College Council (CC) held its first meeting of the year tonight, breaking with a recent tradition of waiting until after the first-year elections to convene. “To get things rolling early in the year is beneficial,” said interim CC Chair Stephen Sunderman, explaining to the council the decision to meet before the Class of 2015 elections, which are to be held October 11-13.

The council discussed upcoming opportunities to join SG committees, including the Student Government Finance Committee (SGFC), which funds Recognized Student Organization (RSO) events and capital improvements, and the Committee on Recognized Student Organizations (CORSO), which considers new RSO applications and allocates RSO office space.

Additionally, Sunderman reviewed the CC attendance policy, vowing to strictly enforce it. “We want to be strict on this because as the years goes on, attendance kind of peters out…we want to stay strong not just at the beginning of the year, but for the entire year,” he said. The attendance policy, articulated in CC’s by-laws, requires that representatives send a proxy if they miss a meeting, and that representatives who accrue three unexcused absences in one quarter be dismissed from the council.

Other topics (briefly) discussed included:

• The recent housekeeping transition, in which the Housing office began contracting out housekeeping services
• Ways to collect more feedback regarding SafeRide (apparently Campus and Student Life has purchased a new “assessment tool” called Student Voice, which it will use to gather student opinion. More at: www.studentvoice.com)
• The new dining plans available from Aramark
• The “SG Arts Roundtable”, which SG Vice President for Student Affairs Meher Kairon is spearheading. The purpose of the meeting, to be held next week, is to convene student artists to promote collaboration between arts RSOs.
• The “Student Leadership Institute” (SLI), which Campus and Student Life, among other university departments, is developing. This year, a pilot program will be held for 20 students to learn leadership skills. Applications will be accepted later this quarter.
• SG staff: SG is looking to hire students as paid secretaries. Email SG President Youssef Kalad for more information. Contact info at: sg.uchicago.edu
• A temporary staffing shortage at the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities (ORCSA): At the moment, ORCSA has 3 activities staffers, down from 7 at the end of last year, according to ORCSA’s director. These positions are expected to be filled in the near future, so RSO leaders need not worry.
• Oktoberfest on 53rd Street, which Community and Government Liaison Angela Wang is promoting. More at: http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2011/09/21/celebrate-oktoberfest-in-chicago-and-hyde-park/

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