Dean DeMeis follows up on damaged roofs, including leaks

Dean DeMeis assures the Wellesley community that Facilities are working their hardest and fastest to ameliorate the damage to buildings after the historically heavy snowfall. The buildings experiencing leaks are older buildings, with already weakened infrastructures. Normally, when ice dams form, they are eventually drained via the building’s gutter system. This year, however, the water is finding other paths to escape, causing leaks. Buildings with flat roofs, such as Jewett are being shoveled frequently, but buildings with steeply-pitched roofs are not safe and cannot be cleared until after the snow recedes. The weakening of roofs is not an issue unique to Wellesley. Locally, over 100 buildings have had their roofs collapse. Dean DeMeis assures students that everyone is trying their hardest and that their patience is much appreciated during this time.

Student Leader Stipend to be proposed as part of budgets

A recent campus-wide survey revealed that the major contributing factor to the high turnover of student leaders was the lack of monetary compensation. The College is now investigating the prospect of the student leader stipend being covered by the institution.This year, for the first time in a few years, departments will be able to list “additional funds” on their budget reports for the next year. Dean DeMeis has announced that in conjunction with Student Financial Services and the Office of the Dean of Students, they will be listing funds for student leader stipends as part of their budgets. Their budgets will need to be approved, and students will know whether or not they have been approved for 2016 by April or May.

Dialogue on issue of anonymity on campus

College Government (CG) does not currently have a policy on anonymity on campus. They have recently opened a dialogue on the possibility of implementing a policy that engages with anonymous messages and posters on campus. A policy has been brought up in the past after an anonymous online campaign which opposed the candidacy of a student running for CG cabinet. However, the proposal was never fully explored due to the ambiguity of the proposed policy. The respective policy stated that any anonymous social media pages would not be assumed to be affiliated with a Wellesley student, unless they explicitly state their affiliation. During Senate, cabinet members and representatives engaged in dialogue about anonymity on campus, including the role of anonymous forums such as Yik Yak. CG will further explore the topic.