The Undergraduate Council of Students begins the new academic year with a new president, vice president and committee chairs on the executive board. Freshman elections will run from Sunday to Tuesday, and the body's first meeting will be held next week when the eight at-large positions will be elected internally. Though official meetings will not start until five freshmen have been elected, the officers of the executive board have many goals for the coming year.
Incoming President Michael Glassman '09 has served on UCS since his freshman year and was the communications chair last year. Glassman wants to involve more students in high-level University decision-making, such as the Corporation, new dorm plans, financial aid initiatives and planned renovations in the Bear's Lair.He also said he plans to work on getting the University to approve last year's Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee's recommendations on how the University can help to preserve the environment.
Vice President Lauren Kolodny '08, last year's Corporation liaison, shares many of Glassman's goals, including increased involvement with the Corporation and better environmental policy - particularly the University's carbon neutrality status.
Kolodny also hopes to improve oversight of the appointments process for University committees. "Big decisions are made in University committees," Kolodny said.
"We don't really know about what's going on with them, and the student body doesn't know. You have this one student representative that has a voting position on those committees but doesn't really report back to anyone about what's happening."
She said she also plans to work with the Swearer Center for Public Service to establish service learning courses, which she said can only be accomplished with help from faculty members.
Rakim Brooks '09, this year's academic and administrative affairs chair and chair of the Africana Studies Department Undergraduate Group, plans to strengthen the relationship between DUGs.
"Brown has this rich history of interdisciplinary action and networking," Brooks said. "The idea would be to bring all these different groups together."
Another area that could use improvement in Brooks' mind is the fellowship program. Brooks said he would also like to encourage more qualified students to apply for fellowships by providing more information and advertising.
Fellowships "have that mystique of you go into a room, and the door closes behind you, and no one knows what happens but you," he said.
Jane Zhang '10, admissions and student services chair, and Ellie Cutler '10, campus life chair, plan to work together often this year to improve certain student services.
Current plans include placing Card Value Centers in more convenient locations, expanding regional card access and increasing the number of CVCs and vending machines that accept declining balance.
Cutler said she will also play a role in campus renovations such as those proposed for the Bear's Lair and Faunce House. She recently examined some of the spots in need of improvements with Class of 2010 Representative Erik Duhaime '10 and members of the Student Activities Office.
Drew Madden '10, the student activities chair, said he wants to "improve the presence and life of student activities on campus."
Madden also plans to initiate a campus-wide discussion about potentially raising the students activities fee - which was raised two years ago to $146 - through student forums. "I personally believe in raising the fee, but I don't want to do it, obviously, if the campus is totally against it," Madden said.
"It's probably going to be a promising year," Brooks said.
