Author: Charlotte Strauss Swanson
On Tuesday, Nov. 11 the ASOC Senate assembled in Fowler Hall to vote on and discuss this week’s budget, Oxy’s smoking and alcohol policies, and the new residence hall TVs, among other topics.
Sarah Owens ’08 and Luca Valle (junior) presented a reform of Oxy’s smoking laws, called the “Secondhand Smoke Policy.” Their goal in reformation is to not only raise awareness of Oxy’s current smoking policy, but also to allocate specific areas for smokers on campus, and to incorporate hookah and other tobacco into the policy.
Owens suggested designating the area between the library and Herrick as a “smoker’s pit” so that as students enter the library, they are not victim to secondhand smoke.
Owens and Valle have already proposed the policy to the Oxy administration and also Emmons Health Center, who are all in support of the reform. Senior Class Senator Allison Dempsey raised concern that smokers were not involved in this policy change. The senate endorsed the proposal in a 10-1-1 vote, requesting that Owens and Valle incorporate the smoker’s voice into phase two of the policy.
Senior Campus Wide Senator Teddy Zou and Senior Class Senator Alex Graves put forward ideas to changes Oxy’s alcohol policy and program. It was proposed that student input should be incorporated more effectively in policies related to alcohol use on and off- campus. Zou and Graves suggested plans to create a committee – possibly a sub-group of the Dean’s Advisory Committee-for this cause.
As for policy changes, they also suggested that visibly drunk students should not be refused rides by campus safety escorts. Zou also addressed the need for improved notification of alcohol policies to the student body. He commented that students should not necessarily be punished for a crime they were not aware they were committing. Zou and Graves will address more of their proposal in future meetings.
The campus cultural committee followed up on the proposal to install flat screen TVs into Steward-Cleland, Braun and Pauley halls. Freshman Class Senator Aliza Goldsmith reported that the TVs should be installed before or after Thanksgiving break. The installation for each TV is estimated at around $10.
Junior Class Senator Konstantin Chaykovskiy briefly brought up the need for new grills in Sycamore Glen and a new basketball hoop outside of Pauley Hall for recreational use.
The ASOC Senate also voted and agreed to a series of budget requests for the upcoming week and discussed the success of their club mixer, as well as plans for Meet and Greet. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
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