Treasury Rejects DAC...StudLife Covers

Below is the StudLife article covering Treasury's decision. It is written by Alan Liu and can be seen at http://www.studlife.com/news/2010/02/19/treasury-rejects-diversity-council-irking-backers/

Please know that the supporters of this effort will be joining for a response next week. For more info on the DAC and this issue, please inquire with Connect 4 by emailing connect4.wustl@gmail.com.

Treasury rejects diversity council, irking backers

Senators passed same measure 22-2-1 last week.

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By Alan Liu
STAFF REPORTER

Posted February 19, 2010 at 4:11 am

Student Union Treasury on Tuesday barely voted down legislation to create the Diversity Affairs Council, leaving the future of the proposal in doubt.

The vote was 7-6-1. A two-thirds majority, or 10 votes, was needed to pass the legislation.

Earlier that evening, Treasury had gone through the legislation’s articles and approved each one individually. When Treasury voted on the entire legislation, however, it did not pass.

“From a legislative perspective, it’s nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said Senate Speaker Chase Sackett, a senior.

Treasury Representative Ehi Okoruwa, a sophomore, said part of the problem stemmed from representatives’ uncertainty about what they were voting on.

“A lot of people were confused on whether we were going to discuss the structure, whether we were going to discuss the value this brings to campus, etc.,” Okoruwa said. “Many people were just not on the same page.”

Among the concerns that representatives raised were that the council (DAC) added to the complexity of SU, that this council would allow other groups to unduly influence the executive branch of SU, and that there seemed to be no guarantee that the DAC would accomplish its goal.

SU Senate passed the same legislation last week 22-2-1.

According to the legislation, the DAC aims to “foster connections between members of the campus community, and address issues so as to bring diversity to the forefront of campus-wide and administrative concerns.”

Diversity refers to that of sex, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, class and philosophy, among many other ways of judging people.

After the vote, DAC supporters left the room.

Diversity Affairs Council: From beginning to legislation

Senior DeAndrea Nichols, president of Connect 4, raised the question of diversity last summer to find groups beyond Connect 4 that addressed the issues of diversity. She said the conversation eventually reached senior Jeff Nelson, student body president.

“He said that there’s nothing in SU that focuses on diversity,” Nichols said. “This is despite the fact that our larger University constantly states that we care about it.”

Sackett, Senior Class Council President Fernando Cutz, Coordinator for Student Involvement and Multicultural Leadership Naomi Daradar Sigg and other student leaders on campus eventually took up the issue.

After drafting the legislation, SU held a Legislative Leadership Council meeting at the beginning of this semester to discuss the legislation.

“Treasury reps saw this very early in the semester and had the opportunity to give input,” Sackett said.

Cutz pointed out that the legislation went through 13 drafts before appearing at the Senate’s University Initiatives Committee, which approved the legislation 10-0 and moved it on to Senate and Treasury.

Reactions

“Quite frankly, I’m really upset right now,” Student Union Senator Betel Ezaz, a sophomore, said during the open forum portion of Treasury.

Cutz’s criticism of Treasury was much harsher.

“I think Treasury has shown a fundamental incompetence at representing the will of the student body,” Cutz said. “I think they were not voting according to their constituents’ wants.”

But Sackett was quick to point out that 50 percent of the body did support the legislation on Tuesday.

“We absolutely do commend the half of the body that did vote to support the legislation,” Sackett said. But he added, “I’m still unclear as to what the reasons were for voting against it [were].”

After the Treasury meeting, Treasury Representative Peter Glaser, a junior, said it was unfair to criticize Treasury for being insensitive to diversity when the body approves events promoting diversity on a weekly basis.

Jack Kider, a Treasury representative and Budget Committee co-chair, said the DAC legislation failed because its supporters failed to explain why its goals could not be met through school organizations that already exist.

“I believe that many Treasury representatives did not wish to pass legislation that creates more bureaucracy and another organization within Student Union, while there are many institutions within and outside of Student Union that already exist to address the same issues that the DAC would have addressed,” Kider wrote in an e-mail to Student Life.

Next steps

Now, supporters of the legislation are trying to obtain 900 signatures by Monday so that this issue can go before the whole student body in spring elections.

“We want to give the student body a chance to show they care that SU should make diversity a part of its intrinsic structure, and I think that students do believe that,” Sackett said. “And that’s why we’re so confident and that’s why we’ve been working on this for so long.”

An Opportunity to Collaborate with GlobeMed

Another cool opp that has come our way. We may discuss Thursday (pending results of tomorrow's legislation!) :D

My name is _____ and I am the current president of GlobeMed Wash U. A few years ago, the UN named February 20^th the “World Day of Social Justice”. In designating this day the World Day, the UN aimed to recognize the need to bring together the efforts of all members of the community in promoting access to social well-being and justice for all, no matter in what capacity. 

This year, GlobeMed Wash U is trying to bring World Day of Social Justice to the forefront of students’ minds here on campus. 

On Friday, February 19^th, we will host an on-going awareness event during the day and a slam/mixer event for all interested Social Action groups in the evening. The primary goal of these events will be to bring attention to World Social Justice Day on main campus. On Saturday, February 20^th, we will host a webinar, “Health and Social Justice” featuring Laura Turiano, a physician who currently serves on the global coordination group of People’s Health Movement (PHM) Right to Health and Health Care Campaign.

I wanted to invite Connect 4 to collaborate with us on this event. While GlobeMed primarily fights for global health equity, we recognize that health issues cannot be solved without solving many other social justice issues. This is a unique opportunity for various groups with different goals to band together and share our experiences with one another.

Please let me know if you would be interested in collaborating/participating. If you are interested, I will send more details and we can work together to make this an amazing event.

Thanks!

GlobeMed Wash U President

Regarding Diversity Affairs at WashU

Important proposal for addressing student diversity affairs upcoming on campus. Please read and pass along to your peers and constituents. 

For years and semesters, members of our student community have have voiced a desire and need for an official and legitimate student-led entity that can provide:

• centralization of student-led communication, resources, and support for multicultural and diversity-related affairs,
• a rapid- action based source to aid in the address of bias-based incidents as they occur (think: ethnic profiling, Right Side of History, etc),
• a legitimized and collective voice for the student body when advocating greater desires of "diversity" to SU and the appropriate members of the University administration,
• more direct facilitation and accountability for collaboration and co-programming between cultural groups,
• increased provision and centralization of diversity training and workshops for student groups and individuals,
• and more.

Since returning this semester, many of us have worked with various members of the community to conceive a proposal to Student Union for the legislation of a Diversity Affairs Council (DAC) that will strive to address these and other interests. With a defined structure and much closer ties to SU, the DAC would represent the creation of an explicit diversity element within Student Union oriented towards helping a wide array of groups and individuals— including cultural, religious, LGBTQIA and social justice—reach common goals.


It would hope to provide policy recommendations to the Student Union Senate and support them into action as incidents occur on campus.  It would help coordinate diversity training on campus, connect new groups and initiatives (like WU/FUSED or Culture Shock) with campus leaders, and host a monthly Roundtable as meeting grounds for its constituents. The Chair of the DAC would be appointed by the SU President, and then would appoint a Cabinet to provide direction for the council, and it is with great hopes that with your support, members of the student body will have thorough representation within the DAC and unite towards enhancing and activating what the term "diversity" means on our campus. 


WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

SU Senate recently set the legislative consideration and voting for this initiative for February 10. As work on this legislation proposal is relatively new, communication of it to the wider student body has been limited. But we want you to join us in showing Student Union student support for the DAC

INPUT is needed.
On Monday and/or Tuesday of this upcoming week, we will be launching a "State of Diversity" campaign to garner a vast array of student perspectives on what is perceived to have become just a "buzz word" on campus.  We will be videotaping random and self-selected students in the DUC Commons sharing how they regard the current state of the term "diversity" on our campus. These will be shared all week in prep for the Senate legislation. 

DIALOGUE is needed.
With the new developments of the DAC concept, we will be hosting a Roundtable on Thursday February 4 at 7:30pm in DUC 234 about the "State of 'Diversity'" on campus whereby we will analyze and discuss the issues that have been prevalent over the past year and pitch why the DAC could serve as a foundational solution for such issues. We need honest and raw dialogue about this, so please bring diverse and strong opinions. 

SUPPORT is needed.
The DAC legislation is currently set for February 10 in SU Senate. Please support this effort by attending this meeting, bringing your peers, and voicing your opinions about the DAC legislation.

For any questions, concerns, or suggestions, or to get involved, please contact Connect 4 at connect4.wustl@gmail.com. 

C4 Execs

Leave your comments below:

Coprogramming with the Committee on Women and Art— Are We Interested?

Received this from CWA. Will bring it up at a meeting.

Dear Connect 4,

 

I am writing on behalf of The Committe on Women and Art, a student group on campus.  We are hosting our annual symposium next month (February) in which we bring female artists and performers to campus to celebrate their accomplishments.  I just got off the phone with local blues singer Kim Massie (http://www.myspace.com/kimmassie1), who has agreed to perform in Umrath Lounge on Wednesday, February 17th. (date may change depending on space availability).  Here is the issue:  she is asking for $600 to perform, but we only have $100 in our account to offer.  We wonder if Connect 4 would be interested in co-sponsoring her performance with us.  We will accept any money you'd be willing or able to contribute; we are approaching several other student groups/academic departments with this same request, in hopes of raising enough funds.  If you would like to contribute, your name will of course be attached to the event (unless you would prefer otherwise).  This is obviously a last-minute, semi-desperate request, and we would hope to get the ball rolling as soon as possible, if possible.  That being said, feel free to contact me by email or phone (260-316-6833) and let me know if you are interested, then we can meet to discuss details.

Thanks for your time!
  

Pre-Semester Meeting, January 21, 2010

Big props to Betel for such succinct notes. Awesome. Also, great thanks to Aiko and Salma for joining us!

Connect4 1/21/10

·  Grace is still doing PR with Brittany

·  One of the main goals of this year is to make sure we hold ourselves and others accountable for our initiatives.

·  Activities Fair is on Wednesday from 4:30-6:40

·  Legislation: there will be a new draft sent out by next week

o   Main goal is to keep communication open

o   Meeting with non-C4 Ehi and Nate Ferguson to discuss the legislation

·  Ezell is in process of getting things in order to get the Diversity pre-o started

o   Sign up sheet passed around for those who want more info

·  Camille and Lexi will be starting “Operation Understanding WashU

o   Discussions and programming to discuss various issues

o   Info session on February 8^th and 9^th

·  Andreas: Need More Players

o   Get a group of people to crash a spot on campus to allow people to meet each other

o   First event will be at Activities Fair. Meet there and discuss what they’re going to do.

o   Only issue is with the tshirts. Probs do a community

·  Need a Roundtable Committee/ someone to actually head it also

o   Even if you don’t have experience, its ok.

·  Culture Shock

o   Brought up by Hana Schuster

o   First event is LNYF brought by AAA.

o   Next event is Black Anthology.

·  Brown Bag Lunches

o   A way to strengthen our relationships with our faculty and how we support each other

·  Brown Star

o   Sathya will be coming to WUSTL

·  We hope to have more bonding events and start it off with a retreat on the 31^st.

·  Hope to have C4 work with the new Dean Mcleod’s Scholarship

·  Thurtene: it’s still tentative if we want to do it or not. It is a busy month though as far as transitions go.

·  Leadershape: during spring break.

"Unity Fest", A Concept

 I found this idea online, and I think it would be something really cool to host either as it is described below or as an expanded concept for all ethnic communities on campus. It could even be something that students collaborate to create in order to serve a higher meaning with the term UnityFest.


I can't remember which university this is from, but it's cool.... and if you think "Connect 4" is a stranger group name, check out "SODA." 

Within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community are many ethnicities and experiences. This event will acknowledge and celebrate this diversity. There will be performances, discussion, and food from several distinct communities.This event is also part of a UnityFest and is sponsored by Raising Our Asian Rights (ROAR) and Students Organizing Diversity Activities (SODA).

Afriky Lolo Brings the Rumble in the DUC

Today I was sitting in the downstairs SU offices with Senators, when suddenly an onslaught of drumming caught my attention. Though in midst of conversation, I removed myself to find the sound and came across the following amazing performances by Afriky Lolo, "a nationally acclaimed West African Dance Company" based out of St. Louis. The African Students Association hosted their performance today in preparation for their show "Sundiata" in Edison theater. Please watch the videos below, post more if you got to see them, and support them and ASA February 26!








Below is the flyer for the show. Please show your support by attending this event! I will be connecting with Connect 4 and Culture Shock members to by group tickets to see it. Join us!

Learn more about Afriky Lolo by visiting http://afrikylolo.com

Opportunity with NSBE to Discuss the Lack of Diversity in Faculty

Alice Ndikumana sent the following request to student group leaders in efforts to coprogram an event to discuss the lack of diversity amongst the faculty at WashU. De will be meeting with her next week to learn more about this endeavor.

My name is Alice Ndikumana. I am a junoir biomedical engineering student, and the programs chair for the National Society of Black Engineers. Every year we host a NSBE Week in the Spring Semester. This year the theme of our week is inspiring and educating Black engineers. Along that theme, one of our main events is an event discussing the lack of a diversity amongst the faculty at our university. The goal of our event is, firstly, to answer the following questions: 1. How racial/ethnic representation among Washington University in St. Louis compare to similar intstitutions? 2. What is our university doing to increase these numbers? 3. What are the main obstacles we face? Secondly, we hope to educate our student body about what it takes to become an professor and what the career entails. 

I am hoping that your membership may be interested in attending our event and that you may interesting in co-programming this event with us. If you are interested please respond to this email we can set up a time for us to meet and bounce around ideas.