To raise student awareness, the Senate will hold Fireside Chats
College Government President (CGP) Kimberly Chia announced that College Government (CG) will be holding two Fireside Chats, concerning the College Endowment and the anticipated changes to the student schedule respectively. The first Fireside Chat was held on November 27, 2018, sponsored by the Budget Advisory Committee. The Committee invites students to ask questions about how the College Endowment is comprised, where it comes from, and how it is utilized. The second Fireside Chat will be held on Dec. 6, 2018, to enlighten students on the proposed changes to the schedule and how they will be implemented in the future. The Fireside Chats are open to all students, not just Senate or College Government.
The Dean of Students updates the Senate on the status of the construction of the pipeline next to the Health Services
Construction in front of Health Services is close to conclusion. The Dean of Students informed Senate that it was on schedule and will be finished by the end of this week.
SOAC looks to institute an overhaul of the current Organization Recognition Model
The Student Organization and Appointments Committee (SOAC) has set in motion a complete change in how organizations are recognized on campus. Instead of having constituted and independent organizations, they propose that organizations simply be “recognized.” These organizations must register with SOAC and they will be given standard rights which include a SOFC profits account, Space Reservation through 25Live, an official Wellesley domain email, option of Senate Representation and reserved space at the organization fair. Organizations can register on a rolling basis throughout the year, instead of an absolute mandated deadline. In addition, these organizations can apply for “Add-ons” which include SOFC grants of up to $125, uncapped SOFC funds and a locker at Lulu Campus Center. To be recognized the organizations must have at least five members, and an Executive Board consisting of President, Treasurer, Publicity Chair and Events Manager. SOAC has also set in motion the implementation of a Campus Partner for organizations on campus, which means that the organizations will be paired up with Wellesley administrative or academic departments for advising.
SOFC proposes changing allocation of organization funds
SOFC will vote on implementing changes to their policy of fund allotment to organizations. Under the new policy, organizations will be given money on an annual basis, instead of frequent deadlines to apply for funds throughout the semester. The Student Bursar elucidated that this way Treasurers can spend their time on actual management of budgets and event planning instead of constantly applying for SOFC funds. SOFC will also experiment with a declining debit card for organizations in the spring semester for five organizations. This will allow SOFC to streamline the funds awarded to organizations while assuring that no extraneous funds are left at the end of the semester, which could have been used by other organizations.
