Last week, the Student Senate passed a proposal designed to maximize efficiency at its weekly Sunday night meetings. On Sunday, however, Senate had such a full plate of issues to discuss that its meeting lasted for nearly four hours, despite increased speed in debating and passing proposals.
In addition to finalizing issues to be placed in Senate's electronic referendum, senators discussed OSCA rent contract negotiations and a proposal to eliminate fluorescent paper on campus at its Sunday night meeting.
Senators discussed specific wording of the issues to be listed on this week's e-mail referendum.
The referendum, or poll of students' opinions, asks voters to address six distinct issues of campus life that have been at the forefront of student body discussion this year.
The referendum resulted from a stipulation of Senate's recently revised Constitution. Under the new Constitution senators are paid for 10 hours per week, with the condition that at the end of one year the student body must reaffirm the Senate pay structure by referendum.
Senators decided to expand the range of issues the referendum targets. They voted to include concerns such as variety of on-campus housing, the ethical concerns of College investment policy and the new Student Union Board appointments.
The vote, which is conducted entirely via e-mail, began Wednesday and will continue for five days or until 50 percent of the general student body votes.
Senator first-year Amy Pandjiris brought two drafts of a letter to President of the College Nancy Dye before Senate. The letter encouraged Dye to support OSCA board members in their efforts to negotiate a new rent contract with the College.
"I'm proposing a discussion on both of the drafts. The major difference between the two is language and wording," Pandjiris said.
Senator junior Meagan Willits said discussion over wording was less important than agreeing on the letter's sentiments.
"The negotiations have been difficult and time-consuming. The point after talking with members of the OSCA board was to ask Senate to support the largest student organization on campus and to encourage the same support from Nancy Dye and ResLife," Willits said.
Senators revised some wording and agreed by vote that the revised letter should be sent to Dye, the General Faculty, the General Faculty Council, the Board of Trustees, the rent contract negotiations team and the OSCA board.
"I see this as a reaffirmation of what OSCA is and what we see as Dye's role as OSCA advisor," Pandjiris said.
The first proposal of the evening to be voted on concerned the College's use of fluorescent paper. The proposal was authored by sophomores Mark Frey and Orion Walker and first-year Erin Mallea. It was presented to Senate by senator first-year Amy Pandjiris.
The proposal discussed the environmental hazards of fluorescent paper and the benefits of switching to pastel colored paper. "Fluorescent paper contaminates the waste stream, produces toxic waste and is expensive and energy intensive to recycle," according to the proposal.
The proposal also discussed the financial benefits the College would reap if it created a policy preventing the purchase fluorescent paper.
"Fluorescent paper is more expensive than normal paper. Fluorescent paper in this waste stream means reduced cash reward for our paper waste. A purer waste stream means a greater cash reward," according to the proposal.
Pandjiris said she had spoken to Vice President of Finances Andy Evans and that he'd expressed support of eliminating the College's purchasing of fluorescent paper.
In addition, she added, the proposal's authors conducted a survey of 55 campus organizations and departments to see if they would agree with the proposal.
"Only a few departments on campus are not in favor of this policy," Pandjiris said. The four specifically mentioned by the proposal were the Theater and Dance and Physics departments, the Student Union and the Winter Term committee.
"Why would departments have objections to this proposal?" senator double-degree junior Adriana Lopez-Young said.
Frey, who attended the meeting to field questions about his proposal, said, "The major complaints were that pastel fliers and posters wouldn't get the attention of students so things wouldn't be advertised as effectively. But if none of the paper is fluorescent, that won't matter."
Associate Dean of Students Bill Stackman said he thought the proposal was a good idea, despite the Student Union's purported reluctance to agree with its terms.
"I can't speak for everybody, but my guess is many people would understand the value behind it. Some people wouldn't like it because posters wouldn't be as eye-catching," Stackman said. "But we're working on so many ways to better promote and publicize events on campus, whether it's through the Internet or other electronic devices, that should be up and running in a year or so."
The proposal was passed. Pandjiris said she will bring it before Evans to encourage the administration to instate an official College policy preventing the purchasing of fluorescent paper.
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 21, April 17, 1998
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