At their first meeting of the school year, the 2002-2003 Student Council (StuCo) reviewed all the work they have done since May and laid out an agenda that aims to improve many different areas of student life.
StuCo President Manish Gala discussed a new program for this year that is already underway: the Entertainment Pass.
Priced at $30, the Entertainment Pass provides its holder with free entry to campus activities sponsored by the StuCo, HOP, and other student-run organizations for the entire school year.
For example, this weekend, the students who have already purchased their Entertainment Passes will be able to attend both a screening of Spiderman as well as a live Rusted Root concert in Shriver, with special guest Mike Doughty.
Gala announced that Entertainment Pass sales brought in $15,000 from the summer alone, and students are still buying.
Another major issue for this year's StuCo is the effort to move some campus events back onto the Quads, including such events as Spring Fair. The Class of 2003, under Class President Ravi Kavasery, has already drafted a proposal arguing to move campus events, including Spring Fair and Commencement, back onto the Upper Quad.
The administration currently plans to keep Spring Fair '03 at Garland, with Commencement at Homewood Field.
Also in the realm of improving campus life were discussions about the possibility of introducing "meal-equiv" at Levering.
Academically, Gala and Academic Affairs are pushing this year to reform the exam reserves system, which they view as unfair.
Many professors choose to put a few old exams on reserve in the library for anyone to use, but according to Academic Affairs, there are often a few students in every class that rely on past tests rather than on lectures and homework.
Academic Affairs wants to put old exams online for everyone to view and promote ethics in order to improve the system.
StuCo Treasurer Elise Roecker announced that $63.00 remained in the Student Council Operating Budget, due to problems with last year's institutional policies.
According to Roecker, these policies, which gave all members of the Executive Board copy-card privileges and Kinko's direct billing privileges, were aimed at providing convenience.
They instead caused problems for budgeting, since StuCo members were not aware they had to inform former Treasurer Noel DeSantos of all purchases.
We tried something new, and it didn't work," said Roecker.
The account will be closed, and Roecker said he will announce the change at the next Student Activities Commission (SAC) General Assembly.
Another budgeting error occurred when almost $1,200 was unaccounted for.
The error was reportedly due to a mistake in the Budget Office, and Roecker is confident that it will soon be resolved. Until then, the StuCo will take measures to conserve on administrative costs.
In addition to its goals for the upcoming year, StuCo also introduced one new member, four new committee chairs, and a new adviser.
The Class of 2004 welcomed David Crandall as a Class Representative.
Mary Keough and Judy Tomkins will chair the Board of Elections this year, and Adam Lareau and Jason Shahinfar will take over as chairs of Wonderflix.
The new Student Council adviser is Jeff Groden-Thomas, Director of Student Involvement.
Groden-Thomas has spent close to 14 years working in student affairs, at six institutions before Hopkins, but he says he "likes the energy" of the JHU StuCo.
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