Chris Diehl

Commissioner for Residence Life

Residence Life Commission Report

6 September 2006

Greetings and salutations.  I hope you all had wonderful and productive summers (or unproductive ones, whichever is your pleasure).  Seeing as how I spent mine in Athens, I will update you on some of my endeavors.  Trustee Mitchell and I spent some time revising our rules regarding the Student Trustee Selection process.  We’ve clarified several aspects (number of finalists, committee makeup, timeline, etc.) and we’ve also decided to include a nomination process.  Ideally, we’re hoping to get some of the more prominent leadership and service organizations on campus to put forward at least one candidate in an attempt to increase publicity of the position as well as the pool of applicants.  R&P Chair Frech will be receiving the proposed changes in their entirety very shortly.  Trustee Mitchell is also preparing a B.O.T. Resolution concurrent to our own so that each body will be on the same page with regards to the process. 

Commissioner Heery and I, along with Senator Feldman, met with V.P. Decatur regarding our resolution last year calling for unqualified budget transparency.  It is here that we first learned that there was the possibility of the creation of a student-driven general fee committee.  The resolution before you tonight is the culmination of this process and will serve as the committee’s enabling legislation should it be created. 

Finally, my big project for the summer was sitting on the University’s Alcohol Implementation Team. For those of you who don’t know, the conviction of any alcohol related offense will result in a student being fined $100, placed on probation, and required to complete one of three conditions of sanction.  Hold meetings with their RD’s for the duration of their time on probation; attend a one day, six hour course entitled Prime for Life; or participate in the BASICS program.  If you have any questions about the new response policy, I invite you to attend Student Senate’s Forum tomorrow evening from 5-6 p.m. in the Baker Center 1804 Lounge.  5 members of the Implementation Team will be on hand to give a brief overview of the new response strategy and entertain questions.  Athens Municipal Court Judge William Grimm will also be on hand to discuss some of the new strategies he is employing in alcohol related cases.  Pizza and drinks will be provided.

As for what we’ll be working on this quarter.  Senator Smith will be continuing her work with transfer students.  As a commission, we will be monitoring student reception of the new alcohol response policy.  Hopefully our new research wing can lend us a hand here.  In addition to this, I hope we can gauge student reaction to Jefferson Dining Hall being closed on Friday and Saturday.  Of more immediate concern, we’d like to look into why laundry costs went up over the summer.  In case you haven’t noticed, it now costs $1.75 to run a washer and $.75 to dry.  We also have several other projects lined up and if you’d like to see them I have an extensive list. 

Finally, just as an FYI, unlike President Allen I am merciful and opted to not have a commission meeting this week.  We will, however, be meeting on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm in Baker 302.  END OF REPORT.