The SA meeting for the week of Oct. 7 included a presentation on UR Student, the University’s new online student administrative center, as well as discussions on dorm room pests, motions to add members to committees, and event planning for committees. Here are our highlights:
UR Student
Project director Samantha Singhal and team members Sean Hanna and Elayne Stewart presented UR Student, the University’s new method of keeping track of student records, advising, and finances. The system will work in tandem with Blackboard, with more administrative functions compared to Blackboard’s academic functions. UR Student accounts will keep track of each student’s major, minor, and cluster requirements. An academic planning tool will allow students to see the available classes for each, and add them to their four-year plan. Students will be able to use this to register for classes, as an alternative to the Course Descriptions/Course Schedules site, which will still be available. If a student wants to drop a course and add another simultaneously, there will be a “swap” feature, which will only work if the course the student plans on adding is available. Additionally, students will be able to make payments through the site. Students will be able to give family members access to parts of the system, managing specific permissions for different people. Students will be able to choose a preferred name, gender identity, and pronouns that will be visible to teachers and faculty. Sophomore Senator Ian Krager will write a resolution to determine how SA will communicate with the student body about UR Student.
On-Campus Elevators
Some elevators on campus, like the one in Wilson Commons, are not functioning properly. Some SA members will be working with faculty to find a solution.
Committee Meetings
Junior Senator Justyna Gorka proposed that committee meetings be advertised on Facebook so students feel more free to come. No resolution was reached, but the topic will be discussed in the future.
Disability Resources
Senior Senator Remsha Rafiq will send out a survey for professors to check student needs with the Office of Disability Resources.
Class Sizes
In the wake of repeated complaints from students, Krager will speak to administrators in the computer science, math, and chemistry departments about reducing class sizes.
Clubs
The Puerto Rican Student Organization and Engineering World Health Organization were both denied their application for club status due to issues with their applications, but are encouraged to reapply.
Appropriations Committee
The Appropriations Committee will be interviewing seven candidates to add to the committee.
Environmental Health and Safety
In response to 18 reports of cockroaches sighted in dormitories, Campus Services Committee Legislative Advisor senior Lumi Schildkraut, a senior staff member with the Campus Times, is looking into implementing measures to prevent cockroaches from entering buildings. One possible solution is to install mechanisms so that cockroaches would not be able to crawl through drains. Schildkraut is looking into installing some experimentally during winter, as well as giving the Department of Environmental Health and Safety a table at the first-year orientation expo. Sophomore Senator Summer Mills mentioned sightings of mice in dorms — Schildkraut said they will look into this. First-year senator Alina Fang and Schildkraut both expressed concern that EH&S may be understaffed, as they only have three full-time workers in pest control, one of whom is split between other departments.
Waste Disposal
Student Life Committee Chair sophomore Lea Thome reported on complaints from facilities that students are improperly disposing of tampons and pads in Wilson Commons, and will be looking into ways to mitigate this problem while keeping free tampons and pads accessible to everyone.
Student Life Projects
This semester’s major projects for the Student Life Committee will be mental health, affordability, sustainability, and accessibility. There will be a public forum on alcohol education, and Thome recently met with the Department of Alcohol and Other Drugs Éducation to discuss student perceptions of alcohol use.
International Student Affairs Meeting
Gorka, also the International Student Affairs Committee Deputy Chair, announced that there will be sub-committees dedicated to destigmatizing mental health services to international students and finding career and job opportunities for international students.
Board of Trustees Meeting
SA President senior Jamal Holtz reported that in a recent board of trustees meeting, University President Sarah Mangelsdorf shared her vision for UR. Holtz said Mangelsdorf wants to make sure that UR Student is accessible and easy to use for all campuses. Holtz said she also spoke on changing the appearance of the University’s website in order to approve admissions, as students decide where to go to college in part based on website design. Additionally, Holtz announced that the board of trustees is in communication with the Student Life Committee about finding a role for a student on the board.
Student Organization, Administration, and Review Committee
The motion to approve sophomore Abdul Moid Munawar and first-year Paterne Iradukuuda as Analysts to the Student Organization, Administration, and Review Committee was passed.
Student Organization Review Board
The motion to approve sophomore Isabelle Vacchetto as Involved Student Leader to the Student Organization Review Board was passed.
Minutes
The motion to approve SA minutes from Apr. 29, Sep. 9, Sep. 16, Sep. 23, and Sep. 30 was passed.
Editor’s Note (10/19/19): This article was amended to clarify that there are three EH&S workers in pest control, rather than EH&S as a whole.
