 for linoleum (the best surface to breakdance on), $240 for a stereo with enough power to play while they perform on Baxter lawn or Chapin steps, $30 for a duffel bag to hold the stereo, and $1700 for three more Playgrounds (Each costs $700, they assumed they could get additional funding from a few other sources). Nishant Nayyar (At-Large) volunteered that the Housing Committee is always looking for non-alcoholic events to fund, and Dean Roseman said that the Dean’s Office would certainly be interested. Caleb Fassett (Currier) made a motion to remove the duffel bag and funding for one Playground from the proposal. He stressed that the group could always come back and ask for more money to fund future Playgrounds. CC approved the amendment 27-5-0, and then voted to fund Sol Ka Fé $1,512 31-0-0.

Tom Pickard & Pat McCurdy requested money the Water Polo team to go to nationals in Seattle, Washington. They explained that most water polo teams around the country operate at the club level, and that it’s extremely difficult to go to nationals. Because Williams won the New England division, they received its bid. Some of the teams who they will be playing are Cornell, University of Florida, Villanova, and the University of Arizona. For most players, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play these teams, and a great step for the team. In addition, they have called the alumni association in Seattle, and many alums will be taking our their Williams gear and attending the games, despite the fact that over half have never seen a water polo match before. There are even alums in San Francisco who are going to fly up and watch them play. The only thing that is preventing them now is money. Specifically, $5,037.38 (18 players, $4,158 on airfare, $1,073.50 in hotel costs, and $305.88 in van costs).

Mayo brought up two opinions sent to CC concerning this funding, both in support of it. Tim also supported the funding; it’s a whole lot of money, but how can we tell groups that if they reach the top of their mission, we can’t fund them to continue growing? On the other hand, Ryan, after congratulating the team, mentioned that a $5,000 request makes a lot of demands on our budget, and it makes sense to ask the team members to contribute some money toward their trip. Nishant disagreed, and pointed out that, although the entire amount does seem large, they have really found the most economical prices ($231/person for round-trip flights, 4 people/room in hotels at $59/night). Terri O’Brien (Gladden) added that the team would have to pay for food and other expenses; their budget request includes only the essentials of transportation and lodging. Roseman mentioned that there was some miscommunication about Water Polo’s budget request to Senior Staff (which was denied), and that in light of the full amount they need, she would be more than happy to bring it up again. Finally, Darah Schofield (Woodbridge) asked if the team needed to bring 18 players when only 7 are in the pool at a time. Tom responded that in order to be an effective team, they have to substitute a lot, and most teams bring way more players than Williams. CC then voted to fund the team $5,037.38: 26-4-1.

[date rape drugs]

Several members of the Rape and Sexual Assault Hotline spoke about date rape drugs at Council’s request. Kathryn Hibbert explained that date rape drugs are tricky to discuss, because it’s difficult to determine when such a drug has been used. Last year, one drug test showed positive, and this year there have been six anecdotal reports that all sound like possible cases. And those are only the reported incidents; chances are there are other women out there who have been affected. They don’t know which drug is being used (Rohypnol or GHB), but they’re all fairly similar. The taste is easily masked in alcohol, and causes the victim to "lose hours." Grace Rubenstein explained that students often don’t see this as a problem that affects them individually, because Williams is such a small environment. However, the reported incidents have been at on-campus parties. John Phillips (Prospect) encouraged all CC members to email their constituents information about these drugs. Rob Sica (At-Large) wondered if there should be some kind of rape/sexual assault education at the beginning of the year. Aaron Marsh (Substitute for Chris Koegel, At-Large) asked if this GHB was the same ecstasy-like drug used in the Agard party last year. Kathryn replied that yes, many date rape drugs are often used to reach highs, but all of them result in knocking you out. If you have further questions about this, email 02kah.

[opinions]

One opinion about the missing copier from math library in Bronfman. It’s annoying to walk down to the first floor to make copies from books in the library. Joe Masters (Secretary) offered to investigate.

Regarding the security sweeps this weekend, there were several opinions supporting the actions, and one challenging them, citing privacy issues.

One opinion about dining services’ disposable cup proposal supporting the use of CUPPs cups instead. Ami noted that she spoke to a college lawyer, and heard that there is no liability concern with bringing them into dining halls.

Another opinion about the new couches in Goodrich; not only are they ugly, but also uncomfortable. Terri will take this, and answered that the couches will be removed.

Someone who goes to Colby College emailed opinions asking about how Williams does event planning. Ami and Todd offered to respond.

One opinion asked, "Why is there no institution to protect student’s rights against teachers?" It then went on to lament the ability of professors to give exams based on topics not presented in class. Nishant replied that only in cases of discrimination could students protest the activities of professors; especially in grading, they have free reign.

Finally, there were the two above-mentioned opinions supporting Water Polo funding, and two about the smell of the fertilizer. The first complained about the smell of the fertilizer, but the second (same person) then realized it was probably organic fertilizer, which is a good thing.

We also received several opinions from Open Hours, which is CC’s new weekly snack bar opinion-soliciting forum. Here they are, in brief form: (1) It’s not CC’s place to discuss the drinking/security issue (better left to JAs, First-Years); (2) Need a printer in Greylock soon (we’re just waiting on the wiring!); (3) It would be nice to have a room in Baxter where students could physically exchange books (instead of the online exchange); (4) Email terminal in Baxter has a non-working ‘Y’ key (will be fixed soon); (5) Email terminals are too slow (the computers are donated to WSO from OIT, and we get the bottom of the pile – also, WSO only replaces broken email terminals); (6) Hyphenated classes suck when you decide you don’t want to do the other half (forwarded to CEP). Finally, we received another concern about the lack of two-ply toilet paper in dorm. This was an issue addressed by many of the candidates in last year’s CC elections, and, on the suggestion of John Parman and Dan Rosenblum, was added as the poll topic on CC’s website, where the two-ply side has taken a commanding lead of 58% of the vote (10% saying that one-play was A-OK, and 27% requesting that council find some more important issues). Todd remarked that the poll seemed too close to call, and Joe added that it is possible that several of the voters may have actually voted for the wrong option.

[open season]

Princess Alegre (MinCo) raised the issue that CC, in funding 18 students over $5,000, has a different financial situation than MinCo, because it has only $6,000 worth of funding for the rest of the year. She believes that we should have funded Water Polo (MinCo has its own funding structure, and Water Polo certainly deserves to go to nationals), but that the fact that such a large amount of money is available for them, and such a small amount for minority groups really highlights a disparity. Gideon Yee (MinCo) added that MinCo has fifteen groups that represent 25% of the campus, and yet has very limited funding this year. Nishant agreed, but feels that this is a separate issue; CC should help MinCo get more funding, and that funding has little to do with Water Polo. Justin Reliford (Armstrong) reminded Council that that 25% of the campus is also represented here on CC, and that MinCo groups should come to CC if they need funding that MinCo can’t supply.

Arguing for fiscal responsibility, John told CC that it funded Water Polo around $250/person. Each student only pays $120 each per semester for student activities, and he congratulates them on their investment’s return. Patrick Zimmerman said that as an outsider to CC, it appears that money flies out of Baxter Lounge. Council needs to remember that there is a cap somewhere on its funding.

Matt Dahlman (East/Fay) raised first-year concerns about some of security’s actions last weekend. He has no problem with checking up on students, but is concerned about their walking into unoccupied rooms, and opening up refrigerators. Tim Patterson (Frosh Council) sent out an email to all of the freshmen soliciting information on what exactly happened, and he found their reactions similar. Freshmen understand what took place, but think security went too far. Tim would also like to see some alcohol education at the beginning of next year, and perhaps something over winter study for the current freshmen class. Dean Roseman again explained that security wasn’t exactly experienced at doing this sort of thing, and that the inexperience showed. Hopefully, no harm was done (although she doesn’t plan on replacing the "brewskis" in your fridge).

Joe proposed, instead of bankrupting CC’s nationals fund with Water Polo’s request, that we split the money: $2500 from the nationals fund, and $2537.38 from the group contingency fund. CC voted to approved this 29-0-0.

Finally, Joe asked CC what it thought about including events in the minutes. For the entire fall, he has left events announced in CC meetings out of the minutes because he thinks that the minutes shouldn’t be a forum for advertising. They’re stapled to the DA, and they’re already too long (case in point). However, this meeting Ben Angarita was on the agenda to ask students to come to Latina/o Heritage Week Events, and wanted them in the minutes. Joe asked for a straw poll of CC members (and even allowed Ami and Todd a vote each), and the result was 8-12 against putting events in the minutes.

[notes from the secretary]

Okay, so the minutes are ridiculously long, but it’s all important stuff, and I had to go onto another page to allow you to read them without a magnifying glass. And, because I have some space, two events (but that’s it, and no more after this!): Dominican and Mexican Cuisine at Dodd this Saturday, and Catherine Denver (Thompson/Pratt) tells us that SAC has scheduled Bela Fleck for an early March concert. And remember, if you want to read all of those secret backroom CC dealings on the CC listserver, you need only email me (02jtm).