(no subject)
Another month, another reserve duty weekend. But before leaving for home this time, I decided to stop by the grocery store and try out a little experiment:
Aside from that, it's been quite an eventful week. Life often brings a series of disappointments, but just occasionally, you get to accomplish something quite remarkable. It's not often you get to say that you've made an indelible mark on your college campus on behalf of the students and your principles. The headline of last week's edition of the college newspaper reads:Student protests incite change in security plan
Student disapproval of a plan to improve campus security carried on after the Student Government Association meeting adjourned on Feb. 19. By Tuesday Afternoon, the administrators had listened to student concerns and agreed to compromise.
Kieth Lamb, associate vice president of student affairs, presented a rough outline of what he said would eventually develop into a Behavioral Intervention Team, or BIT, to student senators last week. Lamb said that BIT will consist of a core group of four individuals. Lamb will chair it. Also on the committee will be the police chief, director of counseling and dean of students.
He said this group will meet weekly to review incidents that have happened or were reported across campus and to decide what type of behavioral intervention is necessary...
At the meeting, Lamb said that students would be able to anonymously report one another for behavior that concerned them. At that time, Lamb also said that there would be no student representative on committees pertaining to BIT. Student concerns circulated around many of these issues, and one group on campus that took immediate action was the Honor-Bound Conservatives.
[*takes a moment to bask*]
"After hearing a report from our student senator, we established a list of concerns with what we were informed of," Conservatives President Chase Thornton said. He and other members of the organization met with Lamb on Tuesday to discuss their misgivings about the BIT. Thornton said that a major concern was the lack of student voice in the design criteria. "It is reasonable to consider what the students have to say and to be willing to meet and discuss those concerns," Thornton said.
"After reflecting, we're going to make the process more open and transparent," Lamb said. "We need to make sure it is something the students are comfortable with. We've actually added one student, Daniel C------, to the committee that develops it and we'll add another. We'll have a very strong student voice."
"Lamb also said results from the developmental committee will be taken to the Student Government Association for feedback. The prospect of the BIT acting on anonymous tips was also a point of contention between students and administration. Lamb said he thinks the concern with anonymity was the potential for abuse. "We have since decided not to do that," he said. Instead, students will be able to report behavior or incidents that worry them either in person or through avenues where they will be identified. The people they report will not receive their names, Lamb said.
Students were also reassured that MSU will follow state and federal laws pertaining to students with disabilities to prevent discrimination that might stem from such a program, and that measures will be taken to prevent a "witch hunt" from ensuing. (source (.pdf))
The thing is, Lamb would have never made such accommodations were we not able to organize a sizable number of students to voice their protest against the original policy (at one point, that number reached well over 90); and that was probably only made possible by the fact I'd brought an audio recording device to the meeting where the policy was first announced. Once those audio files were posted online, we sent a mass e-mail to every student organization on campus, and within an hour of our going public, a very nervous VP of student affairs called my cell phone wanting to compromise. :P
Here are the audio clips of the initial confrontation on this:
sga_2_19a.wma - Topic in question arises just after the 5 minute and 35 second mark. (~15 Min.)
sga_2_19b.wma - Upon seeing the recording device, Mr. Lamb approaches to clarify his remarks after the meeting. (~3 Min.)
But man... that was some damn good steak.
- Pre-seasoned rib eye steak
- Roll of aluminum foil
- Loaf of French bread
- Strawberry-kiwi juice
Aside from that, it's been quite an eventful week. Life often brings a series of disappointments, but just occasionally, you get to accomplish something quite remarkable. It's not often you get to say that you've made an indelible mark on your college campus on behalf of the students and your principles. The headline of last week's edition of the college newspaper reads:Student protests incite change in security plan
Student disapproval of a plan to improve campus security carried on after the Student Government Association meeting adjourned on Feb. 19. By Tuesday Afternoon, the administrators had listened to student concerns and agreed to compromise.
Kieth Lamb, associate vice president of student affairs, presented a rough outline of what he said would eventually develop into a Behavioral Intervention Team, or BIT, to student senators last week. Lamb said that BIT will consist of a core group of four individuals. Lamb will chair it. Also on the committee will be the police chief, director of counseling and dean of students.
He said this group will meet weekly to review incidents that have happened or were reported across campus and to decide what type of behavioral intervention is necessary...
At the meeting, Lamb said that students would be able to anonymously report one another for behavior that concerned them. At that time, Lamb also said that there would be no student representative on committees pertaining to BIT. Student concerns circulated around many of these issues, and one group on campus that took immediate action was the Honor-Bound Conservatives.
[*takes a moment to bask*]
"After hearing a report from our student senator, we established a list of concerns with what we were informed of," Conservatives President Chase Thornton said. He and other members of the organization met with Lamb on Tuesday to discuss their misgivings about the BIT. Thornton said that a major concern was the lack of student voice in the design criteria. "It is reasonable to consider what the students have to say and to be willing to meet and discuss those concerns," Thornton said.
"After reflecting, we're going to make the process more open and transparent," Lamb said. "We need to make sure it is something the students are comfortable with. We've actually added one student, Daniel C------, to the committee that develops it and we'll add another. We'll have a very strong student voice."
"Lamb also said results from the developmental committee will be taken to the Student Government Association for feedback. The prospect of the BIT acting on anonymous tips was also a point of contention between students and administration. Lamb said he thinks the concern with anonymity was the potential for abuse. "We have since decided not to do that," he said. Instead, students will be able to report behavior or incidents that worry them either in person or through avenues where they will be identified. The people they report will not receive their names, Lamb said.
Students were also reassured that MSU will follow state and federal laws pertaining to students with disabilities to prevent discrimination that might stem from such a program, and that measures will be taken to prevent a "witch hunt" from ensuing. (source (.pdf))
The thing is, Lamb would have never made such accommodations were we not able to organize a sizable number of students to voice their protest against the original policy (at one point, that number reached well over 90); and that was probably only made possible by the fact I'd brought an audio recording device to the meeting where the policy was first announced. Once those audio files were posted online, we sent a mass e-mail to every student organization on campus, and within an hour of our going public, a very nervous VP of student affairs called my cell phone wanting to compromise. :P
Here are the audio clips of the initial confrontation on this:
sga_2_19a.wma - Topic in question arises just after the 5 minute and 35 second mark. (~15 Min.)
sga_2_19b.wma - Upon seeing the recording device, Mr. Lamb approaches to clarify his remarks after the meeting. (~3 Min.)
But man... that was some damn good steak.