Student Assembly members kicked off their term last night by passing a recreation-concerned resolution and discussing goals for the upcoming year.
The majority of the meeting dealt with the details of the Student Athletics and Recreation Initiative, which is aimed at both improving athletic facilities and building student awareness of sporting events. The resolution states that it will encompass the ongoing search for a mascot as well as an effort to re-center Homecoming around sporting events and a proposed expansion of the Kresge Fitness Center.
Resolution sponsors said that the initiative will try to focus attention during Homecoming on athletics rather than big parties and the traditional bonfire.
"There are so many opportunities to see exciting athletic competitions here at Dartmouth, and centering the attention of the student body on a game or games in particular could really change the feel and goals of the whole weekend," Julia Hildreth '05 told The Dartmouth.
Another committee formed by the SARI resolution will press for the enhancement and expansion of Kresge, which sponsors said is a major concern for the College's physically-active student body.
"We've wanted to increase gym space for a while, and now we think we might have found an affordable way, where [the Assembly] can help defray the costs," Student Body President Janos Marton '04 told The Dartmouth.
After gathering opinions "concerning recreation gaps in student life," the resolution proposes to form a committee to create noticeable benefits for the current student body concerning the Kresge Gym.
Marton also outlined major issues that the Assembly will focus on in the coming year. Committees will work to make course book lists available online, evaluate the Assembly's free newspaper program and establish more areas that are open all night.
The Assembly will also continue its pursuit of a new school mascot, Marton said.
"The next step in the mascot search, after the votes have been tallied, is to see whether or not there is a conclusive student favorite," Marton told The Dartmouth. "If there is, we would go to the alumni athletic council and other important alumni groups, seeing how they feel about it."
Marton revealed a few personal goals for the Assembly in a BlitzMail interview.
"I want to keep working on a couple major projects, like getting younger representation on the Board of Trustees, assessing Dick's House services and addressing student worker wages," Marton told The Dartmouth.
