Student Senate committee chairs echoed student body president Lizzi Shappell's enthusiastic outlook for the remainder of their terms Wednesday as they presented several objectives for the spring semester.
Community Relations committee chair Josh Pasquesi will head the planning of a community summit in February. The summit - a gathering of government leaders and representatives from local colleges and universities - will aim to improve relations between college students and the South Bend and Mishawaka communities.
Pasquesi said he has also been speaking with Mikki Dobski, director of communications and special projects for the South Bend mayor's office, about running a tour of South Bend for next year's freshman class. Approximately 100 freshmen attended the first sponsored tour of South Bend last August.
Off-campus senator Mark Healy told the Senate the Social Concerns committee is researching ways to charge each class council with a certain part of the Millennium Village Project to build on Notre Dame's recent commitment to partnering with a village in Uganda.
"We are going to try to put that forward for the incoming class council coming in on April 1," Healy said.
Sheena Plamoottil, chair of the Social Concerns committee, said students can anticipate a Darfur week this semester as well as stall notes that feature different countries involved in global conflict, the goal being increased awareness of the geography, flag and current events of that country.
The schedule of events for the Eating Disorders and the Campus Culture Conference is now available on the Center for Continuing Education's Web site, Shappell said. Students do not need to register to attend, but they are encouraged to do so through the site.
The Residence Life committee has an alcohol awareness week planned for later this semester, said committee chair Pat Knapp. The Senate should also expect a resolution next week concerning Domer Dollars on campus, he said.
Residence Life committee vice chair Mariana Montes said she has several meetings planned to discuss upgrading Web sites like WebCT for better integration between faculty and students. She is also looking into a plan for the library to provide iPods for podcasts.
The University Affairs committee is "starting to get the ball rolling" on the Catholic Think Tank lecture series, said committee chair Aly Baumgartner. Politics and women are two topics that will be addressed in the lectures.
Destinee Delemos, chair of the Minority Affairs committee, said she will explore ways for students to facilitate minority faculty recruitment. She also plans to evaluate the services available for minority students and talk with multicultural clubs on campus about planning events.
