During this semester's first meeting of the Campus Life Council (CLC), members discussed their hopes for increased collaboration between different groups on campus this year.
Student body president Pat McCormick invited members to present their most immediate concerns and goals for the year.
"CLC is designed to be a forum where all of the stakeholders in the University could come together and discuss the most pressing issues," McCormick said. "We can have a tangible impact on student life and the life of the community as a whole."
Judicial Council president Susanna Sullivan said she hopes CLC can foster a better relationship between students and the Office of Residence Life and Housing (ORLH).
"I want to facilitate a greater respect for the [disciplinary] process and also bring about a greater transparency to it," she said.
Diversity Council representative Alexa Arastoo said she hopes to increase awareness of diversity on campus, especially now that over a quarter of the student population are considered minorities.
"As the percentage of students who identify as a minority grows, my goal is to see if Notre Dame can graduate more people who have an openness to those kinds of issues," she said. "I hope that we can see a greater integration between minority students and the rest of the student body."
Farley Hall rector Sr. Carrine Etheridge said she would like to see CLC work on reducing student apathy on important issues.
"I think we could do better on helping to form authentic community," she said. "It would be great if the same atmosphere in the Stadium on Saturday carried over to Monday morning."
Etheridge said she hopes CLC will focus on accomplishing practical goals, rather than attempting to tackle sweeping policy changes.
"I'd like to see us do practical, doable things," she said. "Things that would improve the quality of life for students."
McCormick said he believes CLC can have a profound impact on student engagement and greatly enhance student life at Notre Dame.
"It's exciting for us to have this opportunity to think through how we can work through these issues," he said. "We have the ability to utilize each facet of the student union well."
