The Campus Life Council discussed the creation of various Task Forces for such issues as University-community relations, dorm issues and new student concerns during their first meeting of the year yesterday.
Last year, the council formed three Task Forces: a Student Development Task Force, a Community Relations Task Force and a Campus Environment Task Force, student body president Bob Reish
"We can be as broad as we want in making Task Forces," Reish said.
Senator Gus Gari suggested the council continue to work on off-campus living issues and pursue initiatives suggested by last year's Task Force, specifically the creation of a Web site geared towards off-campus students with resources specifically for them. He also discussed holding a forum for students living off campus to address any concerns or questions these students might have.
Gari also commented that he would like to see the CLC review the changes implemented at Frosh-O this year. Gari added that the council might consider the amount of paperwork freshman receive throughout the orientation process and find a way to better organize the information new students receive, if and where possible.
Also related to freshman orientation issues, Reish said new students might not receive sufficient information about opportunities in the South Bend area. Providing "some type of [uniform] guide" may be helpful, he said.
Another point of discussion was addressing the posting and communication of various club, dorm, SAO and other campus events that students should be aware of. Father Pete McCormick, rector of Keough Hall, said he feels the current Agenda calendar system in place is underused and the council could look into either "reinventing" the Agenda system or moving to another central calendar system. Gari noted Google Calendars - part of the University's new integration of Google Apps with student online accounts - might provide a solution for this.
In other CLC news:
uRelated to the work of last year's Task Force on sustainability, Student Body Vice President Grant Schmidt suggested the council look into reviewing sustainability issues on campus and in dorm life, especially in light of the upcoming Notre Dame Forum on sustainability on Sept. 24.
uSister Denise Lyon, rector of McGlinn Hall said she has heard from some of her hall staff that security at the Hesburgh Library should be addressed. Students do not always feel comfortable studying at the library, and "don't feel safe in the stairwells," she said.
uSenator Catherine Flynn said she would like to see the council address the inequalities of furniture and other amenities between dorms. She specifically noted complaints that Duncan Hall, the newest dorm on campus, has significantly higher quality amenities than older dorms.
