Student Assembly President Jim Rich '96 asked the Assembly to focus on issues of community next term, during last night's Assembly meeting.
Looking back on a "tumultuous" Winter term, Rich said he has found the campus "extremely combative."
Referring to several incidents of racism and homophobia that have marred the term, Rich asked the general Assembly to return from spring break with "a fresh mind next term about how we can foster an atmosphere at Dartmouth ... where we have a common community, because right now we don't."
Rich said the Assembly will "promote more positive discourse on campus ... But I hope for more tangible solutions."
Rich also asked Assembly members to leave politics behind when carrying out their responsibilities for the Assembly, especially in light of next term's elections.
"I sense that there are factions building on the Assembly," Rich said. He said he did not know enough to more clearly define any factions, but Rich said because several Assembly members are running for positions, Assembly members are lending their support in different directions.
Assembly members Unai Montes-Irueste '98 and Scott Rowekamp '97 are running for Assembly president.
Vice presidential candidates Joan Ai '98 and Bill Kartalopoulos '97 are also on the Assembly. Vice presidential candidate Chris Swift '98 is not an Assembly member, but he chairs the Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee on Advising.
"Nothing has happened so far," Rich said. But he warned the Assembly against becoming "prone to politics as usual ... doing things behind each other's backs."
Rich also said the Assembly is currently seeking a new parliamentarian.
The parliamentarian gains a thorough understanding of the Assembly's constitution, then attends Assembly meetings to adjudicate disagreements about constitutional policy.
Parliamentarians work closely with the Assembly and its inner workings, but cannot vote as members. When the Assembly lacks a parliamentarian, the executive vice president is supposed to serve as a substitute.
"We certainly do need a parliamentarian to address any problems that come up with the constitution," Rich said. He said the Assembly might consider paying a student to fill the position.
After Rich spoke, the Assembly heard committee reports and ratified a constitutional amendment guaranteeing confidentiality between administrators and the committee of administrative and faculty relations.
Sponsored by Vice President of the Administrative and Faculty Relations Committee Laura Bennett '96 and Case Dorkey '99, the amendment was unanimously approved.
The amendment stipulates that the committee will be responsible for confirming that documents administrators or faculty members want to remain confidential be kept under lock and key.
"It's really important to secure a relationship where they know they can trust us," Dorkey said.
The amendment was originally brought to the floor late during last week's meeting. But by then, enough Assembly members had left the meeting, depleting the Assembly of the necessary quorum of three-fourths total membership to ratify proposed constitutional amendments.
Scott Jacobs '99 addressed the Assembly about its delegation to the Ivy Council meeting held at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dorkey, Meredith Epstein '97, Jacobs and Robin Nunn '99 represented Dartmouth at the Ivy Council meeting.
The student government from each of the eight Ivy League schools sends delegates to the meeting twice a year to discuss current issues. The site of the meeting rotates among the different schools.
Epstein was elected president of the Ivy Council last year, but decided not to run for re-election. Nunn was elected Ivy Council secretary.
The Council named Dan Tennebaum from Brown University president, Raji Kalra from Columbia University vice president of external affairs, Travis Seegmiller of Yale University vice president of internal affairs and Brian Chan from Harvard University treasurer.
