The Pause: What is to be done?

How involved should the student body be in choosing our concerts, particularly Fall Concert and Lutefest?

Senators heard a presentation from Lion's Pause Concert Chair Sarah Wallis, SGA President Tyler Hauger, Assistant Director of Student Activities Shayna Melgaard, and other steadfast employees of the Lion's Pause, last night. Their proposal is to implement one of three possible reorganizations of the Concert Committee, which is currently led by Wallis, an hour student-work employee at the Pause.

Right now, Sarah leads a very loosely organized committee of students that meet about once a month to discuss which artists should come to campus. The committee has one of the largest budgets of any SGA unit. Because Sarah is not directly involved with Senate, and the role of her committee is not clearly defined, she (as well as Hauger and Melgaard) believe that her role is not sufficiently accountable to the student body. These senators believe that reorganizing the committee would generate more stability and commitment, making it more efficient and ultimately choosing more relevant artists for concerts on campus.

So, three possibilities are on the table for reorganizing the Concert Committee:

1. Leave the position as-is, but step up the level of commitment required to be on the Concert Committee. 
2. Make the Concert Committee a branch of SGA, and make its coordinator an elected position.
3. Completely reorganize the Pause, turning the Co-Coordinators into hired positions (they are elected now), as well as enacting option 2.

Both solutions 2 and 3 would take the concert-organizing function out of the Pause, essentially making it a venue and and kitchen only. The rationale is that it would allow Concert Chair, who has a very student-facing role, to focus on serving his or her constituents, and free the Pause managers to deal with managerial not political concerns. 

So...what do you think about Fall Concert and the Pause? Do you have a strong opinion about the structure? Do you not not care as long as the pizzas and rockers keep coming? 

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Senate: not all 'senes'

The term "senate" comes from the Latin word senex, meaning "old man." According to Wikipeida, the term throughout history has carried a connotation of wisdom. Clearly, our view of a leader has changed a bit since ancient Roman times.

Bill Green, director of Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach, gave a very informative presentation to Senate last week about inclusivity. The program was entitled "MOSAIC," or Maximizing Opportunities for Staff/students to Achieve an Inclusive Campus. As part of the training, senators learned to consider their own cultural experience, and how it has had both positive and negative impacts on their lives. In addition, they were encouraged to develop a personal action plan by listing ethnic groups they would like to learn more about, and specific ways they can increase inclusivity in their own areas.

Mr. Green's points touch on something that's very important to SGA. We view diversity as more than simply the number of students from various groups that are represented in our assembly (although such a figure can certainly help us judge how inclusive we are). Instead, we focus on developing an environment where students from all backgrounds are given the same opportunity to represent their Ole peers through multicultural events, forums, and of course, Student Senate.

I encourage you to check out the great work our Diversity Celebrations Committee is doing, under the strong leadership of Trisha Salkas. The committee organizes celebrations from cultures literally all around the world, such as Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, Hmong New Year, Latino Heritage Weeks and International Night. Right now, they're gearing up for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, which will happen in late January/early February.