SG UPDATE: Results of residence hall study presented by administration

The Oct. 15 Student Government [SG] Senate session began with a presentation by Dr. Robert J. Redick, director of the Department of Residence Halls. Dr. Redick presented the 2003 ACUHO-I/EBI Resident Study. He discussed the implications of the study’s results and fielded questions concerning the data. The study indicates that the top predictor of resident satisfaction with the residential colleges is “interaction with others in the hall.” Dining services is the second predictor and personal space is the third.

Redick also announced that in the summer of 2004 the University plans to finish sealing and painting the towers and Mahoney residential college. UM also plans to change the locks to the bathroom doors in all of the suites. He explained that the current bathroom locks pose the risk of an individual being trapped inside the bathroom. The removal of the locks will bring the suites up to compliance with 2003 city fire codes.

Redick also announced that the University is working on a system to register for on-campus housing via the EASY. A date for the installation of this system is in the works.

Following Redick’s presentation, Reed Heinrich was sworn into office as the new Athletics Council senator.

The Arts & Sciences and the Architecture Senate seats remain open. Applications are available in the Student Government office.

The next order of business was a bill to create a Senate ad hoc committee, authored by Carlos Echeverri, speaker of the Senate, and sponsored by Christian Wilson, senior senator.

There was initial opposition to the bill out of concern for respecting the rights and responsibilities of the Supreme Court. In discussion, it was clarified that the rights and responsibilities of the proposed ad hoc committee would not overlap with those of the Supreme Court and that the Supreme Court favored the bill because it promotes efficiency. The bill passed.

The ad hoc committee will serve the purpose of recommending amendments and revisions to the UM SG constitution. It shall serve as one of the committees that each senator is required to attend in order to fulfill committee attendance requirement and shall exist until the end of the Fall 2003 semester.

The session concluded with committee updates:

The academic affairs committee announced plans to re-vamp the FEX course curriculum. The public relations committee announced that SG will be tabling in the UC breezeway next Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m..

They also announced “Speak up, Speak out” sessions in the dorms in the upcoming weeks. The special events committee made a reminder that UNICCO appreciation day was planned for Nov. 17.

Additionally, the Cabinet representative announced plans to create an online survey for commuters, and the executive board announced that President Scott Sadowski will give his State of the University Address on Oct. 29, 2003 at 4:10 p.m.

The board also announced plans to install a northbound left turn signal on the corner of Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Stanford Circle.