Search members selected

Senate reached a decision pertaining to the appointment of students to the Director of Residential Life Search Committee and also voted on advisory council proposals during Sunday's meeting.

The search committee for the new director was to include three staff members, two faculty members and two students. However, senators felt that three of the possible student candidates who interviewed for the two seats were qualified.

Junior senator Aaron Leavy met with Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith and discussed the possibility of a third student being on the committee in order to balance the student-faculty-staff ratio.

Consequently, the three students were approved to serve on the search committee; sophomore senator Chris Anton, senior Sarah Fineberg and junior senator Jane Glynn.

"All three are competent and understand how Oberlin and bureaucracy operate. They have all demonstrated an ability to confront the administration and faculty on issues of student concern," said junior senator Erika Hansen.

Hansen stated that students may have concerns about the composition of the Search Committee being comprised solely of senators, or, in the case of Fineberg, a former senator.

However, Hansen believes that students were chosen on merit. She said, "[We felt that] it was better to appoint students that would do a good job than students who would make Senate look good."

Advisory councils were also discussed. Senators who are not officers are required to run an advisory council, which focuses on an issue of campus concern. Senators are obligated to present a proposal for advisory council for general aproval.

Advisory councils will include junior senator Tonie Tyler's proposal to deal with program house reviews. First-year senator Miesha McClure will be running an advisory council dealing with dining halls.

Anton will be heading up an advisory council that will deal with the issue of Senate reform. The council will look at the Senate constitution and the operations of Senate in general.

Junior senator Katherine E. Roberts proposed a committee that would deal with balancing the budget in order to allocate funds to reinstating the need-blind admissions policy. Roberts later withdrew her proposal because it was too broad to implement.