The Corporation's young alumni trustee told the Undergraduate Council of Students Wednesday night that housing is at the top of this weekend's agenda.
"Right now, there is a lot of momentum to make substantive change in housing," said Lauren Kolodny '08 at the council's general body meeting.
Kolodny, who works with the Clinton Climate Initiative, spoke to the council about topics that will be under discussion when the Corporation convenes this weekend.
Housing improvements being considered include renovations to improve overall quality of life in existing dorms, and new suite-style residence hall projects that would encourage upperclassmen to stay on campus, Kolodny said.
Corporation members took a tour of residence halls earlier this year, said Kolodny, who was the council's vice president during the 2007–08 school year. "It was clearly interesting to see the facial expressions of these Corporation members as they walked into Grad Center," she said. The sight of these poor conditions is "embedded into their psyches now, and we are ready to move on this."
Kolodny cited the renovations of Faunce House as a model example of the change that can occur with student input. During Kolodny's first year on the council, "we had this crazy idea that Faunce should be renovated," she said, and now the results show the ability for students to inspire change.
"I think there is also a real emphasis on building new residential buildings," she said, adding that the current purpose is to find ways to retain upperclassmen through housing comparable to what students would find off campus.
Kolodny also said the Corporation would like to increase discussion about how to build community in residential halls.
Community-building on campus held different meanings for different UCS members. Several members spoke about the importance of maintaining residence halls based on class year, while other students thought mixed-year housing would provide a more diverse experience.
A group of about 30 students will meet with Corporation committees to discuss housing on Friday, Kolodny said.
Kolodny said improving career advising on campus is also on the agenda.
She said some ideas included more concentrated guidance from alums, possibly though a "career advising camp" over a winter break for interested students. She also said there would be potential to help students by using faculty who still have connections with alums.
"Advising is an issue that comes up every single year from UCS," she said. One-half of the problem may be the resources themselves, but the other half is a lack of knowledge about how to access the resources. "There is so much here, but you have to be proactive," she added.
The council announced that four new light posts will be added to the Main Green, the result of action by the Campus Life Committee last year. It will discuss increased lighting around Faunce in the future.
The council also elected Frank Rinaldi '12 as the new academic and administrative affairs chair, replacing Eden Castro '12 in the position.
