WCSA continues to make change

When two prospective students asked the vice president of the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) about baked goods, she knew something was wrong.

Emma Drongowski, a junior, began her April 20 full senate report by saying, “let’s talk about bagels.”

Her culinary focus came in response to social media postings, a Transcript article and numerous student comments about WCSA’s plan to decrease the size of bagels for sale on campus.

Drongowski said that while she was “happy WCSA could make a change in the everyday life of students,” the change “took only five minutes out of [sophomore representative] Jess Choate’s day, only took one quick email.”

WCSA accomplishes many things in a semester, Drongowski emphasized, things like a university-wide email that circulated Monday evening with important information for students.

Keeping to the theme of progress, Areena Arora, a freshman and chair of the academic affairs committee, announced the library agreed to extend their hours for the week before finals.

Arora also mentioned that the faculty committee student positions had been approved by her delegation and were ready to be voted on. The full senate passed the slate before them unanimously.

Choate, chair of the residential affairs committee, said that a budget was submitted to purchase sports equipment for student rental. The equipment includes volleyballs, footballs, soccer balls and Frisbees, and will be available in the coming semester (pending approval).

Finally, sophomore treasurer Graham Littlehale introduced a resolution to approve the Fall 2015 budget. After questions were answered, junior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA said, “Next week we’ll come and vote on it.”

WCSA passes bagel reform

WCSA crest. Photo courtesy of the owu website.
WCSA crest. Photo courtesy of the owu website.

While students enjoyed beautiful spring sunshine on the Jay, the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) met indoors for their April 13 full senate meeting – and for ice cream.

Several official matters were discussed before the frozen dessert arrived.

A survey measuring student preference for off-campus meal point restaurants was announced. It will be circulated tomorrow.

The academic policy committee is still working on extending library hours.

The administrative policy committee is set to review WCSA’s governing documents later this week in an attempt to make the meeting process more efficient.

Finally, a plan to reduce the size of bagels in the Hamilton Williams Campus Center Bakery is underway. Some bagels are too large for the slicers, according to senators; the slicers are also too dull.

Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry entered the room just in time for her advisor’s report, with ice cream in tow.

WCSA recessed for five minutes to distribute the surprise treat, though junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, asked senators to fill out comments cards during the break.

“There you go, efficiency,” she said.

WCSA raises student activity fee, remains transparent

While the senate recessed, representatives spoke anxiously amongst themselves.

A pause in proceedings is unusual for the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA). However, at the April 6 meeting, controversy demanded a change in procedure.

The docket before the senators on Monday included two measures: an increase of the student activity fee from $130 to $160 per semester and an approval of the student government’s budget.

According to junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, the “vote on the student activity fee [will] give WCSA a better sense of what our budget next year will look like.”

In regards to the docket’s second item, junior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA, reminded senators that the “proposed budget is only preliminary but will guide the budget committee…so they can go forward with fall planning.”

With comments and questions answered, Lherisson moved to vote on an increase of the activity fee. Before the vote commenced, a senator asked if the representatives could put their head down during the count.

At this point, calls were made by sophomore Hayden Knisley, a non-voting member of WCSA, to “own your vote.”

Drongowski deferred to sophomore Jessica Sanford, chair of the administrative policy committee. Sanford said that a heads-down vote, in which the senators would put their heads down and vote, was not permitted by WCSA guidelines, but she did have concerns about a student sitting across the room. Senior Noah Manskar was recording the full senate meeting on his iPhone. Sanford asked if he would turn it off.

The request prompted Drongowski to call for a two minute recess while WCSA’s governing documents were consulted.

During the break, Dean of Students Kimberly Goldsberry said the meeting “was public, it’s open to the public and [Manskar] cannot be told to stop recording.”

Lherisson called the meeting back to order after two minutes. Drongowski said “to make WCSA transparent and accountable to the student body” recording would be permitted and a paper vote would be used to decide the docket.

Senators submitted a paper marked with their decision and name. Sophomore Lee LeBeouf, secretary of WCSA, collected the submissions and escorted professor Sean McCulloch, a WCSA advisor, into the hall for counting.

Both measures past.

Unexpected debate breaks out between senators

After the initial presentation, arms began to rise.

An unexpected debate prevented the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) full senate from adjuring at their usual time on March 30. The point of contention: funding for the Campus Programming Board (CPB).

Junior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA, and junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, presented a revised plan to increase the student activity fee as the last order of business at the meeting.

The plan, which will be voted on by senators April 6, would raise the student activity fee from $130 per semester to $160. This would give WCSA the budgetary freedom to better control how their funds are spent.

According to Lherisson, it would allow WCSA to “support organizations with a history of demonstrating services” vital to student life and put WCSA “in charge of where its money goes.”

But CPB was the center of discussion after Lherisson invited questions.

Billy George, a junior, noted that “attendance and response from students in regards to CPB’s programs is low.” He also raised concerns about CPB’s funds being a line-item on the budget.

Sam Schurer, a sophomore, said that “the cost of bringing Drake Bell to campus is a common complaint amongst the student body.”

Bell, who played at Bishop Bash on March 28, cost CPB $20,000 to host. The separate fee for stage and sound, among other logistical expenses, totaled $30,000.

In response to the senators concerns, Drongowski said that the money for Bell “came from a totally separate account… [and that] most of the CPB money goes to Day on the Jay.”

This appeal did not sway Zoe Morris, a junior, who wondered why there was “not more oversight by WCSA of an organization that received its funding from WCSA.”

In the final words on the subject, Lherisson noted that “every spring WCSA meets with CPB to discuss finances and organization. If having more oversight is something you want, we can discuss having more senators on CPB or weekly meetings with CPB’s treasurer. Bottom line, we want to know where all the money is going.”

WCSA backs gender-inclusive housing

Senators passed a resolution in support of gender-inclusive housing at the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) full senate meeting on Monday, March 23.

The resolution was discussed by WCSA at a Feb. 9 session, but was tabled until revisions could be made.

“Today we have an opportunity to endorse it,” said junior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA.

In tandem with the Spectrum Resource Center, Residential Life (ResLife) drafted the proposal under consideration. If it is approved by President Rock Jones, gender-inclusive housing options would be made available to Ohio Wesleyan students as early as next semester.

In addition to logistical considerations, the proposal includes letters of support from the community, the Admissions Office and Counseling Services.

The proposal was unanimously accepted by WCSA, with the full senate voting to endorse the resolution.

Executive members of WCSA also mentioned that their cost sharing initiative, introduced at last week’s meeting, needs to undergo some changes before progress can be made. “The proposal we have is not in its best form,” said junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA. “Instead of giving money to the student affairs division, we are looking to fund certain events that are important to students.” The revised proposal will be presented to the senators on March 30.

Senators look to pad deficit

The Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) considered the benefits of increasing the student activity fee at their March 16 full senate meeting.

The fee is a component of the Ohio Wesleyan tuition statement. It has not been increased since 2011.

Citing OWU’s current deficit, WCSA president Jerry Lherisson, a junior, told the senators that the administration “needs to make $4 million in cuts in order to have the exact same quality of things we have now.”

In an effort to decrease the financial burden on faculty and staff, whose salaries, health benefits and retirement plans are at stake, WCSA is proposing to cost share with the student affairs division.

This division includes the community service office, the office of multicultural student affairs, Residential Life, the student involvement office, Public Safety, Counseling Services and Health Services.

According to junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, “if WCSA were to give some funds to student affairs less cuts would have to be made” across the board.

The money for cost sharing would come from WCSA’s budget, funded by the student activity fee. The options presented on March 16 were to raise the $130 student activity fee to $160 or to $170. The senators could also vote to keep it as is.

According to Lherisson, if the activity fee were increased and money was allocated to the student affairs offices, it would “soften the blow” to the people that make “integral, day to day campus life what it is.” Without an increase, this won’t happen.

Because the budget for the 2015-2016 year will not be finalized until class of 2019 enrollment is set, neither the administration nor WCSA knows how dire the financial picture will be. “Our top four officers are just as frustrated that we can’t give exact numbers and say what is going to be cut,” said Drongowski. But Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry reinforced the point that “whether student government will be able to assist student activity or not…there are going to be cuts.”

WCSA leadership emphasized that these options are being discussed, and that nothing will be decided without the full consent of the senate.

Also mentioned at the full senate meeting were the Golden Bishop winners for the categories of friend of WCSA, best new member and best overall member. Craig Ullom, vice president for student affairs, sophomore Sam Schurer and sophomore Jess Choate won the titles respectively.

The numbers game

It is happening behind closed doors. But if you pay close attention to your professors, you might see worry in their faces during lecture. You might catch a mumble of dissent. You might be surprised by a long, seemingly random tangent on the value of a liberal arts education.

Ohio Wesleyan is at an impasse. The university is struggling financially, our enrollment is in decline and the administration is looking to make cuts. In what feels like a puzzling situation, professors and their departments are the target.

The situation is complicated. The middle class has struggled to recover from the 2008 economic crisis. More and more high school seniors are looking to state schools and community colleges after graduation. For many college students, and ultimately their parents, a liberal arts education does not seem worth the investment.

As a result, OWU has seen its numbers decrease. Last year, 100 less students were enrolled than typical. Though the university has replaced its admissions director and steps are being taken to attract new students, numbers are hard to predict. It won’t be until this summer that data from the class of 2019 will become available. And OWU’s fate depends on it.

Administrators are dealing with a bitter reality. The school is entering the new academic year with a deficit. Still, they are charged with keeping the university running. That means making difficult decisions, and sometimes, treating OWU like a business. But the administration is forgetting that their business is to educate. Their product is not so popular in a world where substance is valued less than flash. If they do not balance fiscally responsible choices with an empowered faculty, they are in danger of liquidating our liberal arts identity to pay off their philosophical overhead.

Departmental budgets have not been finalized for the year. But most department chairs know that reduction is on the way. This approach to saving money creates a self-defeating cycle. According to one department head, “budgets have not kept pace with inflation.” It is already difficult to create and maintain the opportunities OWU professors want to offer their students. A cut to any department means sacrificing those opportunities, things like guest lecturers, field trips and even equipment. It means some classes have to be removed from the course offerings. It means some faculty have to be let go.

Yet the administration is evaluating academic departments primarily on their numbers. According to another department head, “class enrollments seems to be the only justification for a department’s budget and hiring faculty.” If budget cuts hurt a department’s ability to attract students, the numbers for that department will go down. Then, in the next round of budget cuts, the department will get slashed again.

It is a reflection of the integrity and strength of OWU’s professors that the faculty is “remaining unified.” Many professors acknowledge that “higher education institutions throughout this country are struggling financially” and that “pointing fingers” will not solve the problem. But it is hard not to look critically at the administration in these troubling times. The faculty and academic departments should not be granted immunity. But they should definitely not be the main target of financial reform.

Administrators: when money is donated to the school without specific instructions on how to use it, give that money to the academic budget. When you are fundraising, tell donors we need funding for academics, nothing else.  Encourage our generous alumni to save the departments that got them to where they are today. And instead of hiring consultants to hone in on what makes Ohio Wesleyan OWU, ask the people that walk around campus every day for their opinion. Your students and faculty are smart. We’re creative. We have ideas.

Students: Tell the administration how you feel. Tell your professors that you sympathize with them, that you care. And if there is one message we get out, let it be this: the students will stand behind the faculty. We should donate money from the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs’s (WCSA) student activity budget – the money that goes to clubs and other organizations – to the academic budget. There is enough to spare. Talk to your WCSA senators today. If the faculty lose the number game this summer, we lose too.

Senators address campus concerns

WCSA crest. Photo courtesy of the owu website.
WCSA crest. Photo courtesy of the owu website.

Senators of the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) met in formal wear, March 2 to discuss social networking and residential life issues.

Sophomore Lee LeBoeuf, secretary of WCSA, reminded the senators that dressing in formal wear at the first meeting of every month adds a “professional dimension to what we do here.”

The meeting began with junior Jerry Lherison, president of WCSA, announcing the executive committee’s plan to discuss an increase of the student activity fee, a component of Ohio Wesleyan’s tuition. This fee is used primarily to fund student clubs and organizations. Lherison emphasized “nothing will be determined without the consent of the full senate.” The announcement came in the wake of a campus-wide email from Dan Hitchell, OWU’s treasurer, reporting a 3 percent increase in student tuition.

Junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, briefly spoke about the possibility of staffing the WCSA office, located in room 210 of the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, for two hours a day. A senator would be available to answer questions from the student body.

Campus relations committee leader Elizabeth Raphael, a junior, announced the winner of the WCSA hashtag competition. Emma Sparks, a junior, will receive the Amazon gift card prize for her hashtag #WeCanStimulateAction.

Raphael also described a selfie competition that is being developed for after spring break. Students can take pictures of themselves with the newly installed hydration stations for an undetermined prize.

Paula White, chair of the academic policy committee, sent out a survey to OWU employees about proposed changes to the academic calendar. It is unclear if a similar survey will be sent to the student body.

Current members of WCSA. Photo courtesy of WCSA.
Current members of WCSA. Photo courtesy of WCSA.

The hotline for reporting technology problems is now ready for general use. Students can send a text message to 740-844-3520 with a brief description of the problem they are having and where they are having it. To receive a reply, students should leave their name and email address in the message. It was noted by the senators that this service will not result in an immediate fix, but will allow Information Systems to better diagnose internet outages and dead zones, among other problems.

Senator Zoe Morris, a junior, contacted Residential Life (ResLife) to request that the application process for Small Living Units (SLUs), known as slushing, begin after the SLUs are renewed. This would prevent students from being accepted into a SLU only to find that their house would not be returning to campus. Morris indicated that ResLife is “already working on a plan to change the slush process.”

Small steps toward change

Ohio Wesleyan’s digital infrastructure, students’ financial obligations and ice cream all made it onto the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) agenda Monday, Feb. 23.

Junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, began her report to the full senate on an economic matter. Due to the fact that “enrollment [is] going down, [but] clubs stay the same,” the administration is beginning talks to increase the student activity fee, a component of OWU’s general tuition statement. This money would go towards supporting the many clubs funded by WCSA.

From money matters, Drongowski moved on to soft-serve ice cream. Requests for ice cream machines have been common over the past few years. Now the potential for an ice cream machine in one or more of the OWU dining facilities is being discussed by executive members of WCSA, something they are “really passionate about.”

The campus relations report focused on a hashtag competition that is currently being organized. The winning prize for the competition, an Amazon gift card, was also announced. A date for the beginning of the competition has not been set.

The campus relations committee made clear their intention of setting up a table in the Hamilton-Williams Atrium. The WCSA senators who man the table will receive feedback from students about proposed changes to the academic calendar. The responses from the Thursday, Feb. 19 tabling were too varied for a consensus to emerge.

Testing is underway for an information technology hotline, aimed at documenting internet outages and dead zones across campus. The number will be distributed after WCSA senators use the service this week on a trial basis. Text messages to the number will be sent to the Information Systems office in an attempt to reduce the wait time on internet-outage repairs.

The final announcement before the full senate adjourned was made by Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry. She reported that the last week to complete a survey on sexual assault began today (Feb. 23). Participation in the survey is now at 24 percent, four percent higher than last Monday’s (Feb. 16) rate.

WCSA debriefs after dinner with board

Photo courtesy of the OWU website.
Photo courtesy of the OWU website.

The full senate of the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) convened this Monday, Feb. 16, for the first time since the Board of Trustees dinner on Feb. 12.

The dinner, open to members of the board and select WCSA senators, was well attended. “It went incredibly well,” according to junior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA. “Everyone loved it a lot.”

Tables for the dinner were set up in the Benes room and sat three to four board members and at least one WCSA representative. The senators were provided a list of talking points that covered a variety of topics – OWU’s smoking policy, the addition of online classes to the curriculum and the expansion of travel learning course programs – and many senators found that these issues were substantial enough to guide conversation throughout the three hour meal.

Also discussed at the dinner were proposed amendments to the OWU academic calendar. These changes target holiday duration, lengthening and shortening various breaks throughout the semester. Any changes would take effect in the 2016-2017 calendar year. On Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Hamilton-Williams Atrium, WCSA senators will be available to receive feedback about the changes and to answer any questions students might have.

At Monday’s full senate meeting, the budget committee presented the financial requests of four organizations, Sisters United, Model United Nations, the Ohio Marketing Group and the Student Led Arts Movement. All four organization’s budgets were unanimously approved.

Sophomore senator Jessica Choate, a sophomore and chair of the residential affairs committee, announced that plans for hydration stations had been finalized. The specialized water fountains are set to be installed in every residence hall over spring break. There are currently five hydration stations on campus.

Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry announced that the sexual assault survey that has been circulating campus is “just shy of 20% participation, as of last Wednesday (Feb. 11).” She encouraged the senators to promote student involvement in the questionnaire.

Former WCSA senator Matt McCord, a junior, was appointed as a member of the Academic Policy Committee.

Billy George, a junior and candidate in last year’s election for the class of 2016 representative, was nominated and unanimously appointed as a WCSA member at large.