A star-studded recap of last year’s major events greeted the new A.S. Council in its first meeting of the academic year, with appearances by Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Gary R. Ratcliff for discussion of several of last spring’s hot-button issues.
“Together, we can work on problems before they become problems,” Fox told the council, before a moderately interactive question-and-answer session, which probed — among other issues — Student-Run Television, the Undergraduate Student Experience and Satisfaction report, the Residential Security Officer program and Fox’s favorite kind of beer.
No, really. But Fox got sidetracked and expressed no preferred brand.
“Would the chancellor agree that students deserve to be a part of [the] decision-making process at the university?” Eleanor Roosevelt Senior Senator Erik Rodriguez-Palacios asked, in regard to the lack of student input on the recent RSO committee report. Fox answered her questions with candid laughter, pausing to compliment Rodriguez-Palacios on his new hairstyle before continuing.
“I can’t tell you how this happened, but I suspect that whatever happened during the summer — we obviously failed to provide the kind of representation [on the committee] that you need,” she said.
When asked how she felt about military recruitment on campus, Fox was quick with a politically correct crowd-pleaser.
“Whether you agree with the war or don’t agree with the war, the need for a strong military is still there,” Fox said. “I think it’s important to give our students options, so they can learn more about the military and make an informed decision.”
After a few more questions about general campus policy, Fox was off, leaving Ratcliff to observe silently from the audience.
Although Ratcliff did not address the students, he intently watched the discussion of the council’s resolution to adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy — the admittedly unpopular document the university required to allow the Student-Run Television station’s long-lost signal to return to air.
“Nobody’s happy about the AUP,” A.S. President Harry Khanna said. “While I don’t like it, we’re still forced to comply with it.”
While some senators objected to passing a resolution that was forced on them, the argument quickly fizzled.
“I think it’s unfair to assume that any of our constituents would rather have a blue screen on channel 18 than SRTV,” Thurgood Marshall College Sophomore Senator Lana Blank pointed out, before the resolution was passed 18-2-1.
The other resolution of the evening, a proposal for an all-campus baccalaureate ceremony, was approved unanimously before Fox’s arrival. However, Fox had no immediate answer for the council on whether or not it could be implemented.
Next week on Associated Students: amendment to standing policies, reallocation of funds and cheeseburger-related near death experiences.