We Didn’t Even Print It Out!
For the fourth straight week, ASPC President Stephanie Almeida ‘11 had the Senators introduce themselves—hopefully she has everyone’s name down now. Afterwards, Chuck Taylor, chemistry professor and chair of The President’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability, presented the Sustainability Action Plan. The plan will be presented to the Executive Council in the near future. Taylor noted that efforts to raise awareness about sustainability are going quite well, but that it is difficult to achieve all the goals of the plan without student action. Environmental Affairs Commissioner Nate Wilairat ’11, who sits on the Committee, chimed in, urging students to take simple actions to reduce their energy usage, like turning off their lights, and added,
“If Pomona can’t meet its emissions targets, how is the U.S. going to do that? How is China going to do that?” With the official start of Election Season three days ago, we better pray that Wilairat is gearing up to run for national office.
This Could Get Complicated
After a heated conversation last week, the Senate resumed its discussion on the potential Coop Store renovation. Most of the Senate was in favor of moving forward with the project, but Commissioner of Clubs & Sports Ari Filip ’12 and Vice President for Campus Life and Activities Frank Langan ’11 reiterated that they felt that the desire for renovations was mainly driven by parents, not students. Freshman Class President Robert Chew added that he thought that students wanted the Coop Store to change what they carry, not the aesthetics. I guess Chew is a hungry man. Sophomore Class President Charlie Vallejo-Anderson joined in, stating that, “No one in my class cares.” To be fair, he may have been too busy celebrating his birthday this past weekend to actually remember what his classmates had told him. Senior Class President Meredith Willis, however, explained that she “hates the feng shui of the Coop Store.” Willis said that the ASPC had barely touched its reserves during her four years at Pomona, and that though the senior class will never live in the new residence hall, they will visit the Coop Store when they come back for Alumni Weekend, and so wanted the Senate to go ahead with the plan. Not to be outdone by all her fellow class presidents, Junior Class President Carrie Henderson thoughtfully chimed in with the sound of her chomping on a bagel.
C.R.E.A.M.
After much deliberation, the group voted to move forward with the plan for renovations, but still had to decide how much money it was comfortable spending on the project. The proposed cost of the project is $100,000, with $10,000 going to the designer and the rest being spent on the renovations. Willis asked if the Senate could pay in Flex. The Senate had previously discussed obtaining funding from Dean Feldblum, which would require giving up some autonomy over the Coop Store. Willis did not mind giving up a bit of autonomy:
“As long as it isn’t ruled by the Evil Dark Sith Lord, I don’t really care.” Might want to reconsider your views on Feldblum, Mer.
Pocket Change
Filip then suggested setting a cap of $60,000 of ASPC reserves, to which Vice President for Finance Cosi Thawley ’11 responded, “What’s the difference between $60,000 and $100,000?” The entire Senate roared back, “$40,000!” Almeida, stayed silent, explaining, “I can’t count. I’m not good at math.” To help his president, Wilairat provided a non-numerical explanation of the discrepancy between the two numbers: “It’s the difference between a middle class person, and an upper-middle class one.” In the end, the Senate voted 10–3, with one abstention, to move forward with the plan with a ceiling of up to $100,000 of ASPC reserves.
Remember When Pomona Was Voted the Most Unsafe Campus?
Up next, North Campus Representative Caroline Rubin ’12 presented the Residence Hall Committee’s statement on swipe policy for the new residence hall. Currently, access policy for the new residence hall requires three swipes: one to get into the residence hall, one to get into a certain hallway, and one to get into the suite, with only the first being universal. The RHC recommended changing this policy and making hallways accessible to all Pomona students, noting that students would just prop the door to the hall if there were an access restriction, which could result in more crime, the exact opposite intention of the current swipe policy. Thawley also noted that Director of Campus Safety Shahram Ariane told a group of Pomona Trustees last weekend that burglaries at Pomona were entirely external and that he believed that limiting swipe access could be a bad idea. Who else can’t wait for the first crazy hall party in the new residence hall?
Nice One, Meredith…
Lastly, Commissioner of Communications Alex Rudy ’11 told the Senate that the new ASPC logo that Joseph Long ’14 had presented last week had been vetoed since it was too similar to the College mark. Long’s logo had thick chutes of color coming out of the bottom part of the current College mark, an open book. Willis suggested that the ASPC “do the Desperate Housewives thing—you know, a nice apple and, just, ASPC.” Can’t wait to hear what genius ideas she comes up with in her commencement speech.