Resolutions recognizing the need for a program addressing freshman 'disorientations' and aimed at enhancing the reliability of campus Domer Dollar card swipe systems were passed Monday at the Campus Life Council (CLC) meeting.
The resolution on disorientations - which passed 10-2-1 - "urges the Vice President for Student Affairs to form an ad-hoc committee to create an informational program for first year students."
The CLC recommended the committee include individuals from a variety of organizations including Student Affairs, the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education and Student Activities. The resolution left unspecified the direction of the committee so members can develop the most comprehensive program possible.
"The report fleshes out why disorientations are unique and proves the basis for the addition of a new committee or incorporating findings into existing programs," said Bill Andrichik, chair of the Conduct Awareness task force.
"We wanted to create a group with all seven or eight input voices [from various organizations] so that we can see what people want to do - no concrete plans are in the resolution so that the committee can do what is best."
The CLC resolved to support the findings and recommendation of the conduct awareness task force, who presented research that was conducted "due to the exceptional number of arrests and student safety issues directly connected with dorm 'disorientation' events in the fall of 2006," according to the resolution.
The task force interviewed upperclassmen, hall staff and rectors on a voluntary basis to garner information about the events planned to "break the freshman in after a week of Frosh-O activities," as some students described it in the interviews.
The second resolution CLC passed on Monday aimed to enhance the reliability of campus Domer Dollar card swipe systems. Student concerns task force chair Danny Smith said the resolution is a two-step process.
"First a survey needs to be conducted to figure out the frequency, geography and timing of why the Domer Dollar card swipe system goes down - especially targeted for laundry," Smith said.
The second part involves urging the Department of Food Services to "work with all appropriate parties" and dedicate adequate resources to enhance the ability of the system according to the resolution.
Carroll Hall rector Father Jim Lewis, among others, questioned CLC's ability to address Food Services directly since it is purely an advisory body to Vice President for Student Affairs Father Mark Poorman. But after changing the wording to "CLC requests the Vice President for Student Affairs to urge the Department of Food Services" and attaching a similar resolution from the spring of 2005, the resolution passed unanimously.
In other CLC news:
u Poorman updated CLC on his response to the Jan. 23 resolution to enhance student life for Native Americans. Arthur Taylor, the assistant director of the Multicultural Student Programs and Services is the existing official who advises Native American students, but Poorman has contacted Associate Provost Jean Ann Linney to discuss securing a faculty counterpart to Taylor's position. He has also forwarded the resolution to Hilary Crnkovich, vice president for Public Affairs and Communication, in order to address the presentation of Notre Dame's history in a culturally sensitive way.
u The ad hoc task force on student safety finalized a list of safety tips it wants to include in the Contemporary Topics book that freshmen study during physical education classes. The identification of campus call boxes, the availability of SafeWalk and the addition of an ICE (in case of emergency) entry to cell phones are among the tips included.
