In light of the upcoming presidential transition, Palaeopitus senior society and Student Assembly are boosting efforts to increase communication between the student body and College administrators.
Palaeopitus will publish an annual State of the College report this spring, in addition to a potentially separate report to President-elect Philip Hanlon. Both reports will communicate student opinions to College administrators, but the report to Hanlon will likely be more "distilled" to focus on the "most pertinent issues," Palaeopitus moderator Kristen Clifford '13 said. Student Assembly is also working with the Inter-Community Council and the Dean of the College's Office to conduct a student life survey. The results will be compiled in the Assembly's Visions Report, a "succinct guide" published for incoming College presidents and their administrations.
"President Hanlon seems very, very concerned about student life and understanding the pulse of the campus," Clifford said. "He seems very interested in improving the student experience."
One of Palaeopitus's goals is to gather opinions on pertinent issues from both the student body and the College administration and serve as a link between the two constituents.
Palaeopitus hosted a community dinner discussion on Wednesday with hopes of gathering student feedback, delegate Vaidehi Mujumdar '13 said. The group saw the discussion as an opportunity to foster "honest and open communication" about diverse student opinions.
"A lot of students who attended agreed that without incentives, people might not be willing to express controversial opinions," Mujumdar said. "People are worried about backlash when they don't sense a support network."
Each Palaeopitus delegate will draft an editorial on thoughts that reflect those of the community at large, she said. The sub-committee in charge of the reports will condense and include these thoughts in the State of the College report, which intends to reflect the student experience at large.
The group plans to gather student feedback through a public "Dear President Hanlon" display that will encourage students to submit thoughts on the presidential transition, as well as changes they would like to see in the future.
Palaeopitus intends to prioritize the report to Hanlon. College administrators advise limiting the length of the report in an effort to improve its readability, Clifford said.
"Dartmouth in Three Words" is another Palaeopitus project that asks College seniors to describe their Dartmouth experience in three words, Clifford said. The survey invites seniors to elaborate on their thoughts and experiences in a separate section.
The Assembly's Visions Report, however, will be more "fact-based" in addressing facets of student life, Student Assembly president Suril Kantaria '13 said.
"The Visions Report is actually much more of a summary of student life as it stands in the status quo," he said. "It addresses social life, residential life, academic life the entire Dartmouth student experience."
The survey that the report is based on has received over 500 responses, Kantaria said. The report will serve as a "thorough overview of student life" that will guide President-Elect Hanlon, College administrators and the Board of Trustees in future agenda-setting, he said.
Both the Assembly and Palaeopitus hope to establish a strong relationship with the incoming administration in the upcoming transition.
"Going forward, we'd love for Palaeopitus and other student organizations to have a more dynamic relationship with the president and the College administration," Clifford said. "We hope to set the stage for future president-student relations."
Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson and Interim-President Carol Folt meet with Palaeopitus delegates at least once a term.
"President Folt is always asking us What are the students saying?' What do the students want?'" delegate Millen Abselab '13 said. "Students should know that administrators really are there for them."
College administrators constantly seek student feedback, delegate Damaris Altomerianos '13 said. Undergraduate deans hold daily drop-in office hours, but few students know or take advantage of the opportunity, she said.
"One of the things that Palaeop really promotes is increased communication between administration and students in both directions," she said. "As long as we keep communicating to people, I would hope that our report is one that is really thorough, thoughtful, mindful and voices the diversity of the opinions that exist in the group and across campus."
Mujumdar believes that this year's State of the College report will likely be more reflective, with greater emphasis placed on students' personal experiences, she said.
"Facts and figures don't encompass the student experience," she said. "We want students to know that Palaeop is of service to them. We're a resource that we hope students will access."
