Officers and committee chairs reported on their ongoing projects at a brief meeting of the Student Senate Wednesday.
Student body vice president Bill Andrichik informed members that the Campus Life Council (CLC) delayed voting on a Senate resolution passed unanimously Nov. 1. The CLC voted to send that resolution - which would provide resources to the Native American student population - to a newly created ad hoc committee to rework it so it falls under the purview of the CLC.
The issue of whether students should be required to take a test checking their knowledge of the University Academic Honor Code was one of the topics discussed at last week's Faculty Senate meeting, said representative Philippe Collon. The reason for a yearly test stems from new honor code situations that can arise - ones students should be aware of, he said.
Faculty representatives also discussed classroom safety in light of recent violent attacks in schools around the country.
"What are the responses faculty should take if situations arise in classrooms?" Collon asked.
Pasquerilla East senator Emily Cooperstein spoke on behalf of the Community Relations committee about the Northeast Neighborhood Council meeting she attended Monday night. At the meeting, one South Bend resident said she has seen "vast improvements" in students' behavior and noise levels on football weekends in the past few weeks, especially in the Washington Street area, Cooperstein said.
"There are some who have really expressed thanks and congratulations for helping improve community relations already," she said.
Another woman said South Bend residents are open to enter into a relationship with students, but said students have to take the first step, Cooperstein said.
A resolution regarding clocks in classrooms should be presented to the Senate soon, Academic Affairs chair Jim Grace said. He also informed the group that if students picked classes on the first day of registration this year, they would have a registration time on the second day next semester, and vice versa.
Social Concerns chair Sheena Plamoottil said representatives from Amnesty International will be coming to speak to students at their hall councils in the coming weeks. Alliance for Catholic Education representatives will also be coming around to hall councils with a new outreach program for undergraduates, Residence Life chair Pat Knapp said.
The Multicultural Affairs committee has developed a group that will look at minority faculty retention and recruitment, said chair Destinee DeLemos. University Affairs chair Aly Baumgartner asked senators to e-mail her suggestions for topics for the Catholic Think Tank lecture series, a set of discussions that bring prominent Catholics to Notre Dame.
In other Senate news:
u Student body president Lizzi Shappell asked senators to volunteer to attend a focus group about changes to Stepan Center.
u Shappell announced a University-wide Mass will be held in the Sacred Heart Basilica for Caitlin Brann Dec. 4 at 5:15 p.m. Brann, a senior at Notre Dame, died in a car crash Friday morning.
