Senate Report 11/02

The Ally Convention

Monet Spells, Multicultural Affairs Coordinator, spoke to Senate on Monday to announce the Ally Convention which will be held this Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Pendleton Atrium. The Ally Convention is one of Campus Wide Diversity Initiative's (CWDI) biggest events of the year. It will feature presentations from groups such as Spectrum, Sexual Assault Awareness For Everyone (SAAFE), Organization for Mental Health Awareness (OMHA), and the Multifaith Council. The Convention will feature discussion and brunch. If resident assistants bring enough people to the event they can count it as one of their social justice events.

Legislation Pilot Program

Katie Chanpong, College Government President, presented to Senate about the Legislation Pilot Program. College Government (CG) does not currently have protocol in their constitution about how to legislate, so the intention of the program is to create a process of legislation that will carry on for many years. The Pilot Program will go by the following guidelines: the timeline for creating legislation will be six to eight weeks. First an "Exploratory Committee" will have to be formed with two senators from different constituencies to head the committee. This committee will have to present to Senate and state what the exploratory committee is and present a timeline of actions they plan to take. After two to three weeks, they will make an explicit recommendation to College Government. If the recommendation passes Senate with a two-thirds vote, the committee will become a "Working Committee" which will include the original committee in addition to a member of the Senate Policy and Ethics Committee (SPEC) and a CG cabinet member. The Working Committee will then either present a draft of new legislation to Senate which can be passed with two-thirds vote, or they can pass a "Proposition Paper," which will be sent to members of the Wellesley College administration with a recommendation for action outside of student government.

Open Discussion

Student representatives from Beebe brought up questions regarding the space that was formerly the Beebe dining hall. The room has been locked since the dining hall closed last year, and students are anxious to have the opportunity to use the space to rebuild the sense of community that it fostered. Students in Beebe may talk to their House President, who will then present ideas for the space to House Council.
Concerns about recent service of the Peter Pan weekday and weekend buses were brought up during open discussion. The Transportation Advisory Committee is looking into these service related concerns and will report back to Senate. Students who have problems with the bus service should post to the Housing/Transportation conference on FirstClass.