The unusually early election of Student Assembly's new leadership this year allowed the organization to implement several new initiatives this term, a departure from past years in which the Assembly made little progress during Spring term.
"Outreach has never really been as prevalent as it has this term," Student Body President Molly Bode '09 said, adding that the Assembly has made a new commitment to involve more of the student body in the organization.
Bode plans to continue to focus on increasing alternative social spaces over the coming terms, she said. During the Spring term, the Assembly sponsored two parties held in nontraditional social areas that were open to all students.
The Assembly also met with several administrators and students to address a perceived housing shortage. The continued availability of the Lodge residences is due, in part, to the lobbying efforts of the Assembly, according to former Student Body President Travis Green '08.
In addition, the Assembly hosted a forum for students to comment on the report released by the Committee on Standards' Review Committee and is still encouraging students to provide input on the matter.
The Assembly is currently working on a proposal for new general education programs for freshmen, which could be finished by the Fall term. The programs would aim to introduce new students to the Assembly.
Over the next three terms, the Assembly hopes to solicit student input in the search for the College's next president and examine the College's policies regarding distributive requirements. Bode said she would like to see the distributive requirements improved so "students aren't just taking a class to get the distrib."
The Assembly is also going to review Dartmouth's sexual assault policies, both in relation to the Committee on Standards and to the College's existing support systems for affected students, Bode said. This review was prompted by concerns about the proposed standard of evidence in College disciplinary cases.
In order to receive feedback from the student body on all of these matters, the Assembly plans to host an open meeting for the campus, with 1,000 students, administrators and trustees, Bode said. The last successful meeting of this kind took place in 2005, she said.
Green and Neil Kandler '09, the current vice president of the Student Services Committee, highlighted Bode's communication skills and campus involvement as instrumental to the Assembly's progress this term.
"In a lot of ways, she complements [Green's] presidency," Kandler said. "She can take her involvement and use it to get [the Assembly's] name out there."
The Assembly's new leadership had time to implement several programs in its first term because the traditional election cycle was altered for 2008.
The elections have historically been held in early April, but more recently have "slipped" to early May, according to Green.
Green said he did not have a positive experience stepping into the Assembly leadership last year because the transition took place close to finals, and previous Student Body President Tim Andreadis '07 had "checked out." As a result, Green said he recommended to the Elections Planning and Advisory Committee that the elections take place earlier in te Spring term.
"It was not a good way to start," Green said.
Bode was able to take over leadership of the Assembly immediately on April 15, just six days following her election, departing from past transitions. Normally, the senior president runs the Assembly for the remainder of the term, while the new president starts his or her own group, essentially creating two Assemblies. Under this system, the old Assembly loses membership and the new one has no financial resources, Green said, so he decided to change the process.
The change was motivated by the success of other groups at Dartmouth, such as fraternities and sororities, which tend to make the transition from senior to junior leaders earlier in the term, Green said.
"By keeping the old and transforming it into the new, it allows them to finish their projects," Kandler said. "New ideas can actually get funded."
While Assembly members credited increased productivity to the earlier elections, Bode and Kandler agreed that the elections could be held slightly later to give students who were off campus during the Winter term ample time to campaign.
"I think we've effectively used the spring to its full advantage," Bode said.
