"The first year, my main goal was getting the administrator side on board because I thought that we couldn't do policy without that," Tanner said. "I think we did a really good job of that and administrators have a whole new respect for policy coming out of Student Assembly that they've never had before."
For the upcoming year, Tanner said he hopes the Assembly will work to increase attendance at General Assembly meetings and also become a cost-neutral organization by eliminating its own budget and focusing exclusively on policy initiatives.
"We're doing more important work than before of more value to the student body," Tanner said. "The trouble now is communicating that to the student body and giving a face to the Student Assembly that shows how much of an important group it is and how many people are involved in it and how much time and effort they put into the policy you now see on campus."
Both Tanner and former Student Body Vice President Brandon Aiono '11 identified the lack of support given to them by the previous Assembly led by former Student Body President Frances Vernon '10 and former Student Body Vice President Cory Cunningham '10 as one of the most challenging obstacles they faced. Aiono said it was also difficult to find students to chair the issue-based committees because the committees were new and had yet to be clearly defined.
Cunningham is a former member of The Dartmouth Senior Staff.
Tanner and Aiono said they are committed to helping Student Body President Max Yoeli '12 and current Student Body Vice President Amrita Sankar '12 transition into their positions.
Tanner said he plans to continue his involvement with the Assembly at the administrative level in order to advocate for the approval of policy report recommendations submitted by committees that he created. Many committees have implemented policy changes that impacted student life, according to Tanner.
Under Tanner's administration, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee, co-chaired by Cyrus Akrami '11 and Yoeli, created Green Team to address alcohol abuse on campus. Green Team members began monitoring parties and providing assistance to intoxicated students on Feb. 22.
Approximately 200 students have received Green Team training, making them eligible to monitor parties for $40 per shift, according to Green Team leader Charlotte Cipparone '12. At 15 to 20 events at which Green Team has been present, no Good Samaritans calls have been made, according to Cipparone.
Green Team receives its funding from the President's Office, and College President Jim Yong Kim has been speaking about the program to other schools, she said.
The Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee is also working to address "freshmen pre-gaming in dorms," although that project is unfinished and will likely be continued during Yoeli's presidency, according to Tanner.
The Diversity and Community Affairs Committee co-chaired by Sankar and David Becker '13 continued to set up joint events between different student organizations this year. Uunder Tanner the committee was "much more hands-on in its approach with the administration," according to Becker.
The committee which held bi-monthly meetings with acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears wrote a report outlining four major initiatives for increasing student representation within the administration and for bridging social chasms and achievement gaps that exist. The committee also suggested the implementation of an internship program that would place 23 students focused on equity issues in 21 administrative level offices, according to Becker.
The report also recommended that the College hire a full-time director for Office of Pluralism and Leadership. The report received a "warm reception" from administrators and will be discussed further when the Dartmouth Diversity Council convenes at the end of the month, Becker said.
The Programming and Services Committee co-chaired by Aaron Limonthas '12 and Caroline Ward '11 in the fall and Julie Ann Haldeman '14 in the winter and spring provided buses to New York City at the beginning of breaks and laid the groundwork for expansion of the Student Readership Program next year, according to Premjee.
The committee is also responsible for attempting to reinstate the swim docks and for creating a larger plan for the river that will be revealed at a later date, according to Tanner.
The Accessibility Committee, co-chaired by Emily Broas '11 and Lauren Vespoli '13, wrote an eight-page report that identifies the primary areas of concern regarding student accessibility on campus and offers viable solutions to those problems.
The report's central recommendation is the creation of a position for an Accessibility Advisor within OPAL. The report also suggests that adjustments be made to the Accessibility Steering Committee to accommodate those with disabilities and health issues in activities inside and outside the classroom.
Although the report is complete, Provost Carol Folt has not been available to meet with the committee, according to Tanner.
The Academic Affairs Committee co-chaired by Manasi Desai '11 and Joseph Tanenbaum '13 also submitted a policy brief to the administration. The brief's main initiative calls for mandatory mid-term course evaluations similar to those that students complete at the end of each term, which are meant to increase professor accountability to students.
The Assembly's External Relations Committee co-chaired by Katie Paxton '11 and Branko Cerny '13 focused on aligning the image the College projects to its peer Ivy League institutions and prospective students with the viewpoints of its own students.
Paxton is a former member of The Dartmouth Senior Staff.
The Assembly is co-sponsoring a virtual tour with the admissions office to provide all students with the opportunity to see the College's campus, according to Paxton. Committee member Alex Judson '14 is in the process of working with members of the computer science department and Judson's Design Thinking class to create the tour, which will be available on the admissions website, according to Paxton.
Cerny unveiled the Student Portal at the end of Winter term to act as students' version of a Google homepage. The portal allows students to voice questions, suggestions and comments to the Assembly through the Vox Populi box located on the left-hand side of the page. The site also includes an events calendar, daily Dartmouth Dining Services menus and links to Blackboard, Banner Student and the Course Guide. The Assembly passed legislation proposed by Cerny to develop an iPhone application that will provide similar services, according to Cerny.
First-year Training Coordinators James Lee '13 and Elise Smith '13 held weekly meetings with the 18 freshmen cluster representatives focused on teaching freshmen how to be successful leaders. The freshmen members are currently revising the outdated "'Shmen Guide" for the incoming Class of 2015, according to Assembly co-spokesperson Rohail Premjee '14.
Lee is a member of The Dartmouth Business Staff.
Aiono said that while this was a "prototype year," the Assembly's overhaul was crucial to increasing its relevancy in years to come. As vice president, Aiono chaired the Membership and Internal Affairs Committee. MIAC is responsible for recruitment and retention of members and for facilitating the selection process for college committees, Aiono said.
"Serving as chair of MIAC was the most valuable experience that I've had throughout my four years as a member of Student Assembly," Aiono said. "It's always a vague position that the vice president interprets and we really sought to define the role so that there won't be confusion in years to come."
Sustainability Committee co-chairs Sarah Jewett '12 and J. Michael Mentrek '13 were unable to be reached by press time.
