SLC calls for change

The Student Life Committee (SLC) is only required by the College to meet once a month. This semester, however, the Committee has been doubling its efforts and its meeting time in order to meet an important deadline.

The Committee met Monday for the second-to-last time this school year. Committee Chair Jane Armitage, chair of theater and dance, reminded members that the time is drawing near for Committee members to present the General Faculty Planning Committee (GFPC) with recommendations for improving many aspects of life at Oberlin.

Committee members have spent the year working in three subcommittees that each looked at different parts of the College. One group examined issues of governance and organizations, another looked at pluralism and a third inspected faculty/student interactions.

The subcommittees have examined issues such as off-campus residence, athletics at Oberlin and faculty-student relationships. Their task is to make recommendations for improvement to be sent to the GFPC as part of phase two of the College's Long Range Planning venture.

Members broke into their groups Monday to edit the statements of recommendation each subcommittee had authored.

"It wasn't my policy when we began meeting in subcommittees that whatever we came up with had to be fine-tooth combed through the central committee," Armitage said to her fellow SLC members.

Professor of Politics Ron Kahn, however, thought sending the recommendations through the main Committee was a good idea. "Wouldn't it be stronger if all three reports came from the Committee?" he said.

Armitage said GFPC Chair David Boe, professor of organ, had asked for separate reports initially. Once those have been handed to the GFPC and revised, they will be sent back to SLC to compile in one large recommendation.

"What we hand him is three separate subcommittee reports. We'll read through all the sets and send them in one report to the Long Range Planning Committee," Armitage said.

The revised statements were sent to Boe this week. Boe will present them to the General Faculty (GF) at its meeting Tuesday, and then send them back to SLC for discussion and revision at its last meeting April 27.