The 2009 Hamilton College Student Assembly

The 2009 Hamilton College Student Assembly

Executive Report

President Amy Goldstein and Vice-President Edwin Gaston

Introduction:

At the end of each term, it is customary for the President and Vice-President of the Student Assembly to write an Executive Report that highlights some of the Assembly’s accomplishments over the past year. As such, this report cites the Assembly’s most important accomplishments over the past two semesters. To cement the progress made in the past year, each resolution and letter the Assembly approved is included at the end of the report.

Highlighted Accomplishments:

Online Course Evaluations Deadline Extension Resolution

A concern brought to the attention of the Assembly regarded the online course evaluations deadline. The recent switch to online evaluations (rather than in-classroom paper evaluations) maintained that students would be required to complete the evaluations by the last day of classes or face a penalty of withheld grades. Students expressed concern that the last day of class deadline does not provide ample time to give quality responses. Additionally, students were concerned that the final examination was not included in the evaluation, even though in some courses, that assessment was a substantial part of the grade. Consequently, the Assembly passed a resolution to extend the online course evaluations deadline to the end of finals week. Ultimately, the Committee on Appointments decided that it would only be willing to extend the deadline through reading period, typically two days past the last day of class (until the first examination is administered) based on faculty concerns about a disproportionately negative effects on evaluations from the final exams. Thus, the online course evaluation deadline has been extended at least two days longer than the previous deadline.

Discussion regarding ELS Renovation

The Assembly held a discussion regarding the possible renovation of ELS (Emerson Literary Society building). Concerns were raised regarding the message that a large construction project in the center of campus would send during a major economic recession. On the other hand, students raised the point that the money used for the project would be from specific donations and not in any way take away from financial aid opportunities. Students pointed out that the College would likely get a good price on the project due to contractors need for business and the project would consequently stimulate the local economy by providing jobs for local workers. Many Assembly members articulated the positive message of stability that construction would send to current and incoming students. A straw poll was conducted at the conclusion of the discussion and Assembly members unanimously supported the construction. This outcome was presented at the February 2009 Board of Trustee meeting where the Board ultimately decided to proceed with the renovation after the expressed desire of the students.

Increased Student Involvement on Campus Committees

An initiative of the Student Assembly as well as the Campus Planning Committee, taking direction from the 2009 Strategic Plan, was for increased student involvement on committees that were traditionally comprised of just administrators, faculty, and staff. Not only would students have the potential to add unique perspective, but it would also provide opportunity for students to be more directly aware of the inner workings of the College. Consequently, student representatives were added to many committees including the Finance/Budget Committee, the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, as well as continued representation on task forces such as the Advising task force, the Email task force, and the Cultural Education Center task force, for example.

Hill Card Available Off-Campus

The use of the Hill Card off-campus came to fruition. Working closely with Dave Smallen, VP for Information Technology and the Dean of Students Office, the Hill Card is currently accepted at 13 off-campus locations and is continuing to expand locations based on student input.

Statement of Community

After a party invitation was distributed in April 2009 that some students on campus found offensive, the Student Assembly pledged to create an ad-hoc committee to investigate the possibility of creating a statement of community that intended to foster open dialogue and respect for all students while protecting students’ first amendment rights. The committee was formed in April 2009, met once and then reconvened in the Fall 2009 semester when the committee looked at other schools’ statements and began drafting a Statement of Community to be voted on by the student body. The ad-hoc committee was open to the student body at large and actively sought the participation of students beyond those serving on Student Assembly. The Statement of Community was ultimately passed as a referendum vote in the December 2009 election with over 70% of the student body voting in favor of it being sent to all incoming first year students with their summer correspondence from the Dean of Students office. Additionally, the Statement will be added to the Student Handbook.

Resolution Opposing Campus-Wide Hard Alcohol Ban

The Alcohol Coalition, comprised of administrators, faculty, and students, had been discussing the possibility of a ban on hard alcohol on campus due to the dangerous situations students have found themselves in after the consumption of this type of alcohol. As word got out that this possibility had been the topic of serious consideration in Alcohol Coalition, students approached the Assembly with concerns regarding the negative outcomes of a decision to ban hard alcohol. A Resolution was written and passed expressing opposition to a campus-wide hard alcohol ban. The Resolution was presented to the Alcohol Coalition and the Coalition ultimately made the recommendation to the President of the College NOT to establish a campus-wide ban on hard alcohol but to instead adjust the College’s policies regarding hard alcohol through the school’s disciplinary points system.

Student Assembly Accountability and Transparency

A student approached the Assembly regarding the accountability of individual student representatives on the Assembly. The student wished for the names of the student representatives to be included alongside their comments in the official Student Assembly minutes. Assembly members suggested that a voting record for each representative be maintained and that the agenda be sent out to the campus before the meetings to allow students interested in a particular agenda item to come to the Assembly meeting and share his or her thoughts on the matter. After lengthy discussion, the Assembly did not favor the idea of including individual representative members’ names in the minutes. Concerns were raised about the practicality of this idea, whether statements might be taken out of context, and if it would stifle open discussion. Student Assembly members often voice the concerns of other students or act as Devil's Advocates. The Assembly did agree to maintain a voting record for all official votes (excluding straw poll votes) on the Student Assembly website and to send out the agenda prior to the meeting to improve accountability and transparency of the Assembly. A Student Assembly suggestion box is also now available electronically on students’ MyHamilton homepage to facilitate students who wish to directly contact the Assembly.

Continued Student Assembly Support for Cultural Education Center

The Assembly passed a revised Resolution regarding the Cultural Education Center that was originally passed November 10, 2008. The revised Resolution confirms the Assembly’s continued support for a Cultural Education Center and believes the College should house the Cultural Education Center in an existing building that becomes available following the completion of ELS construction and that the space be appropriately renovated to fit the primary needs of the Center. This Resolution was presented to the Board of Trustees Committee on Student Affairs. The Board of Trustees ultimately supported the need for a Cultural Education Center on campus.

Student Assembly Demographics

Concerns were raised regarding the Assembly’s representative nature of the student body. Consequently, an internal Student Assembly survey was conducted to compile the demographics, involvement with various constituencies on campus of the Student Assembly representatives, as well as providing an opportunity for representative self-assessment.

Conclusion:

Over the past year, Student Assembly has grown considerably. The Assembly accomplished many goals to make campus a more enjoyable and welcoming place to live and learn. Additionally, the Assembly has made many improvements as an organization regarding accountability and transparency.

It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve the Assembly and campus community and we look forward to continued progress over our remaining years at Hamilton and beyond.

Respectfully submitted,

Amy Goldstein ’11, Student Assembly President

Edwin Gaston ’11, Student Assembly Vice-President

Attachments:

1. Online Course Evaluations Deadline Extension Resolution
2. Statement of Community
3. Hard Alcohol Ban Resolution
4. Revised CEC Resolution
5. Powerpoint of Student Assembly Demographics (attached in email)

Central Council of the Student Assembly

February 16, 2009

Urging the College to extend the Online Course Evaluations deadline to the end of Finals Week

Resolution

Whereas, the current deadline for filling out course evaluations is the last day of classes each semester;

Whereas, the current deadline does not provide an ample amount of time for students to completely fill out their evaluations;

Whereas, the online course evaluations are important tools for faculty members, both for structuring their courses and an important part of the tenure process;

Whereas; the quantity of online course evaluations submitted has increased but the quality falls into question;

Whereas; extending the deadline would allow students to do a more thorough evaluation of their courses;

The Central Council of the Student Assembly resolves:

The deadline for the submission of online course evaluations be extended to the end of finals week, as to provide students an ample amount of time to thoroughly fill out their evaluations.

Referendum to December 2009 Election for SA President and VP:

If a 2/3 majority approves the following statement, it will be mailed to all first-year students with their summer correspondence from the Dean of Students Office. Additionally the statement will be added to the student handbook.

Do you support this statement?

Statement of Community:

A Message from the Students of Hamilton College

The Hamilton College community gains strength from the diversity of its members. The expression and consideration of differing viewpoints represent education at its best. In our efforts to cultivate an inclusive environment, it is essential that we seek to respect the unique perspectives of individuals on our campus. Students are encouraged to consider the implications of their words and actions. It is a reality that in any diverse community, misunderstandings and conflicts might arise. To work through these disagreements, we as a student body promote engagement in dialogue to create mutual understanding and expanded knowledge. With this in mind, we urge each student to help promote a welcoming community for all.

--FINAL DRAFT: November 30, 2009

Passed with over 70% of the student body’s support.

The Central Council of the Student Assembly hereby respectfully expresses its firm opposition to a campus-wide hard alcohol ban, and does so in direct response to the Alcohol Coalition’s recent consideration of just such a ban.

Rationale:

1. In policy, an outright ban on hard alcohol affects all students, including those over 21. In practice, there are two possible outcomes of such an outright ban:
2. If enforced against all students, including those who are over 21, such a ban will unreasonably affect students who are legally old enough to consume alcohol.
3. If generally enforced only against those under 21, such a ban will create a disparity between policy and practice. If the College’s goal is to target the behavior of those under 21, the College should draft a regulation that narrowly targets those under 21 and those who provide hard alcohol to students under 21.
4. Under an outright ban on hard alcohol, in order to minimize the risk of getting caught, students who continue to consume hard alcohol will likely do so even more rapidly and secretly than they do under the current system. It is this rapid consumption of hard alcohol that leads to the dangerous and undesirable outcomes we currently observe. Thus, an outright ban may serve to exacerbate undesirable outcomes.
5. A ban on hard alcohol may encourage students to go off-campus to drink hard alcohol. The off-campus consumption of hard alcohol opens the door to increased risks, including irresponsible driving and legal trouble. The College can expect the vast majority of students to behave responsibly. However, under any policy, it is only in moments of poor judgment that students end up in trouble. When consuming hard alcohol off-campus, the possible outcomes of a moment of poor judgment are much worse than when consuming hard alcohol on campus. Thus, an outright ban on hard alcohol will actually expose students to greater risks.
6. A ban on hard alcohol will not facilitate the sort of “personal development and responsibility” envisioned in the College’s newest Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan – January 2009 3). Such “personal development and responsibility” is fostered by a regulatory system that encourages students to learn to behave responsibly, not by a system that attempts to institutionally shelter students from having to make responsible decisions.

Possible Alternate Measures:

Instead of implementing a campus-wide hard alcohol ban, the Central Council urges the College to consider one or more of the following alternatives:

1. Increasing the number of points for possession of hard alcohol under 21; and/or
2. Increasing the number of points for serving hard alcohol to minors; and/or
3. Launching an educational/awareness campaign to promote drinking responsibly.

Presented and passed by the Central Council on May 4th, 2009

A Resolution Regarding the Creation of a Cultural Education Center

The Central Council of the Student Assembly Hereby Resolves:

The College should house the Cultural Education Center in an existing building that becomes available post-ELS construction and that the space be appropriately renovated to fit the primary needs of the Center.

Rationale and Further Delineation of the Assembly’s View:

A Cultural Education Center (CEC) will provide a physical forum for discussing diversity and broader issues surrounding the unique backgrounds of Hamilton students. A CEC will provide a space in which diverse groups of students feel comfortable while fostering the education of the community at large. Accordingly, creating a CEC will highlight the College’s respect for and dedication to diversity, will facilitate discussions regarding diversity, and will foster a College community that is more welcoming to both present and future students of all backgrounds.

The “Motion from Faculty regarding Establishing a Cultural Education Center” (a faculty motion approved by a vote of 85 to 7 on November 4th, 2008) that expressed, given acknowledged demographic trends, the establishment of a CEC “appears now to be in the best interest of Hamilton as it re-positions itself to draw students” from an increasingly diverse applicant pool. A CEC has been a long-standing desire of Hamilton’s students.

Since it is certain that the renovation of ELS will render one or more current buildings on campus (i.e.: the Bristol Center, Campus Safety, the Health Center, and/or the Career Center) unoccupied, one of the aforementioned buildings could house the CEC after the completion of the ELS renovation. However, if the College does house the CEC in an existing building, the College will almost certainly need to renovate the building in order to create facilities that are appropriate for a CEC.

The original version of this Resolution was unanimously passed on November 10, 2008. The above revised version was re-submitted to the Central Council of the Student Assembly on September 28, 2009 and unanimously passed.

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