Three members of COS committee reported that the committee has been organizing its governance structure and will begin discussing substantive issues in early February. Acting Associate Dean of the College Kate Burke, a member of the committee, predicted the committee will be ready to submit a report by Spring term. The review committee was created in October 2007 to address issues relating to a spring 2006 report by the COS Student Task Force, among other disciplinary policies.
Until fall 2007, action on the COS report was delayed because then Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson did not want to introduce sweeping changes before a permanent dean was found.
"The most important thing for many students is the standard of proof needed for a guilty verdict," an SA representative said, echoing a section of the 2006 report that advocated raising the burden of proof needed for a disciplinary conviction. The COS review committee representatives responded that they will "absolutely" look into it.
The assembly also passed a resolution calling for the College to release a timetable for reducing carbon emissions, a resolution to fund buses going to New York City for spring break and a resolution to fund a Mr. and Ms. Big Green Competition during the weekend of Winter Carnival.
Last year, Dartmouth created an energy task force to study how the College could increase sustainability. The task force was supposed to release a timetable for the College by May 2007. Assembly representatives at the meeting, however, were under the impression that no timetable had actually been released. After the meeting, Student Body President Travis Green '08 said that while he knew an energy task force timetable had been created, he had never seen it, it was never available to the general public and it is now inaccessible. According to Green, the task force has no current plans to release a new timetable.
The Assembly voted on a non-binding resolution calling on the energy task force to adopt and publish a timetable. Proponents of the bill said members of the task force had approached them saying the process is stalled and that an Assembly resolution could restart it. Green offered to speak with Mary Gorman, associate Provost of the College and the head of the task force, about the issue. The bill passed with little opposition.
Over Fall term, the Assembly sponsored buses to shuttle students to New York City as a cheaper and more efficient travel alternative. A resolution to conduct a similar program for Winter term was also approved by the Assembly. The bill's sponsors said selling tickets will cover the cost of chartering buses while still allowing students a much more cost-effective mode of travel. The total budget of the program was estimated at $4,625.
The final bill passed at the session provided $1,600 in funding for a new event, the "Mr. and Ms. Big Green" competition to be held over Winter Carnival. The event, based on a popular contest of the same nature at Yale University, will feature five men and five women competing in dance routines, a talent show, a question-and-answer session and other contests. The event is intended as fun and light-hearted, according to its sponsors.
Student Services also announced that a new Greenprint machine has been set up in the Hopkins Center.
