In a nearly unanimous vote, the Student Assembly approved a resolution to fund the purchase of new gym equipment that will likely be placed at a location separate from the existing Kresge Fitness Center. Sponsored by Julia Hildreth '05, Dan Kurland '06 and the Student Life Committee, the bill allocated a maximum of $10,000 toward the purchase of gym equipment.
This step looks to serve as a quick fix to a nagging problem for the Dartmouth community: lack of gym space. Last term Hildreth oversaw the collection of 2,000 petition signatures in support of the Kresge Gym expansion.
"There aren't many opportunities that we get to give back to exactly what the students are looking for," Hildreth said.
Diana Zhang '06 and the Student Services Committee brought an mtvU representative to campus to examine the possibility of implementing the network's new channel, which airs on college campuses and universities, in dorms on the College cable system.
Affiliate relations manager Victoria Nastri pitched mtvU to Assembly members on Monday in Steele. Reaching out to a niche market, a typical hour of programming would consist of 32 minutes of actual music videos -- determined by college radio ratings -- CBS news, MTV news and campus features, among other programming.
Assistant Dean of Student Life Joe Cassidy attended the meeting and said that Dartmouth's decision to implement the network depends on three issues: the College's ability to receive the channel's signal, the basis of the College's contract with Adelphia and the service's limit of 64 channels.
The channel features "very new, ground-breaking artists that you won't find on MTV," Nastri said. Students can download exclusive "cuts" from these "cut artists" on the mtvU.com website, providing their campus provides the network, which is particularly a propos considering the seering crackdown on illegal music downloaders.
Nastri pitched the service in light of recent RIAA plans to specifically target students with over 1,000 songs downloaded on their computers. "The average student has 1,100 songs," Nastri said, advocating the free and legal downloads that mtv.com provides.
Furthermore, if Dartmouth were to sign up for the network, students would be eligible to enter a weekly contest that grants $1,500 for community service initiatives.
Students can expect to find Student Rights cards in their Hinman boxes on Wednesday or Thursday. As previously publicized, the cards enumerate student rights when it comes to interaction with the Hanover Police and Safety and Security.
"Hopefully it'll spark some conversation, and we'll see where we go from here," President's Assistant Todd Rabkin Golden '06 said.
Rabkin Golden compiled the pertinent information on the cards based on meetings he had with College Proctor Harry Kinne, Dick's House Head Nurse Charley Bradley, Dean of the College James Larimore, Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone, and Assistant Director to Undergraduate Judicial Affairs April Thompson. Luke Wachter '06 assisted Rabkin Golden in the cards' lay-out.
Jim Baehr '05 introduced a resolution to fund a "Pro-Greek Celebration," but his efforts were postponed because of a snafu in following Assembly protocol. Baehr's Student Organizations Committee had not voted on the resolution.
