UA slams U. Council decision

Undergraduate Assembly members last night demanded that University Council members protect student voices on University-wide committees. In a resolution at their last meeting of the year, members encouraged Council to reverse last month's 22 to 18 vote to dilute student voices on Council's Safety and Security Committee by increasing the number of faculty on the committee. "The Undergraduate Assembly condemns the recent changes in the balance of representation on council committees and expresses its alarm over the loss of equal and equitable representations of student concerns at the University," the resolution states. At its November meeting, faculty on Council out voted every graduate and undergraduate student, saying that security is more of a faculty concern than a student concern. Council members plan to discuss increasing the number of faculty on Council's Book Store Committee at their meeting Wednesday. UA Steering member You-Lee Kim brought the proposal to the floor last night, and encouraged assembly members to attend the meeting to show the solidarity of students on campus. The UA resolution also demands "an increase in the number of students to equal the number of faculty" on all Council committees. Kim said after the meeting that she is worried that last month's Council vote represents a trend among faculty to cut students out of the decision-making process at the University. "Intentionally or not, student opinion is being phased out," Kim said. "I think it's not only important to let them know we're upset, but to do something about it as well." In other business, UA members passed a set of specific recommendations to diversify Locust Walk, including turning Walk office space into student residences and activity centers. The suggestions, which will be passed on to President Sheldon Hackney, call on the University to enforce that "the opportunity to live on Locust Walk is a privilege" and to include an undergraduate member on any committee to study the Walk in the future. UA Vice Chairperson Ethan Youderian said last night the suggestions are a way to "see if the president really means what he says about being receptive to student input." In other business, Student Committee on Undergraduate Education Chairperson David Kaufman said the University has made a commitment to raise $1 million for five endowed chairs for teaching, the first time the University has made such a move.

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