PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREA ARCHER AND TOM LA

The Observer � IN FOCUSpage 2 Friday, December 11, 2009

Leaders look beyond campus bubbleSchmidt, Weber launch yearlong Global Water Initiative to bring clean water to African village

Editor’s note: The Observer is publishing a comprehensive review of the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s student governments. This issueis intended to illustrate for students what elected officials are doing in their name, so they can enter the election season fully informed.Its intent is to provide an illuminating, unbiased assessment of the state of the Student Union.

In Focus Staff

Madeline BuckleyJoseph McMahonAshley CharnleyAndrea ArcherIan Gavlick

Student government aims tolook at the “small things andthe big things,” student bodypresident Grant Schmidt saidof his administration so farthis year. Schmidt and student body

vice president Cynthia Weberhave put in place some of thesmaller things, like benchesat Main Circle and mints inthe dining halls.But the duo is also looking

to reach beyond the NotreDame bubble.This year, Schmidt and

Weber launched the GlobalWater Ini t iat ive, a projectwhere student government israising money to build a wellin an impoverished town inAfrica to offer clean water tothe residents. The Initiative was part of

their campaign platform fromthe beginning,and Weber saidshe was to ldthat s tudentswouldn’t careabout i t . Therole of studentgovernment isto address theneeds o f thestudents them-selves. “If that com-

p la in t waspresent f romstudents, typi-ca l ly theywould saythat’s not whatstudent govern-ment should be do ing ,”Schmidt said. “We have thesmal l th ings and the b ig

things. We have two differentspectrums and two differentfocuses and that ’s how i tshould be in our opinion.”In the past, Weber said stu-

dent government has raisedmoney for smaller and moreshort-term events and issues,but this is thefirst time stu-dent govern-ment hasundertaken ayearlong proj-ect focused onone soc ia lproblem. “I was inter-

ested in doings o m e t h i n gkind of monu-menta l fors tudent gov-ernment,” shesa id . “Theidea was tofind a non-controversial issueand provide consistent educa-tion and fundraising on that

same issue a l lyear.”And for

Weber, theanswer wassimple: Water. “Communities

have unc leandrinking waterand people areget t ing s i ck ,”Weber sa id .“The i ssue i scornerstone toso many othersoc ia l prob-lems.”Student gov-

ernment i swork ing wi th

The Water Project , a non-pro f i t organizat ion thatbuilds wells in poor areas of

Africa and India where peo-ple commonly die of water-borne d iseases . The wel l soffer a clean source of waterand cos t about $5 ,000 tobuild.Schmidt and Weber sa id

they are able to balance deal-ing with campus-re la ted i ssuesand the G loba lWater Initiativeby delegating thework . Jun iorR a c h e lRoseberry ands o p h o m o r eJustin Pham areco-d irec tors o fthe project. “We rea l ly

wanted to find along-range socialissue for studentgovernment tofocus

on,” Roseberrysaid. “A yearlongpro jec t i s moreunique.”The goal of the

project is to raiseat leas t $5 ,000this year to buildone wel l , mostlikely in a villagein westernKenya, Roseberrysaid. So far, student

government hasso ld T-sh ir t s toraise money andawareness andhas encouraged dorms tohold events to raise money.Howard Hal l ’s Tot ter forWater event earlier this yearraised funds for the project.The Office of Sustainability

also pledged to donate theproceeds f rom the dorm

energy competi t ion, whichran through the month o fNovember. Next semester, student gov-

ernment plans to put “wish-ing wells” in the dorms fors tudents to donate sparechange and release a benefitCD featuring campus musi-cians, Weber said.“I was worried when cam-

paigning that this would beone of those things that fellby the wayside, but the stu-dent response has been over-whelming,” Weber said. But Schmidt and Weber

said people have asked whythey are focusing on Africawhen there i s pover ty inSouth Bend. “Notre Dame does play a

big ro le in the communityand we have been do ingthings in South Bend, but we

wanted to dos o m e t h i n gb i g g e r , ”Schmidt said. A l t h o u g h

student gov-ernment pri-marily servesthe s tudentbody of NotreDame, Webersa id thegroup is in aposition to domore.“We can

really put ona united frontand push one

cause,” she said. “Honestly,we may not be able to give anapple to everybody but if wehave one apple, we can stillgive it to somebody.”

By MADELINE BUCKLEYIn Focus Writer

Contact Madeline Buckley atmbuckley@nd.edu

“If that complaintwas present from stu-dents, typically theywould say that’s notwhat student govern-

ment should bedoing.”

Grant Schmidtstudent body president

“We have the smallthings and the bigthings. We have twodifferent spectrumsand two differentfocuses and that’show it should be in

our opinion.”

Grant Schmidtstudent body president

“We may not be ableto give an apple toeverybody but if wehave one apple, wecan still give it to

somebody.”

Cynthia Weberstudent body vice

president

TOM LA/The Observer

Student vice body president Cynthia Weber and student body president Grant Schmidt don matching Global Water Initiative T-shirts at aStudent Senate meeting in September. The Initiative is a yearlong student government project to fund the building of a well in Africa.

The Observer � IN FOCUSFriday, December 11, 2009 page 3

Schmidt, Weber address campus conveniencesTranspo, other administration initiatives help raise quality of life at Notre Dame while keeping students safe

When former student body presi-dent Bob Reish and then-vice presi-dent Grant Schmidt took office, theiradministration marked a changingof the guard, as it was the first timein three years members of formerstudent body president DaveBarron’s administration had notcontrolled student government’s topoffice.Last year, Schmidt and current

student body vice president CynthiaWeber handily defeated the oppos-ing tickets to extend the group’slegacy and maintain control of thestudent body presidency.In their campaign platform,

Schmidt and Weber promised tocontinue many of the previousadministration’s programs whilealso implementing several ideas oftheir own. “We’ve taken a common sense

approach, and we’ve addressed theissues that are of most concern tostudents,” Schmidt said.

Focusing on the little thingsSince taking office, Schmidt and

Weber have made it a top concern oftheirs to enhance student living oncampus by increasing the number ofsmall conveniences available.Schmidt said many students often

have a difficult time conceptualizingwhat student government does. “I really do think that we’ve

addressed campus conveniences ina different way,” he said. “I’ve beenin student government for fouryears, and sometimes people say,‘Hey I have no idea what you do?’”While discussions about the intel-

lectual life on campus may be stimu-lating for some, Schmidt said a pri-mary complaint of many studentswas student government focusedmyopically on large initiatives whileignoring easy to implement ideas.“My roommates [usually] don’t

care about what I do,” Schmidt saidof his work in student government.“But there recently have been sever-al things that we’ve done that arerelevant to them.”Among the small conveniences

student government has achieved orplanned this year are the lowering ofprices in the Huddle, the renovationof the LaFortune arcade room,benches at main circle, mints in thedining hall and hot Grab ‘n Gooptions.“We joke about mints in the dining

hall and we joke about the benchesat main circle,” Schmidt said.Weber said although some of

those initiatives may sound insignifi-cant, implementing smaller ideashelps build credibility and hashelped paved the way for largerplans.“Focusing on little things is really

important and something studentgovernment should do becausethose conveniences are really impor-tant, but it also gives your organiza-tion a bit of credibility,” she said. “Ifyou’re doing the things that every-one cares about, it gives our organi-zation the credibility to focus onthings like the Global WaterInitiative.”The administration has also

focused on responding to studentcomplaints about large events. Forexample, Schmidt and Weber spear-headed the idea to move theCommencement ceremony intoNotre Dame Stadium after hearingnumerous complaints from studentsthat they did not receive enoughtickets for family and friends.The idea of utilizing small pro-

grams to curb the average student’sapathy towards student governmentis something of a holdover from theReish administration, which usedideas such as the installation ofprinters in every dorm, the DVDrental service or the Last Lectureseries (which has not been contin-ued this year under Schmidt) to getstudents more involved with andinterested in student government.Schmidt said while he enjoys

working of big-picture issues, addingsmall conveniences to everyday stu-dent life has been the most “rele-vant” effect of his administration.“The Global Water Initiative is a

big thing that I think is one of thekey things that we’ve done, but Ithink as a whole the ability toaddress the things that people actu-ally care about so we’re not just upin our little student governmentoffice and patting each other on theback — that is the most relevantthing that we’ve done,” he said.

Off-campus transportationComing into office last April,

Schmidt and Weber immediatelybegan working on their signatureplatform issue — off-campus trans-portation.“Obviously this year we’ve high-

lighted off-campus living and off-campus safety because that was thething that really rose to the top,”Schmidt said.Schmidt said students would rou-

tinely complain about unpleasantexperiences in South Bend cabs. “The main concerns we had were

the rates fluctuating, them not hav-ing correct change, some being kind

of creepy and the general behaviorof drivers,” he said.Schmidt said he attended meet-

ings with the owners of several cabcompanies and many of the driversthat service Notre Dame themselvesto help work out solutions. Amongthe many ideas the duo tried to pushwere pre-paid tickets for cabs and a$2 flat rate to prevent cab driversfrom taking advantage of students.However, after several meetings

with cab drivers produced fewresults, Schmidt and Weber turnedtheir attention to creating Transporoute 7A — a new service usingSouth Bend’s Transpo system thatruns late at night near many popu-lar student destinations.“Transpo was our huge trans-

portation initiative and that’s whatwe put our time into. It solved theproblems I was worried about withcabs,” Schmidt said. “It creates kindof the easy transportation solution.”Weber said Transpo’s reliability —

the fact that it runs on a scheduleand is free for students — made itan easy solution to solve the seem-ingly complex problems with cabs.“The idea with Transpo too is that

it’s reliable,” she said. “So the ideawith Transpo is that you know youhave someone to rely on instead ofhitchhiking or walking back.”Schmidt said the new Transpo

route will also help improve commu-nity relations by keeping loud, intoxi-cated students out of the streets lateat night — a selling point he used tohelp convince local South Bend lead-ers at the Community/CampusAction Coalition (CCAC).“In my opinion it is a community

relations effort because if people arewalking home late you can hear[them] talking in the streets,” hesaid. “It’s keeping people in a group,keeping people on a bus and avoid-ing student complaints about safetyissues, avoiding intoxicated peoplepossibly walking.”Schmidt said his position as a

member of CCAC was crucial infinding common ground with com-munity leaders.“If I wasn’t present at CCAC I think

the Transpo thing would have beenreceived in a completely differentway by the city,” he said.It is important to note that while

Schimdt and Weber deserve a fairamount of credit for the project, theOffice of Business Operations actual-ly negotiated the contract and final-ized the plans with Transpo.In addition, Transpo route 7A is

still very young — it was only firstused this past weekend — and stillin the testing phase. The project hasa number of serious potential pit-

falls, including destructive behavioron the bus or students being tooloud while waiting at the stops,which could undermine the entireproject. Ultimately, the success of the

Schmidt-Weber administration istied to the success of Transpo route7A, and if the project is denied fund-ing next year by the South Bend CityCouncil or shut down because of stu-dents’ behavior, the administrationwill have failed to address whatSchmidt and Weber have identifiedas one of their signature issues.

‘The 10,000 foot level’While campus conveniences and

improving local late-night trans-portation have been focal points ofthis administration, Schmidt said heand Weber have also been focusingon large issues “at the 10,000 footlevel.” These issues include the Global

Water Initiative, improving rectorrelationships, conducting a seriousdiscussion on the intellectual life atNotre Dame and, most pressingly,off-campus safety and police rela-tions.“If there was one big issue that

Cynthia and I have had to deal withit was off-campus safety,” he said.Schmidt made his presentation to

the Board of Trustees on off-campusrelations and has met several timeswith local police.“In the meetings that we’ve had

with South Bound Police, we’ve saidwe would like safety addressed, welike the presence of [SBPD] and weknow there are areas of the city thatdeserve the same amount of atten-tion,” he said. “We want to makesure students aren’t targeted.”Schmidt said it is difficult to ask for

more cops to improve student safetyin the wake of incidents such as the

abduction of two Holy Cross stu-dents on Notre Dame Ave. earlierthis semester while requesting moreleniency for party-throwers.“You can’t say you want more

cops and then be worried about[parties being broken up],” he said.However, Schmidt said while local

police have been receptive to talks,he has been unable to meet with theIndiana State Police, whose exciseforce is most often responsible forbreaking up parties with what manystudents consider excessive force.“Excise can show up whenever

they want, so in order to be politicalwe can sit down and talk with SPBD,but … to be honest with you, I don’tknow how much the student bodypresident can tell the excise police. Iwish I could say something like,‘Slow your roll,’” he said. “There’sonly so much I can do.”Schmidt said some of his talks

with law enforcement have beenvery productive, and cited statisticsshowing game-day arrests weredown this year as proof.

Campaign Promises

Implemented� Off-campus transportation � Continuing relations with the

South Bend Common Council

Pending� The development of an off-

campus housing Web site

Abandoned� Community summit� Taxi reform (replaced by

Transpo)� Tax exemptions for text books� Last Lecture series

OFFICE OF THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT

TOM LA/The Observer

Student body president Grant Schmidt speaks to other student leaders at a COR meeting inNovember. Schmidt spent a lot of time focusing on keeping Notre Dame students safe off-cam-

TOM LA/The Observer

Student body vice president Cynthia Weber says the pledge ofalliegience during a football game at Notre Dame Stadium.

By JOSEPH McMAHONIn Focus Writer

Contact Joseph McMahon atjmcmaho6@nd.edu

Grade: B+Schmidt and Weber have proved themselveseffective at providing students with small conveniences such as the benches at Main

Circle while also implementing big picture ideassuch as the Global Water Initiative and theTranspo Route 7A. However, they have not

excelled at the programming side of student gov-ernment — a side which former student body

president Bob Reish stressed in his administration. Also, it is still too early to

determine the success of the new Transpo route— this adminstration’s major project.

STUDENT SENATE

Senate relies less on resolutions than past years

Student Senate participatedin productive discussions attheir meetings this year, and itscommittees tackled large issueswhile paying attention to smalldetails — no easy feat.Student body vice president

Cynthia Weber, who leadsSenate, said she used meetingtime during the semester tokeep senators informed aboutwhat each committee is work-ing on, and to have discussionsas a whole.“Sometimes it’s really just

about having a discussionbecause thesepeople wereelected in theirdorm so theyshould have apulse on dormlife,” she said. S e n a t e

engaged in sev-eral notabled i s c u s s i o n sduring theirmeetings thisyear, includinga one about thei n t e l l e c t u a lenvironment oncampus.Most senators

agreed thatthere was alack of intellectual debate bothinside and outside of the class-room compared to Ivy Leagueschools. But senators also saidNotre Dame had qualities thatmake the school better thanIvies, and that this balance iswhat makes Notre Dameunique. Weber said she is working

with committee chairs to createa University-wide task force toaddress the lack of intellectualdebate at Notre Dame.Senators also discussed the

role of the dorm rector andmade suggestions regardinghow to foster relationshipsbetween rectors and students.Assistant Vice President ofStudent Affairs Sr. Sue Dunnalso came to a Senate meetingto clarify what the Universitylooks for in a rector. In response to these discus-

sions, student body presidentGrant Schmidt said he plans tomeet with each hall president

and senator to discuss individ-ual dorm-rector relationships.These discussions helped

Schmidt and Weber accomplisha goal of their administration,which was to have a pulse onthe student body’s opinions ona certain topic and then forman educated stance on the sub-ject to represent them.The individual committees

succeeded in paying attentionto the small details of studentlife while tackling larger, globalissues, which were two other ofthe Schmidt-Weber administra-tion. The Social Concerns

Committee worked on theGlobal Water Initiative, which

raises money tobuild wells inAfrica. The Howard

Hall Totter forWater raisednearly $2,000for the causeand the savingsfrom the DormE n e r g yC o m p e t i t i o nwere donated tothe Global WaterInitiative. Senate also

paid attention tosmaller detailsof student life.For example, theResidence Life

committee worked to extendhours in South Dining Hall onthe weekend and to displayprices on items in The Huddle.While Senate as a whole as

engaged in important debateduring meetings, and the indi-vidual committees have beenproductive, the group did notgenerally use meeting time topass resolutions.Prior to their last meeting of

the semester, Senate passedtwo resolutions.The first resolution honored

late lacrosse coach RichO’Leary and the second clari-fied Council of Representative’srole in allocating funds to cam-pus groups. At Senate’s final meeting of

the semester, two more resolu-tions were passed. A resolution was passed

thanking Notre Dame securitygate guards for their increasedwillingness to allow studentsonto campus and asking them

to continue to recognize legiti-mate reasons students needaccess to campus.Senate also passed a resolu-

tion recommending the cre-ation of a health services advi-sory board. Students who sit onthe board will provide feedbackand input to the health servic-es.Weber said she and Schmidt

established relationships withadministrators, whichdecreased the need for resolu-tions this year. “Grant and I spent the sum-

mer here meeting with everyadministrator we could,” shesaid. “We already had theseexisting relationships so thetool of the resolution is oftentimes not necessary.”Schmidt said committees

were able to accomplish manygoals without resolutions forthis reason.“We could sit down with all

these people and talk instead ofhaving to vote on these issuesofficially,” he said. “Every proj-ect that you’ll see and everycommittee has pretty muchbeen done without resolutionsbecause they’ve been able to sitdown with these administra-tors.”Though Senate could accom-

plish many goals without rely-ing on resolutions, Weber andSchmidt should use resolutionsto make a meaningful impacton the student body andincrease student government’svisibility. The recommendation to cre-

ate a health services advisoryboard was a good use of a reso-lution because it has the poten-tial to influence the studentbody in the future. Using resolutions as a means

to thank others or clarify therole of a committee are positivecontributions, but will notimpact the student body in theway the health services resolu-tion will.Student Senate should work

to pass more results-orientedresolutions in the comingsemester. Not only will thisincrease Senate’s ability tomake a difference, but it willalso make Senate’s work moretangible and visible to the stu-dent body.

By SARAH MERVOSHIn Focus Writer

Contact Sarah Mervosh atsmervosh@nd.edu

The Observer � IN FOCUSpage 4 Friday, December 11, 2009

Grade: A-The Student Senate as a whole engaged in productive discussions about

issues that are important to the student body, and were able to gain a feelingfor what the student body thought. Senate rarely used

resolutions this year, which makes their work invisible to the student body.In the coming semester, Senate should work to increase their

visibility and approachability so the student body can see what they accomplish.

Academic Affairs: B+This committee, chaired by Austin Holler, has the potential to make an impact on the student body if

it follows through on plans that are in the works. For example, initiatives related to improving theintellectual environment at Notre Dame and a plan to allow excused absences for a student with animminent death in the family would be very laudable, if they are achieved. This committee has great

ideas, but should look to create concrete results in the second semester.

Campus Technology: ACommittee chair Walker Anderson worked to make technology run as smoothly as possible for

students. He conducted usability tests for the course registration system and held the Notre DameTech Week where students could get their technology questions answered in the convenience of their

dorms. The LaFortune Student Center computer cluster will be remodeled over winter break, andseveral projects are due to be completed in the spring semester. The committee has followed through

on their plans and produced tangible results.

Community Relations: B+The committee’s most notable contribution this year was the new Transpo route, 7a. Committee chairDenise Baron also worked on off-campus safety concerns and held monthly events in the South Bend

community. The committee introduced freshmen to the area with the freshman bus tour of SouthBend and an off-campus safety meeting. With her success so far, Baron should challenge her commit-

tee to move beyond simply venturing into the community for these types of programs and createmeaningful relationships with those who live there.

Gender Issues: A-Co-chairs Robyn Grant and Patrick Tighe succesfully stimulated debate on campus. The ‘Love Thee

Notre Dame, Love Thyself’ campaign was personalized by photographing body parts of Notre Damestudents, and the slogans hit home for students by using the alma mater. Grant and Tighe also heldguided tours of the Thin exhibit and showed a documentary about it, which provoked students to

think. Grant and Tighe should continue to stimulate debate, and do so by choosing publicized, widespread campaigns like the two mentioned that attract attention from the student body as a whole.

Multicultural Affairs: B-Committee chair Nika Giger succeeded in planning and conducting multicultural commissioner

training, and the committee has discussed many productive topics like ideas for Martin Luther KingJr. Day and Black History Month. However, the committee has not produced significant results at this

point in the year. Much of this committee’s success hinges on the International Showcase and theirability to follow through on finishing the Diversity Certificate proposal. The committee should work

hard in the coming semester to accomplish these two initiatives.

Oversight: BTwo resolutions passed in Student Senate this year came from this committee. Oversight, chaired byKevin Kimberly, has several projects in the works regarding revising the constitution and organizingarchives. The committee has plans to create an introduction to student government video for fresh-

men and a strategic plan for student government. Oversight has been productive so far, andKimberly and his committee need to move forward on the projects they have in the works and

adhere to their completion dates for next semester to produce results.

Residence Life: A-Committee chair Nick Ruof accomplished several projects this semester. This committee was

responsible for extending the hours at South Dining Hall on the weekends and for putting prices inThe Huddle. Essential phone numbers will also be put on the back of ID cards in 2012, when the

University will run out of the ID cards that they bought in bulk. Though these projects may be small,they make an impact on student life. Now, Ruof and his committee should focus on translating their

success to larger projects, like Medical Amnesty, during the spring semester.

Social Concerns: A-Committee chair Rachel Roseberry took on the Global Water Initiativel, a ambitious project that was

successful so far this year. The committee also brought a farmers’ market to campus and raisedawareness about AIDS. In the second semester, the committee can make an even larger difference bycontinuing the Global Water Initiative, and following through on their plans to rid the dining halls of

Styrofoam and work on off-campus recycling.

University Affairs: BThis committee, chaired by Jeff Lakusta, worked on advertising for Transpo and was responsive to

problems with vending machines in DeBartolo Hall. Lakusta’s committee has discussed the intellectual environment at Notre Dame and the role of the rector. This committee has a lot of potential to make a difference and should turn discussion into action in the coming semester.

Group addresses Library, football scheduling issues

The Faculty Senate passed fourresolutions this semester, makingrecommendations about theHesburgh Library, football schedul-ing and academic honesty, as wellas recognizing the contributions ofmilitary veterans and ROTC stu-dents, according to Senate chairand economics professor ThomasGresik.“Perhaps the biggest issue we

dealt with was a report on theLibrary,” he said of their work thisyear. Gresik said the academic affairs

committee of the Faculty Senateconducted an extensive study of theLibrary, including interviews ofmore than 150 people in all depart-ments and colleges.The recommendations passed in

a library resolution included anemphasis on the need for moresubject librarians to build librarycollections and assist faculty mem-bers in finding materials for theirresearch, Gresik said.The resolution also states that

each department should conduct areview of library resources andreport its findings to the dean of itscollege or the provost. Gresik said the final recommen-

dation of the resolution involves anexternal review of the UniversityLibrary System.“The Faculty Senate recom-

mends that the Office of the Provostin conjunction with the Office ofStrategic Planning arrange for anexternal review of the entireLibrary system,” the resolutionsstates. “This should include the pro-duction of a library self�study docu-ment. We further recommend thatafter this review, the Library system

undergo an internal review everyfive years and an external reviewevery 10 years.”The Office of the Provost agreed

that an external review would beappropriate for the Library at thistime, Gresik said.The football scheduling resolu-

tion, completed by the FacultySenate’s administrative affairs com-mittee, was a result of the delayedrelease of the 2010 football sched-ule, Gresik said.“Delays in getting out the 2010

schedule were causing some com-plications with faculty who wantedto schedule conferences next fall,”he said. “We just wanted to ask theadministration to keep in mind thatthere are these additional conse-quences of getting a delayed sched-ule out.”Gresik said the University admin-

istration was understanding of theresolution, and he does not think

there will be similar delays in thefuture.The Faculty Senate also passed a

resolution related to academic hon-esty, Gresik said. “The main concern is that there

seems to be a gap in perceptionbetween what faculty consider tobe academic honesty practices andwhat students feel is acceptable,”he said.The resolution recommends that

incoming students receive a moredetailed explanation of academichonesty as well as a second orienta-tion when they declare their major.It also suggests that faculty mem-bers receive annual reports withthe number of each type of honorcode violations as well as more fre-quent reminders of their own obli-gations under the honor code.A fourth resolution by the Faculty

Senate this semester recognized thecontributions that students, faculty,

staff and alumni make to the UnitedStates Armed Forces, Gresik said.Next semester, Gresik said the

Faculty Senate plans to address theissue of parking. Faculty membershave expressed concern about thecurrent availability of parking spotson campus, and the issue willbecome a greater concern as theUniversity looks to construct newbuildings on or near existing park-ing lots, he said.“The University has started think-

ing more about parking garagesand parking fees for dedicatedspots,” he said.Gresik said the Faculty Senate

chooses which issues to addressbased on the concerns of fellow fac-ulty members, but Senate repre-sentatives also constantly look forpotential areas of improvement.

FACULTY SENATE

By LAURA McCRYSTALIn Focus Writer

Contact Laura McCrystal atlmccryst@nd.edu

“Every project thatyou’ll see and everycommittee has prettymuch been done with-

out resolutionsbecause they’ve been

able to sit down with these

administrators.”

Grant Schmidtstudent body president

COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES

Leaders focus on off-campus safety, collaborationSchmidt, Weber aim to increase communication, improve relationship between administration and student body

Grade: A-COR has examined topics of interest and importance to the student body, suchas off-campus safety and financial aid. The group has also contributed to discussions about the recent Transpo initiative. While these discussions haveyielded results, several of the Council’s initiatives this semester, including the renovations to the LaFortune arcade room and the off-campus housing and

incident reports Web site, have yet to be accomplished.

The Council ofRepresentatives (COR), an advi-sory board to student bodypresident Grant Schmidt, haseffectively and productivelycontributed to student govern-ment discussions and policies,especially in their advisory rolefor off campus issues thissemester. COR is made up of leaders

from various student organiza-tions, and these representa-tives allow for increased com-munication and collaborationbetween the student body pres-ident and the student body as awhole.“The approach I really want-

ed to take [with COR] is that Ialways have something that Iwanted your opinions on, all ontopics of relevance,” Schmidtsaid. During the first semester of

the Schmidt and Weber admin-istration, University and stu-dent body relationships withthe South Bend communityhave been central to their focusand achievements thus far. Concerns regarding off cam-

pus safety, living and trans-portation have been prioritiesfor the current administrationbecause of their imperativenature, and COR has facilitatedthe development and imple-mentation of specific initiativesto address these communityaffairs.In preparation for the first

meeting of the year with theUniversity Board of Trustees,Schmidt utilized COR to decideon and develop a topic of rele-vance to the student body to beaddressed with student affairscommittee of the Board. Schmidt and COR members

agreed that off-campus safetywas the most important studentconcern, and recommendedthat it is the role of theUniversity to protect and keepstudents safe off campus. COR members were instru-

mental in the various stages ofplanning for the Transpo initia-tive.In addition, the Off-Campus

Evaluation Web site, known asRentND, and the Off-CampusIncident Report Web site are

two important initiatives theadministration has been work-ing on to improve the safetyand well being of students liv-ing or going off campus.However, these sites have notyet been launched.Schmidt has effectively uti-

lized COR members as consult-ants and advisors to these stu-dent government projects, ask-ing for assistance in the writingand effectiveness of these sites. Improvements to student life

and campus conveniences havebeen central to this administra-tion’s initiatives, and Schmidthas drawn on COR as a meansto gain an accurate pulse onthe needs of the student body. COR has also discussed reno-

vations to the former arcaderoom in the LaFortune StudentCenter, potential changes to theaccess and timing of student-wide e-mails through IrishLinkand the implementation of astudent-run advisory board forHealth Services. “My goal with COR is to get

true, raw advice [on currentstudent issues],” Schmidt said. Finally, as a way of empha-

sizing their commitment tocommunication and collabora-tion with the University,Schmidt and student body vicepresident Cynthia Weber haveinvited several representativesfrom the University to speak toCOR members in order to allowinteraction between represen-tatives of the student body andthe administrators of theUniversity. Joseph Russo, director of

Student Financial Strategiesfrom the Office of FinancialServices, spoke to COR aboutthe financial aid process at theUniversity and opened the dis-cussion up to questions frommembers about student misun-derstandings and confusionwith the financial aid process. This exemplifies the impor-

tance of Schmidt’s implementa-tion of COR as a channel forconversation and advising, asCOR serves as an intermediarybetween not only the studentbody and student governmentbut also between the studentbody and the University as awhole. TOM LA/The Observer

Top, COR members discuss student issues at a November meeting. Bottom, student body vicepresident Cynthia Weber and student body president Grant Schmidt lead a COR meeting. Thisyear, the Council has looked at off-campus safety and financial aid services.

Group revitalizes old traditions, changes advertising methodsSTUDENT UNION BOARD

The Student Union Board (SUB)set out to improve and increase thepopularity of traditional campusevents this year, SUB manager KatBurke said. “It’s a lot of tradition with a lot of

new and I hope that’s what we’llcontinue to bring next semester,”Burke said. “I think we are continu-ally pushing the envelope and chal-lenging our events to go bigger.”Burke said SUB coordinates many

events that have been traditions oncampus for years, such as the NotreDame Literary Festival andAcousticafé, and she wants to renewstudent enthusiasm and generatenew ideas.SUB should “demonstrate how

important it is to give back to our

roots by taking what’s classic andmaking it new and exciting and fullof life again,” she said.The Notre Dame Literary Festival

has existed for more than 40 years,but this year was the first time that ittook place over the course of threedays in true festival style, Burke said. “Last year it was very limited

attendance to all of the events andthis year the attendance was justamazing,” Burke said “In the 40-plus years of the event it’s great tosee new life brought into it.”One strategy SUB used to generate

student participation in the festivalwas the Notre Dame short story inthe Viewpoint section of TheObserver, which allowed students tosubmit parts of a story and see theirown writing in the newspaper. Burke said SUB’s approach to the

Literary Festival represented thegroup’s overall goal to incorporate

new ideas into traditional events. “I think that’s the approach that

we’re taking,” she said. “I think a lotof that is trying to tap into what stu-dents want.”Burke said the most exciting new

event this fall was a visit from anactor and director of “BoondockSaints 2,” as well as an extendedshowing of the film.The event was a free but ticketed

event for students, and Burke saidthe line for tickets reached capacity30 minutes before the box officeopened.“More than just the number and

the audience, it’s the presence thatNotre Dame students bring withhow excited they get about differentevents,” she said. “And that’s reallywhat we strive for.”Burke said SUB will host more

events during the spring semesterbecause football season is over. Last

weekend, musician Joshua Radincame to Legends. Next semester’sevents will include a larger concertin Stepan Center, two comedyshows, the 52nd annual CollegiateJazz Festival, the comedy groupSecond City and the spring Antostalfestival.SUB has also changed its method

of advertising its events this year,Burke said.“We’ve moved away from bom-

barding students with e-mails,” shesaid.Instead, she said SUB has placed

greater emphasis on its creativeposters and other forms of commu-nication, such as a commercial thegroup recently filmed with NDtv andgiveaways to students such as waterbottles and sunglasses.

Contact Laura McCrystal atlmccryst@nd.edu

By ANN-MARIE WOODSIn Focus Writer

Contact Ann-Marie Woods atawoods4@nd.edu

Grade:A-

SUB has made postive progresstoward its goal to revitalize traditionalevents and increase

student turnout as wellas bring new events tocampus that will

generate enthusiasm amongthe student body.

The Observer � IN FOCUSFriday, December 11, 2009 page 5

By LAURA McCRYSTALIn Focus Writer

The Campus Life Council(CLC) has made strides onseveral projects this semester,but failed to produce resultstantamount to the success oflast year’s administration.As in years past, the Council

divided into task forces thatmet on a bi-weekly (or some-times weekly) basis to discussan specific issue pertinent tocampus life. This year, theCouncil had three task forces:Student Disciplinary Records,Student Legal Services andAlumni-Student Relations. This semester, the Council

passed one resolution, is inthe process of discussing thesecond and has not yet intro-duced the third. While the members of the

Council should be credited forthis progress, they faced anumber of roadblocks alongthe semester that set backtheir success.The Task Force on Alumni-

Student Relations was theonly committee able to pass aresolution this semester, asurprise because the taskforce was only created towardthe end of the semester.The resolution, which CLC

members passed at Monday’smeeting, is a proposal to adda member of the AlumniAssociation to sit as a mem-ber on the Council. However, some of the

Council members questionedwhether it is a good idea toextend voting privileges to thenew member.Student body president

Grant Schmidt said the inclu-sion of a member of theAlumni Association will bebeneficial for students

because they will have alumniopinions on certain issues.Originally, the task force

was assigned to investigatecommunication (in terms ofadvertising) on campus. Theychose to delay the topic, how-ever, until after the new agen-da.nd.edu Web site debutsnext semester. The Task Force on Student

Legal Services undertook aproject more in depth thanthe other two committeeswhen they looked into creat-ing a system students coulduse for legal advice.Chairman John DeLacio and

the rest of the committee didextensive work on the topic.They looked at over 20benchmark universities withlegal services programs inorder to decide what type ofresource would be best suitedfor Notre Dame.DeLacio and the rest of the

task force proposed an onlinedatabase that would carrynames of area attorneysapproved by the university. The task force submitted a

resolution to the larger coun-cil that would seek approvalfrom the Office of StudentAffairs to continue on withthe database. While it is stillin discussion, it appears itwill be passed within the firstfew weeks of the springsemester. The Task Force on Student

Disciplinary Records, chairedby student body vice presi-dent Cynthia Weber had tochange the direction of theirtask force half-way throughthe semester in order to maketheir end result more feasible.Init ial ly the task force

investigated the removal of a“minor infract ion” from aperson’s disciplinary record ifit was a student’s sole offense

and if it was committed dur-ing the student’s freshmanyear. In investigating this topic,

however, the group ran intoseveral problems, whichresulted in their decision toswitch to issues pertaining tothe handling of situations byoutside agencies.As it stands currently, the

task force is looking to createa procedure where ResidenceLife staff would notify a stu-dent’s rector of the situationand ask if the rector wouldlike to handle the situation indorm rather than have it sentstraight to the Off ice ofResidence Life and Housing,as the policy stands now.While the committee hasn’t

produced a resolution yet,their aim is in focus andWeber said the task force hasa draft. They hope to producea resolution at the beginningof next semester.

The Observer � IN FOCUSpage 6 Friday, December 11, 2009

Task forces fall short of goalsCAMPUS LIFE COUNCIL

Group passes only one resolution; task force forced to reorganize

TOM LA/The Observer

The Campus Life Council, led by student body president Grant Schmidt and vice presidentCynthia Weber, meets in a Nov. 16 meeting in LaFortune Student Center.

By LIZ O’DONNELLIn Focus Writer

Government in brief...Graduate Student Union plans Christmas party

The Graduate Student Union(GSU) organized a number ofevents this fall to provide socialinteraction and professional devel-opment for the entire graduate stu-dent community, GSU presidentAndrew Bramsen said.“We see ourselves as providing

constituent service to the grad stu-dents,” he said.This fall, the GSU co-sponsored a

Halloween party with a studentgroup at the Law School, Bramsensaid. In December, the GSU will host a

family Christmas party as well as adinner and reflection for marriedgraduate students about balancingfaith, family and academia, he said.Bramsen said a continuing chal-

lenge for the GSU is to attract stu-dents to its events and programs.He said graduate students tend tobe involved in their own depart-ments, but disconnected from alarger campus community, espe-cially compared to undergraduatestudents.

- Laura McCrystal

The Financial ManagementBoard (FMB) has approved theallocation and redistribution offunds to student groups and thedistribution of funds for TheShirt Charity Fund this fall,Student Union Treasurer NickDanna said. Danna said in early

September, FMB approved theredistribution of funds to payfor the new late night Transporoute.“We must approve any

changes in the use of moneyallocated to student groups,” hesaid.Student groups looking to

spend more than $5,000 for an

event must seek approvalthrough FMB, Danna said. TheIrish dance team’s trip toIreland, the Liturgical Choirtour and the Iron Sharpens Ironfall retreat have been amongthe student groups group eventsapproved by FMB this fall.Danna said FMB oversees The

Shirt Charity Fund, which usesa percentage of the profit fromthe sale of The Shirt every yearto provide financial relief to stu-dents with extraordinary cir-cumstances, such as an illnessfor which they cannot pay med-ical expenses.

- Laura McCrystal

The Club CoordinationCouncil (CCC) has allocatedmoney to clubs for events thissemester and will organize awinter reallocation of funds tostudent clubs for the springsemester, CCC presidentCameron Shane said.Shane said all student clubs

receive money for the year atthe end of the spring semester,but they can appeal for morefunds for unexpected events.CCC has $20,000 each year

to offer to clubs that appeal formore funds, Shane said.At the start of spring semes-

ter, Shane said student clubswill be able to apply for addi-tional funds, which are givenbased on merit or the successof the group during the fallsemester. “It’s basically a smaller ver-

sion of the spring allocation,”he said. “We’re looking for agroup of off icers who havebasically already proven them-selves to give a couple extrahundred dollars or a couplethousand dollars to reallyshine.”

- Laura McCrystal

Hall Presidents Council (HPC)helped plan the student-only peprally in Stepan Center before thisseason’s football game atMichigan and continued its nor-mal duty of advising and over-seeing dorm events and the pres-idents of each dorm, HPC co-chair Brendan McQueeney said. Members of HPC met with stu-

dent body president GrantSchmidt and vice presidentCynthia Weber to plan the Sept.10 Stepan Center Pep rally,McQueeney said. The hall presi-dents advertised the pep rallythrough their dorms, he said.When pep rallies were held in

the JACC in previous years, HPCplanned the dorm sponsorshipand activities before the officialpep rally began, McQueeneysaid. When the pep rallies movedto Irish Green this year, HPCplayed less of a role, but they didplan the all-student pep rally.McQueeney said HPC also over-

sees and allocates funds fordorms’ signature events. “We’re an oversight for the hall

presidents and the guiding forcebehind them,” he said of HPC’srole. “Our group of people is kindof like a sounding board.”

- Laura McCrystal

FMB approves funds for new Transpo route

Club Coordination Council distributes funds

Hall Presidents’ Council promotes pep rallies

The Senior Class Council has been workinghard this semester to organize a variety ofevents for the Class of 2010 during their lastyear at Notre Dame, class president ChrisTillett said. The group offered Senior Weekend Kickoff

Afternoon at Legends during the USC footballweekend. The Council teamed up withLegends again recently to host the SeniorBeer Tasting with varied drink selections,expert explanations and a guitar perform-ance from a member of the Class of 2010.Tillett said that events for the Class of

2010’s final semester include a Press BoxDinner and plans for Senior Week in May arealready being discussed.

- Megan Doyle

The representatives of Junior Class Council havebeen dedicated to creating a successful semester,blending campus activities with projects for stu-dents looking to volunteer in the South Bend area. Class president Caitlin Pulte listed the range of

events hosted by the Council, including a volleyballtournament, class adoration, pumpkin carving andthe creation of a human glowstick rosary. In thecommunity, juniors baked cookies and helped kidsin Sunday school in addition to writing letters to penpals in nearby schools. The pen pals visited campusand spend time with their partners in the juniorclass. “Next semester, we plan to continue with the pen

pals and other service ideas,” Pulte said. “We arealso planning a ski trip and a poker tournament.”

- Megan Doyle

The Sophomore Class Council has beenbusy with numerous events this semester.Their goal was to create unique and inter-esting projects that would attract a widevariety of students, class presidentCatherine Soler said. The Council hosted a dodgeball tourna-

ment to benefit the organization Right toPlay and sent Thanksgiving cards to allstaff workers on campus. Council membersalso put together a volunteer trip to theCatholic Worker location in South Bend. Next semester, the Council has planned

service events to benefit the AmericanCancer Society and St. Baldrick’s Society tohelp fight children’s cancer.

- Megan Doyle

The members of the Freshman ClassCouncil (FCC) have been enthusiastic abouttheir first semester as part of student govern-ment. Building relationships and making the FCC

an accessible representative for the freshmenclass on campus have been the top prioritiesfor the Council this year. Class president Michael Thomas said a new

Class of 2013 Web site has bridged the gapbetween the Council and the freshman class. “We have had the opportunity to organize

ourselves into committees to raise a signifi-cant amount of funds and to familiarize our-selves with the various steps involved in eventplanning,” Thomas said.

- Megan Doyle

FRESHMAN CLASS COUNCILSOPHOMORE CLASS COUNCILJUNIOR CLASS COUNCILSENIOR CLASS COUNCIL

Grade: B-The task forces have

failed to yield any tan-gible results. The res-olution passed by the

Task Force onAlumni-Student

Relations is good forthe Council itself, buthas little effect on thedaily lives of students.

Contact Liz O’Donnell at eodonne1@nd.edu

Jenny Hoffman, student bodypresident, and Meg Griffin, stu-dent body vice president, set thegoal of transparency at the begin-ning of their term back in April2009.

Their predecessors and theirtumultuous term left studentsfeeling uneasy toward their elect-ed peers, but Hoffman and Griffinhave been successful in regainingtheir constituents’ faith.

The duo has succeeded inimplementing some of their spe-cific goals, like adding printers to

the Student Center and residencehalls and extending campus facil-ities’ operating hours, but theircontinued and focused efforts aregeared toward making theiroffices more accessible andreconnecting to the student body.Though there is still a long way togo, their progress is respectable.

The Saint Mary’s student bodyis at times reluctant in offeringfeedback, and Hoffman andGriffin need to work to get theirconstituents involved in StudentGovernment Association (SGA)events.

The pair has planned severalevents — a major priority of theiradministration — but Griffin said

they want to be more than an“event planning service” on cam-pus, and they are working to lis-ten to the desires of the studentbody.

Griffin said they have tried tostay focused on the wants of thestudents and look at theirrequests frequently, one of theircampaign promises. The SGA andthe student body have troublecommunicating and the adminis-tration is not ignoring the prob-lem.

Students asked for more all-campus events, so Hoffman andGriffin reinstated the Navy Danceas well as planning a service tripto Wabash College earlier in thesemester. Both of which, Hoffmansaid, were a great success.

The two have also started aFacebook page for SGA to pro-vide an open forum for students.

Most of the work Hoffman andGriffin have been doing is verymuch behind the scenes.

Griffin said they are trying hardto work out the issues with pass-ing resolutions and different poli-cies to help clear the way for thenext semester.

This year, Hoffman and Griffineliminated the old Board ofGovernance (BOG), which servedas the ruling body and renamedit the SGA in effort to make stu-dent government less confusingfor students.

Another goal of the administra-tion is to smooth the process ofpassing resolutions and allot-ments on the College campus.

Other internal issues the twohave focused on include balanc-

ing the workloads of individualcommissioners and the sponsor-ship process, strengtheningrestrictions.

The pair should be applaudedfor its new focus on communityrelations, something previousadministrations have neglected.They are working to make con-nections with the South Bendcommunity and organize serviceprojects that will take students offcampus.

Hoffman said she believes theSouth Bend community has posi-tively affected the women of SaintMary’s, and the administrationwould like to support the rela-tionship. SGA has organizedevents with the Center for theHomeless to help improve theCollege’s reputation in the areaand bring the communities closer

together. Hoffman and Griffin also said

they have been trying to have amore active voice within theCollege’s administration, effec-tively communicating students’needs. Hopefully they continue topay attention to the desires of thestudent body as successfully asthey have so far.

Overall, Hoffman and Griffinare a far cry from administra-tions past that lost students’trust. They work to listen to stu-dents and try to be as approach-able as possible, refreshingchanges in student leadership.They work hard and have arespectable level of followthrough.

Sa int Mary ’s S tudentGovernment Assoc iat ion(SGA) has set lofty goals forthemselves this year and thusfar they have been workinghard to achieve these aimsand check them off the to-dolist.

This year’s SGA board isimplement ing numerouschanges in order to fix someof the problems that pastboards had come underscrutiny for. SGA is trying tomake their operations trans-parent and fair across the

board.In the first half of their year

of change, SGA has put as trong focus on the groupbeing more transparent withthe student body. They wantthe students to be able to seewhat SGA does for them. SGAis striving to have a strongerpresence on campus to helpearn the trust of students.

E f for ts be ing made toenhance this include morepublicity for SGA sponsoredevents ( l ike the l itt le tabletents in the dining hall) , astudent government Facebookpage and SGA members wear-ing SGA apparel to advertisewho the board members are.

At the beginning of the year,

SGA wrote out a l is t of 32goals they would like to workon by the end of the year. Thelast time the list was lookedat four out of those 32 goalswere checked o f f and onegoal on the list, better com-munication with the office ofspecial events, is currently awork in progress.

This number looks small,but SGA had their hands fullthis semester passing theirbudget, sending out and lis-tening to appeals for allot-ments and making changes tosponsorship guidelines.

Thus far SGA has passedtwo resolutions, one aboutthe use of the French crossand another on Saint Mary’sIT department support ingstudent government comput-ers. Student body presidentJenny Hoffman and vice pres-ident Megan Gr i f f inresearched Saint Mary’s peerinstitutions’ IT departmentsbefore contact ing theCollege’s about servicing SGAcomputers.

This fa l l SGA has a lsoplanned successful all cam-pus events including a trip toWabash College, and the NavyBall.

The organization has alsodiscussed making the studentcenter a more attractive placeto s tudy, and whi le manyideas were thrown around,nothing seems to have beendecided or moved upon.

SGA d id research heal th

care on campus and d is -cussed the possibility of get-ting another gynecologist oncampus, but found the logis-tics would not work out. Thisissue therefore seems to havebeen dropped.

The sys tem to d is tr ibutemoney for club sponsorshipsalso underwent changes thisyear as result of SGA’s work.SGA changed the name of theprocess from co-sponsorshipsto sponsorships because SGAusually ends up paying morethan the c lub i t se l f . Theyhave also put in place strictregulat ions as to how theprocess should be run, andclubs will be denied funding ifthey do not follow the proce-dure.

The board is t ry ing veryhard to enforce a policy ofrequesting funds with docu-mentation of costs before theyare purchased to avoid reim-bursements in an effort tobet ter ut i l i ze s tudentresources . C lubs are a lsorequired to show rece iptsaf ter purchases are madewith sponsorship money inorder to ensure correctspending.

In the second half of thesemester, once sponsorshiprequests began coming in,SGA became distracted withsponsorships whi le o therissues on the ir agendaseemed to have been on theback burner. However, theboard is committed to ironing

out all the kinks in the newsponsorship program th isyear in order to leave astronger legacy behind.

One of SGA’s goals for theyear is to increase their pres-ence in the greater communi-ty. The board will be takingpart in at least one serviceproject next semester to helpthe community.

In the next semester, SGAwill continue to review spon-sorsh ips for c lubs . In thespr ing , they hope to havecompleted an SGA handbookthat will go out to all of theclubs on campus and will out-line new sponsorship guide-lines, allotments and will alsodirect clubs to various cam-pus offices, which should beused as resources.

All things considered, SGAis o f f to a great s tart th issemester. If the group wantsto accomplish everything ontheir to-do list, they will needto devote time and hard workin the spring to their priori-ties. Of their work this semes-ter, their efforts to be more incontact with the student bodyhave been successful and areappreciated.

SGA is working hard to bet-ter serve the student bodyand the changes they madewill certainly help, but thereis s t i l l a lways more to bedone.

Grade: A-SGA has been setting the bar high for themselves,and best of all, they are following through. They

quickly and efficiently passed their budget, and havereorganized some of their internal policies while stillkeeping up with sponsorships and planning eventsfor the College. While they have only gotten throughfour items on their list, they have done so while still

accomplishing many other important changes for thestudent body. There is still some work that needs to

be done when it comes to advertising what they offeron campus. Overall though, as long as they stay

focused and prioritize well, they should manage toend the semester with several more of their initia-

tives completed.

The Observer � IN FOCUSFriday, December 11, 2009 page 7

Hoffman, Griffin bring transparency to administrationSAINT MARY’S STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT

By ASHLEY CHARNLEYIn Focus Writer

Grade: A-Hoffman and Griffin entered their positions

with the challenge of reconnecting students withstudent government. They have been consistentin working to smooth out the inner workings of

their office, as well as creating open forumswith the student body. While there is always

room for improvement when it comes to involve-ment with the student body, the pair have gottencreative in ways to connect to students. Both arevery approachable and have answered student

demands in one some form since they took officein April. They deserve credit for how successful-ly and efficiently they have improved the imageof student government while still in the middle

of their term.

SGA works to fix problems of past boards, move toward changeSTUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

By NIKKI TAYLORIn Focus Writer

Group plans all-school events, provides allotments, smooths out the inner workings of student government

Contact Ashley Charnley atacharn01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Nikki Taylor at ntaylo01@saintmarys.edu

GRACE KENESEY/The Observer

Student body president Jenny Hoffman, left, and student body vicepresident Meg Griffin have made positive changes to student government.

Saint Mary’s StudentDiversity Board (SDB) has beenworking hard to educate stu-dents about cultural diversity. Carissa Salvador, SDB presi-

dent, said the group was creat-ed “to unite the Saint Mary’sCollege community in celebra-tion of the cultural diversity ofevery woman on campus, tohelp foster the Saint Mary’scommunity by developingawareness, to provide supportfor students of various socio-economic backgrounds, sexualorientations, faiths, ethnicitiesand unique abil it ies, whileincreasing their enrollment

and graduation rate from SaintMary’s College [and] to providean open forum for discussionregarding issues of diversity.”During the fall semester, SDB

has hosted a bonfire as theirkick-off event. “The enter-

tainment provid-ed allows us toshowcase cul-tures in a vari-ety of ways,”Salvador said.Other events

SDB has offeredinclude the SDBH u n g e rBanquet, an event that givesstudents a better understand-ing of poverty in the UnitedStates and throughout the

world. Students had thechance to donate a meal to theUnited Nations World Foodprogram in Zimbabwe.Salvador said that 141 mealswipes were donated to the

cause. Currently, SDB

is planning theMu l t i c u l t u r a lDessert Night.The nightincludes a vari-ety of differentdesserts fromdifferent coun-tries. SDB also plans

to host the Disabil it iesAwareness Week and Women’sAppreciation Week inFebruary.

Their largest event, theDiverse Students’ LeadershipConference (DSLC) will be heldMarch 17 to 19. The confer-ence gives students the oppor-tunity to learn about diversity.The conference offers a varietyof speakers to educate eachparticipant’s perspective ofadversity. SDB is composed of about 40

board members who representdifferent divisions of the pro-gram.Salvador said that there are

representatives for studentswith disabilities, campus min-istry, international students,women’s issues, journalisticrelations and from the multi-cultural clubs at Saint Mary’sCollege including Sisters of

Nefertiti, Al Zahra, La Fuerzaand Straight and Gay Alliance.There is also a faculty and stu-dent representative, as well asan entire committee, whichfocuses on the DiverseStudents’ LeadershipConference.SDB works to help students

have a better understanding ofthe differences throughout theCollege community. “[The organization] provides

SMC with a well-rounded edu-cation and provides a forum forall students from all walks oflife to come together and pro-mote the diversity within usall,” Salvador said.

For their first major event, the FirstYear Board invited guest speaker PerryWatson to Saint Mary’s. Watson, theowner of Mishawaka’s Lexus dealer-ship, spoke to students about leader-ship.For Thanksgiving, the Board wrote

and delivered 632 thank-you notes tothe faculty and staff of Saint Mary’s. The Board is currently working on

their “Give One Dorm Item” event. Theitems are then sent to the Saint Vincentde Paul Society of South Bend.The Board is planning a variety show

for next semester and they are develop-ing ideas for new service projects andother plans.

- Caitlin Housley

SENIOR BOARDJUNIOR BOARDSOPHOMORE BOARDFIRST-YEAR BOARD

STUDENT DIVERSITY BOARD

The Observer � IN FOCUSFriday, December 11, 2009 page 8

SDB gives students ‘multi-cultural education’Group works to educate students about diversity, holds events that ‘develop community awareness’ on campus

By ALICIA SMITHIn Focus Writer

Contact Alicia Smith atasmith01@saintmarys.edu

Residence Hall Association plans events The Residence Hall Association

(RHA) has been busy this semesterwith a number of interesting activi-ties and initiatives.The Health and Wellness and

Service committees successfullyhosted an “80s Workout Night,” afitness class styled after aerobicsclasses of the 1980s and encouragedparticipants to dress accordingly.They also organized a Habitat forHumanity service project and aSanta Breakfast at the Center for theHomeless with the help of Office ofCivil and Social Enagagement(OCSE), RHA president CristenDalessandro said. Each hall council has been

extremely active, Dalessandro said. “So far this year, all the hall coun-

cils have been extremely active and

have hosted successful events intheir halls including Desserts withDoctor Mooney, Hall Mass, NotreDame game watches, mani-pedistudy breaks and ornament decorat-ing,” she said. For the upcoming semester, RHA

has begun planning for the annualLittle Sibs Weekend on April 10 andthe All-School Formal on Feb. 27. Other than that, RHA is in the

process of revising the College’sConstitution. The revised versionwill be in place for next year’s board. Dalessandro said she is positive

this year’s RHA is fulfilling its duty toSaint Mary’s students. “Our reason for existing is basical-

ly to bring a little happiness to thelives of students,” Dalessandro said.

- Megan Loney

In addition to organizing the annu-al “majors of the week” designed foreach department to promote theirmajors, the Student AcademicCouncil established a mission state-ment for the Women HonoringWomen Award this semester. Applications to nominate faculty

and staff members for the award willgo out early next semester. Theawards ceremony will be in March,Megan Griffin, Student AcademicCouncil representative and studentbody vice president, said. The Student Academic Council is

focusing on textbook affordabilitynext semester, Griffin said. “Basically, we are looking at how

much students really spend on text-

books at Saint Mary’s and trying toestablish alternative methods to helpstudents not have to pay so much,”Griffin said. “We are also looking athow educated students are aboutfinancial aid and whether that’ssomething that needs to beimproved.” The Student Academic Council just

passed a resolution on electronictranscripts, which states “that theOffice of the Registrar should offerofficial electronic transcripts as analternative to the traditional papertranscript.”The Student Academic Council

will present the resolution to StudentGovernment Association on Jan. 11.

- Megan Loney

Observer file photo

Saint Mary’s student bodypresident Jenny Hoffman

SAC establishes mission statement

Student Activities Board prepares eventsThe Student Activity Board

(SAB) has worked consistentlythroughout the year to plan avariety of events for students toparticipate in. Their opening event was

Jamaica Shaka, an annualevent which featured a 1980scover band as well as a hula-hoop contest and luau-stylefood. Another annual event,Twilight Tailgate, also tookplace this semester. “This year, we showed ‘The

Proposal’ on an outdoor screenon Library Green. We servedfree popcorn, caramel apples,cotton candy and slushies,”Michele Peterson, SAB presi-dent, said.SAB also offered a perform-

ance by poet Gabriela GarciaMedina. Another event SABsponsored was a pumpkin-carv-ing contest near Halloween. Currently, SAB is planning a

gingerbread house-decoratingcontest, which will be held inconjunction with the AlumnaeAssociation of South Bend. SAB plans to hold other

events throughout the schoolyear including a charity concertto benefit the Student AthleticAdvisory Committee Belles forAfrica program. Other events SAB would like

to present include additionalmovie nights, as well as theirlargest event for the springsemester, SMC Tostal.

- Alicia Smith

Board of Trustees elects new membersThe Saint Mary’s College

Board of Trustees e lectedfour new members to thecommit tee in June . Then ewe s t m emb e r s o f t h eB o a r d a r e S r. M a u r e e nGrady, Ro se Mar i e LopezJones, Almira Wilson Cannand Carmen Murphy. Eachmember will serve a three-year term. S e n i o r K r i s t l e H o d g e s

will serve a one-year termon the Board as a studentrepresentative. T h e B o a r d o f Tr u s t e e s

h e l d o n e o f t h e i r f o u ra n n u a l m e e t i n g s i nOctober.

The Board is responsiblef o r ma j o r d e c i s i o n s t h a ta f f e c t t he en t i r e co l l ege ,including tuition. The Board’s approval o f

a f ive percent increase intuition and a three percenti n c r e a s e i n r o om a n dboa rd f o r t h e 2009 -2010academic year was publ i -cized in a press release bythe College in March. No information has been

released about the Board’scurrent activity. The next meet ing o f the

Board o f Trustees wi l l beheld in February.

- Megan Loney

During the past semester, the SophomoreClass Board focused on apparel fundraisingsales. Much of the Board’s time this semes-ter has been spent planning SophomoreParent’s Weekend. The weekend is sched-uled for February, and the Board hasalready sent out invitations to sophomoreparents. The Board plans to have more events next

year aimed at fostering class bonding. TheBoard is contemplating volunteer activities. The Board’s goals for next semester are to

welcome back the students that studiedabroad and to incorporate them back intoclass activities. In addition, they would liketo plan events that will create a better unionof the members of the Class of 2012.

- Caitlin Housley

To kick off the year, the Saint Mary’sJunior Board members had a meet andgreet with their class members. T-shirt sales began this week and are

open to all students. The junior classpicked the shirt design. The Junior Board organized the

Junior Class Formal. President MeghanHelmle said, “[The Junior Formal] wasthe best attended dance 2011 has had.”The Board is also planning a spring

community outreach event, where stu-dents can donate gently used or newformal gowns to Cinderella’s Closet. The goal of the Junior Board this

year is to increase student participa-tion.

- Caitlin Housley

At the beginning of this year, the SeniorBoard planned Senior Dad’s Weekend. According to president Nancy

Mulkerrins, the event “ended up being areally fantastic time.”Also, the Board focused on raising

money with their Saint Mary’s windbreak-er sale. Currently, the Board members are work-

ing with the Children’s Dispensary, a localgroup that creates learning activities forchildren. In addition, they are exploringthe ideas of sending letters to troops andparticipating with Meals on Wheels. The Board is currently planning ideas for

Senior Week and Senior Formal. The for-mal is scheduled to take place in April.

- Caitlin Housley

Observer file photo

Saint Mary’s student bodyvice president Meg Griffin.

Government in brief...

“The entertainmentprovided allows us toshowcase cultures ina variety of ways.”

Carissa SalvadorSDB President