Hailey is determined to introduce another form of food service to the Oxy community, specifically another cart, similar to the Rangeview Coffee Cart. Her current ideas involve creating a Smoothie Cart that will be located somewhere on mid campus between dorms, like Erdman, Chilcott, and Haines. However, she believes her idea is very undeveloped and is open to suggestions and assistance. Also, she is currently in contact with Ben Poor to make an Election Committee that helps create a democratic and enthusiastic environment around student elections. Lastly, she is working with her fellow First-Year Senator, Tyler William Dewey, in creating a First-Year Forum, in which first-year students have an opportunity to voice their concerns about the school, ask questions about how departments and organizations are run, and provide ideas for improvements. She plans to continue this project in the following school year, if re-elected, and implement the same project for the new First-Year class and will work closely with the new First-Year senators. If you wish to provide Hailey with any suggestions or assistance, feel free to contact her at hmoran@oxy.edu”
Tyler is meeting with administrators in regards to canceling classes on Founders Day. Also looking into seeing if it is possibility to create a student position on the board of trustees. Other first year senator Hailey Moran and Tyler are creating an open forum for first years to voice their concerns. Contact Tyler at tdewey@oxy.edu
Desmend is working on ASOC Senate publicity for the “Fourth Fridays” events. These events will allow more transparency in Senate as they allow more frequent student interaction with senators. These events will also add Senate accountability and galvanizing new initiatives and ideas for Senators and students to address. Contact Desmend at jetton@oxy.edu
Jen is working in collaboration with junior class senator and funding chair, Alex Miller, in the facilitation of the Inter Hall Council (First Meeting is this Thursday March 29th!). She also assists Justin Gerboc with reviewing student manager positions on campus and can provide feedback on the process of being a student manager. Contact Jen at canales@oxy.edu
Kelly is trying to establish a sense of tradition at Occidental and began by suggesting potential events and activities that could be put on by the Green Bean. She is also working with campus wide senator Carmen Tellez to create a survey for students to have an avenue to express concerns and suggestions about student government and student services. Contact Kelly at oleary@oxy.edu
Margeau is currently working on a proposal to the Occidental College Academic Planning Committee to suggest that we start an Experimental College, where students teach 1-2 credit courses. This program will provide a structure for undergraduates to both take and teach classes in a variety of non-traditional disciplines. In addition, this program will provide students with experience at preparing course materials, schedules, lectures, and assignments, while conducting and organizing a class and the associated learning environment. Examples of possible classes include: Sustainable Living, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: An Economic Look at Food Systems in America, Gaga’s Holy Monsters, On the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, The Wonderful World of Harry Potter and Our World, and so many other possibilities. If anyone has questions, they can contact her by email at valteau@oxy.edu.
Derrick is working on a Sophomore Social. This event will take place (hopefully) off campus, and will be close to the end of the semester. It is intended to be a function that continues the trend of uniting the class. Derrick feels that functions like these always started during student’s freshman year but die shortly after. Derrick’s is also working on the emergency blue light project. The blue light project is something he has been looking into for a few months now but unfortunately he has received little correspondence from the Safety Administration. Despite the lack of communication Derrick intends to make progress before the semester ends and intends to inform the student body of any updates on the situation. Contact Derrick at dgreen@oxy.edu
Mirja is currently organizing a campus-wide meeting on the tuition increase at Occidental College. Following President Veitch’s announcement on the Board of Trustees meeting, she felt extremely concerned about another increase in tuition, room and board. Many other students have voiced concerns on tuition hikes, and consequential increased student loans. As a senator, Mirja hopes to increase dialogue between the administrative and student bodies. She believes that the tuition meeting will be an important step to further student involvement in an Oxy education. As of now, a campus wide presentation followed by a Q&A on tuition increase is planned for this semester. Mirja is hoping for a constructive, informative session where students have a chance to understand the increase in tuition and ask relevant questions. A General Assembly meeting will be held to serve as the platform for the meeting.
Mirja has also began working on a pilot program to offer subsidized TAP Los Angeles public transportation cards for students at Oxy. She thinks the project will motivate students to explore L.A. on their own terms. “With the subsidized TAP cards, we could ensure that students without cars have an equal chance to explore and navigate the city.” While this process has proven to be more difficult than anticipated, she hopes that the pilot program, if successful and popular amongst students, will lead to more initiatives on connecting Oxy to the larger L.A. community. Contact Mimi at hitzemann@oxy.edu