Beneath the dark shadow of student protest, this weekend's quarterly meeting of the College's Board of Trustees focused heavily on campus life, and in particular, issues surrounding the Student Life Initiative.
Chair of the Board of Trustees William H. King Jr. '63 said that this weekend's discussion was "probably more oriented toward student reactions and student discussion" than it has been in the past.
Indeed, according to King, the board made an effort to interact with as many students as possible during its brief trip to Hanover.
King said that, in order to facilitate decision making, it is important to continue to cultivate an active dialogue with students, pointing out that half of the student body matriculated only after the SLI was originally announced just over two years ago.
In order to specifically address concerns surrounding student life issues, the Trustees met with Student Assembly leaders on Thursday in what King referred to as "an excellent interchange with the student leadership."
On Thursday evening, the board had a dessert conference with a number of student organizations.
When the Trustees were not meeting with students, a main focus of discussion was what King called "peripheral issues of the SLI."
Specifically, the construction of new dormitories on Maynard Street and Tuck Drive was discussed.
Although the board was not given the opportunity to view a draft of the soon to be released report of the Greek Life Steering Committee, Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman presented them with an update on the committee's progress.
King said it seems as though the committee has been hard at work, and that the Trustees are "really looking forward to see what the report says."
In addition to student life, the board also discussed academic issues.
Just as the board heard from the Humanities department last year, this weekend they viewed a presentation from the Life Sciences department. According to King, the individual needs and concerns of the department were discussed, in addition to its overall academic mission and plans for the future.
Trustees also focused on the possibility of further interdisciplinary work between the Medical School and Life Sciences department in the undergraduate environment.
And, within the Medical School, the board approved the creation of brand new departments focusing on microbiology and genetics.
In budget and finance meetings the board focused mainly on the financing of the SLI, especially the funding of residence halls.
The board also held a meeting concerning the development of a capital campaign to increase the alumni donation rate. However, King said that because the campaign would require an "enormous amounts of planning," the College does not plan to launch it for at least a year.
