News – Page 57 – The Transcript

International students pressured to find jobs post-grad

With graduation looming, seniors are beginning to feel the pressure of uncertain post-grad plans. International students—if they wish to stay in the country—must find a job within three to five months of graduation, adding extra stress to this already tumultuous transitory period.

According to the Institute of International Education, a non-profit that releases an annual “open doors” report, the number of international students at colleges and universities in the U.S. has increased by 8 percent “to a record high of 886,052 student in the 2013/14 academic year.”

“I decided to go to school in the U.S. because I believed that this country has the best higher education in the world,” said Ibrahim Saeed, a senior from Karachi, Pakistan. “However, there’s a cliff for [international students] after graduation.”

According to current U.S. immigration policy, international students studying in the United States on an F1—or student—visa have three to five months after graduation to find a job under their student visa. This work authorization under the student visa category is referred to as “optional practical training” (OPT), which allows them to stay in the U.S. for 12 months, with the possibility of an additional 17 months after graduation if their major was in STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) fields.

According to Dorota Kendrick, OWU’s assistant director of International and Off Campus Programming (IOCP), “OPT serves as a great opportunity for students to gain practical experience in the field that they have just invested the last four years of their life studying.”

“Immigration permits them to do this on a student visa without having to worry about obtaining a work visa,” she said.

Adding another obstacle to employment, international students must find a job directly related to their major. This can pose a problem for students with liberal arts degrees.

“Students from the U.S. can take any job that they are offered, and while that might not be ideal they are not restricted to certain kinds of jobs that relate to their majors,” senior Megan Buys said. “International students have extra laws that they have to follow, and I think trying to color within those lines creates a different kind of pressure for many students.”

Buys hails from Pretoria, South Africa and said she has applied to several graduate schools, hoping to extend her student status. However, Buys also has applied to several jobs as back up options, but has run into issues finding jobs directly related to her history and psychology majors.

“Even though I have a lead about a writing job with a publishing house, I might not be able to take it because creative writing is my minor, not my major,” she said. “I think this is extraordinarily unfair given the fact that I have eight writing credits on my transcript that are from all three of my focus areas, not just English.”

Kendrick also shares Buys’ discontent with the current system.

“In the decade or so I have been doing this, it has been frustrating to see some students struggle with the major specific limitation to their job search or even the limitation of not surpassing the accrual of more than 90 days of unemployment,” she said. “The transition from college life to work life is stressful on its own, and it seems unfair that additional limitations are placed on international students in this already stressful time in their lives.”

For other international seniors however, these limitations have served as motivation to begin the job search early.

Mainza Moono came to Ohio Wesleyan from Lusaka, Zambia and will be graduating with an economics major and management minor. Moono said he already has an investment banking position lined up post-graduation, thanks to an internship in wealth management he had last summer. Moono said he received this internship with the help of the economics department’s internship coordinator.

“Personally, I don’t feel the pressure,” he said. “The finance industry is very competitive, and the job application process happens very early, and very fast. The best, and most competitive positions are already filled by December, of which half were filled early in October. I got my job offer in early October 2014.”

Moono said he views the restrictions on major related positions fair.

“We spend four years studying something we think we are passionate about,” he said. “That’s a lot of time to spend on something you don’t want to eventually pursue a career in. The policy is competitive, and forces graduates to focus on a career they have the most experience in from an education standpoint.”

Similarly, Saeed—a computer science and economics double major—has accepted a technology analyst position with JP Morgan Chase, who will sponsor his work visa. Saeed attributes the experience he gained through his Summer on the Cuyahoga internship last summer with his procurement of this position.

Other seniors though, are still in the process of looking for jobs.

“There is more pressure on me to find a job than the average graduating senior because even to spend more time in this country after graduation, I need to have a job,” said senior Zain Kahn, who wants to work in the U.S. before obtaining his Master in Business Administration and returning to Kiratchi, Pakistan to start his own company.

“I do have the option of going home and working [after graduation] but the professionalism and opportunities found in this country are hard to match in Pakistan,” he said.

Ohio Wesleyan does provide resources to help international students prepare for their postgraduate plans.

International students are automatically enrolled in a mandatory course (worth .25 units) UC 99, or international student success, taught by Kendrick. Two of the seven sessions of this course are specific to F1 regulations.

“I cover, in very thorough detail, all the work authorization options including OPT,” she said. “Once per term I also hold work authorization options for F1 student workshops for those students that need a refresher or have questions. I also hold another meeting for seniors, called senior transitions, where among other topics, I discuss OPT requirements and application procedures.”

While IOCP works with international students’ visa concerns, the Office of Career Service (OCS) helps students with their job search.

Nancy Westfield, assistant director of OCS, said on a whole, international students utilize the resources OCS offers earlier in their college careers than the average student.

“Since their job search is inherently a little different, [international students] do start thinking about what they are going to be doing with their major and building up their resumes sooner than the average student,” she said.

Despite these resources, the underlying frustration with the system remains.

“As a university we are so accommodating but with Immigration it is very black and white and life isn’t black and white,” Kendrick said. “From my perspective, one of the many advantages of a liberal arts education is that it allows students to gain valuable skills and a greater depth of knowledge from multiple disciplines that will lead them to excel in an array of different fields after graduation. The major specific limitations that Immigration imposes seems counter intuitive to that purpose.”

Part-time faculty losing jobs due to low enrollment

Part-time faculty positions are being cut across many disciplines, but some departments are facing greater challenges than others.

Provost Chuck Stinemetz said departments request part-time faculty each year, and 88 percent of requests for next year were granted. Reductions were made in 12 of the 26 programs and departments that applied for part-time staff.

Stinemetz said the decisions regarding what and how much to cut were based off enrollment in courses and overall institutional enrollments in different areas. Maintaining existing majors was a priority.

“There was no effort to try to make them (the cuts) equal between the divisions,” Stinemetz said.

He said the cuts will save about $200,000 next year, but there had not been a target amount of money to be saved.

In the past, classes have been cut because not enough students registered. To avoid this, Stinemetz said he and his colleagues tried to be “conservative” in deciding how much to cut.

He said if there is a large freshman class next year, sections of classes may be re-added.

Stinemetz said part-time positions are based on need and the professors in the positions being cut do not have to accept the reduced units they are being offered.

There are many parts of OWU’s budget that need to be considered when making cuts, he said.

“For instance, we could reduce financial aid, but then we got a different issue,” Stinemetz said. “…We’d all love to have more money and not have to go through this exercise, but that’s not the situation we’re in right now.”

Some of the departments losing the most in these cuts are the languages, classics, religion and black world studies departments.

Lee Fratantuono, director of classics and the only full-time classics professor, said the classics major is “okay for another year” because of Stinemetz.

Greek was almost reduced to being offered every other year, but that possibility was decided against.

“It was the first time in my ten years it was called into question,” Fratantuono said. “The price is that we will not be able to offer two electives that we would normally offer, unless there’s a larger incoming class.”

Fratantuono said enrollment in classics has gone up “appreciably” in the past ten years, and Greek and Latin are subjects of the oldest department at OWU.

He said one effect of the part-time faculty positions changing so much is a lack of continuity for students.

“We have students now who have literally had a different professor every year because we’ve had three people cycle through,” Fratantuono said.

David Eastman, assistant professor of religion, said the religion department requested three part-time teaching positions, but all were denied.

Because of the cuts, the department will no longer be able to offer courses in Judaism or the Hebrew bible, even though the latter is an introductory course OWU was founded on, said Eastman.

Fewer introductory courses hurts enrollment in upper division courses, he said.

“I’ve been told that one student would like to major in religion, but because of this person’s schedule, can’t get enough upper division classes,” Eastman said. “So that’s our loss.”

Randolph Quaye, the only full-time professor in the BWS department, said about 60 percent of the department’s courses are taught by part-time faculty.

“I think these cuts are a crisis that we have to deal with and I hope and I pray that whatever the final decision is, it will take into account the academic programs and the staffing positions,” Quaye said.

Recent Black World Studies cuts jeopardize department

Director of the Black World Studies program (BWS), Randolph Quaye was recently notified that his request for nine units of classes was denied.

For this coming 2015-2016 academic school year, the BWS department will only have three units of classes each semester.

According to Quaye, “these recent cuts are due to the financial difficulties the university is currently experiencing.”

Quaye is the currently the only full time professor in the BWS department.

Although the cuts have been announced, Quaye is currently negotiating with the university and attempting to raise the amount of credits granted to the department.

“I am having a series of meetings with the board to retain programs. I will also be asking, at the minimum to keep Ali Skandor [a part-time faculty member] as a faculty member for the black world studies program.”

“Because of these cuts, we can be sure that Swahili 225 will not be offered,” for the next academic year, said Quaye.

“As someone who is currently in Swahili, I am extremely upset that I will not be able to continue in my language of choice,” said sophomore Cece Albon. “Swahili should be valued with the same importance that other languages at this school are.”

As for the completion of the program for current majors and minors, “it is hard to know how exactly they will be affected because a final decision has not been made yet. However, some classes are contingent on the incoming freshman class,” said Quaye.

Every student at Ohio Wesleyan is required to take at least two semesters of a language. Swahili is able to be counted towards these mandatory credits.

“His Swahili classes taught me more than just the language. It made me immediately want to broaden my intellectual horizons as well as my experience here at OWU,” Albon said.

The cuts also call into question the OWU in Tanzania program.

“If the university makes the planned cuts, it will be hard to keep the program successful when many classes will not be offered. Although, as of right now, about 17 students have shown interest partaking in the program and traveling in Africa,” said Quaye.

Albon mentioned that she would love to go to the OWU in Tanzania Program but didn’t have room in her schedule.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to experience something that a lot of students don’t get the chance,” she said.

Junior Kelli Kiffer said, “I understand the university is having financial difficulty, although maybe they could cut from a department that is more established and not trying to gain grounding in their field of study.” Kiffer is a BWS major.

“One of the reasons the black world studies program exists is to study and protect the African American culture,” Kiffer said. “If this program gets cut, there is a good chance these ideas will be suppressed.”

Kiffer also explained how she believes the BWS department can at times be underappreciated. Kiffer accompanied Quaye on the semester abroad to Africa through the OWU in Tanzania program.

Director from education institute educates educators

Terrell Strayhorn. Photo courtesy of nbgsa.com.

Terrell Strayhorn has several suggestions for school faculty to improve relationships with their students.

Strayhorn, the director at the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at the Ohio State University, spoke to about 30 Ohio Wesleyan University faculty members on March 3, offering up his findings on how to improve teacher and faculty relationships with their students.

“What is one of the most important parts of our job?” Strayhorn asked the crowd gathered in the Benes rooms Tuesday morning.

“They need to know that they deserve success, that we want them to succeed,” chimed in one faculty member.

Strayhorn discussed the importance of inter-departmental communication.

“How often do you communicate with students?” Strayhorn asked of a faculty member who worked in the university’s writing center.

“All the time,” replied the faculty member.

Seeming pleased with this, Strayhorn asked a follow up question.

“How often do you communicate with the counseling department?” Strayhorn asked. “Or other departments on campus?”

The faculty member in the writing center hesitated a moment, then admitted, “Not that often. Hardly ever,” he said.

Strayhorn emphasized that faculty members need to consider all the departments which a student may be going to see every day. That they need to consider what it is like to be in their student’s shoes.

“How do we intentionally connect what a student goes through on a daily basis?” asked Strayhorn.

Strayhorn went on to talk about the importance of a good mentor.

“I had a good mentor,” said Strayhorn. “He showed me that he cared about me, and not in a creepy way. He gave me a book which was copyrighted the year I was born. That little gesture showed me that he knew me, that he cared about me.”

Strayhorn suggested that OWU faculty really take the time to get to know their students.

“How effective are you as a mentor?” Strayhorn asked.

He added something seemingly obvious, though important, in his opinion, to remember that a good mentor knows something that their protégé does not.

“I had a good mentor because I knew that I mattered to him,” he added.

Strayhorn listed the numerous accolades which OWU has received over the past several years, and ended the lecture by asking one last rhetorical question of the crowd.

“How do we make students realize this place is special?”

After the keynote lecture, Sally Leber, the director of community service learning at OWU, said, “For faculty and staff – knowing ourselves better allows us to get to know our students better.”

Levi Harrel, a residential life coordinator (RLC) at OWU, and friend of Strayhorn’s, mentioned that faculty needs to, “Focus on the fact that everyone’s sense of belonging is different so that everyone can feel as though they belong.”

Strayhorn, according to his profile on the OSU website, has given a now popular TEDx Talk in Columbus, authored over 50 book chapters, and more than 300 international, national and state conference papers, presentations and keynote addresses.

Syrian refugees pose crisis for neighbors

An uprising three years ago against the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria dramatically increased the number of Syrian refugees and exposed an Ohio Wesleyan University student to a growing crisis.

OWU senior Brenda Gable talked about her study-abroad program and recalled her internship at the Syrian-American Medical Society as part of the 2015 Great Decisions Community Discussion series on Friday.

Gable traveled to Jordan last spring studying health and community development where she was able to see the refugee crisis first hand.

“We were able to go to a make-shift hospital and see how the government was responding to this influx of refugees. That’s when my interest increased in this crisis,” Gable said.

Nearly half of Syrian’s population has fled or lost their homes altogether, many of them crossing the borders of Turkey and Jordan.

“The infrastructure in the surrounding countries can’t really support this large influx. It was really interesting to see how Jordanians reacted to the movement into their country.”

The massive influx of refugees is straining the resources of host countries and the United Nations has about half of the amount of the money it needs to help. The lack of jobs, education and water has created conflict and competition between the refugees and host citizens.

Gable is a pre-medicine major and interested in studying global public health. She said she hopes to work in that field.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done, so I guess I’m attracted to that,” Gable said.

In front of a crowd of about 60, Gable dove into the history of Syria, what led to the uprising and the causes of the war.

“Syrians started protesting for basic rights, and the Syrian government wasn’t willing to negotiate at all,” Gable said. “People believed it was going to be a simple thing that was over in a couple months.”

Robert Tannehill, who attended Gable’s presentation, said there is a solution for individuals to help.

“It’s a whole mess, but individuals can contribute to organizations to help refugees that have fled from Syria.” Tannehill said.

OWU junior Lizzy Wynne, who came to support Gable, said she was jealous of Gable’s experience.

“I thought she did a great, she was calm and you could really tell that she knew her stuff,” Wynne said. “I wish I could go on a trip like that and see it first hand and try to help.”

“If all the violence stopped tomorrow,” Gable concluded, “it would still take around 30 years for the Syrian government to rebuild it itself.”

A three-member panel will discuss human trafficking in the 21st century at the next lecture of the Great Decisions series at William Street United Methodist Church on March 13 at noon.

Changes made to admissions process

For the class of 2018, Ohio Wesleyan saw a freshmen class of 484 students, nearly 100 lower than the university’s target.

The class of 2016 and 2017 had a freshmen enrollment of 570 and 572 students respectively. Many factors contributed to last year’s dip in enrollment, which are still problematic for recruitment going forward.

“Across the board there is a decrease in the number of high school graduates recently,” Vice President for Enrollment Susan Dileno said. “Additionally there is more competition from other schools, and more students are looking at public universities as well.”

So far deposits are up from this point last year for the incoming class of 2019, but it is still early in the recruitment process and Dileno said things could fluctuate greatly as the May 1 enrollment deposit deadline approaches.

Despite the great challenges on many levels, the university is taking steps to boost enrollment back up towards the 570 number.

According to Dileno, some of the changes in the admissions office have included looking at the way OWU brands itself. The university has hired a group called FastSpot to work on redesigning the school website, and Dileno said that they have also hired a firm named MindPower to help hone in on what exactly it means to be at OWU.

“I have always heard the push for OWU being the ‘opposite of ordinary,’ but never knew quite what that meant,” senior Emily VanNess said.

Working with firms such as MindPower will hopefully help provide a clearer picture of what exactly that slogan means.

One encouraging sign for the upcoming enrollment is the ACT/SAT scores of admitted students. Dileno attributes this to the increased awareness of the university’s test-optional policy. Last year only 100 applicants were test optional, while this year nearly 400 applicants took advantage of going test optional.

“Typically in my experience at other schools we have seen a higher yield from our test-optional admits, but we won’t know for sure until the end of the process,” Dileno said.

In the office of admissions, changes have been made to better engage students when they come to visit. In years past the admissions lobby would often be empty. However this year students have been hired to stay in the lobby and talk to visitors before they tour the rest of the campus.

“I have noticed having these new greeters has really made the office feel warm and opening to prospective students,” senior tour guide Alex Lothstein said. “On top of that I have noticed I’ve had more engaged tours this year as well.”

Dileno emphasized that it is still early in the process and anything could happen; last year’s projections were ahead all year up until April.

“There’s no silver bullet, this will take a lot of planning and resources, but I do feel positive about how it is all coming together to make an impact starting next year,” Dileno said.

Senior elected to the Board

The election results are in and Ohio Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees will soon welcome its newest member.

After a long campaign, Ibrahim “Ibs” Saeed was added to the list of board members.

Every year the graduating class elects one member of their ranks to serve as a voice on the board. Saeed was elected by the class of 2015 and will stay on the board for a three-year term.

The election started out with seven candidates on the ballot. If none of the seven pulled in more than 50 percent of the votes then the top two candidates would face off in a runoff election.

“When I saw all the people running I didn’t know how I would win,” said Saeed. “But I was also at ease because I knew that even if I didn’t win our class would be in good hands.”

The election evolved into a runoff. The opposing candidates were Saeed and Lauren Rump. Both Rump and Saeed were very passionate about winning and used many platforms for advertising.

“I enjoyed running a campaign,” Rump said. “It was very fun. It was probably even more fun running against Ibs (Saeed). Our friendship definitely made the election competitive in a playful and exciting way.”

Saeed said he wants to hear what students in the senior class wish to see changed on campus so he can bring that knowledge to the board.

“The issue I’ve heard most is transparency,” Saeed said. “I think that is what some students feel is not done well by the board, so that is definitely one perspective I am going to bring in.”

According to senior Saige Bell, Saeed will make a good addition to the board because of the education he received from OWU.

“I’m glad Ibs won because as an economics major he will be more fiscally aware and less likely to waste school funds,” Bell said.

Students victims of credit card fraud

Throughout the past months, the credit card information of some Ohio Wesleyan students has been compromised.

While the exact locations of the thefts are unknown, all have been in Ohio.

Senior Elise Pitcairn said, “For me, it wasn’t a specific place that I had used my credit card at. My bank told me that a ‘private vendor’ had stolen information from a large group of the bank’s clients.” This took place about three weeks ago.

Pitcairn said she was notified when “her bank called and left a voicemail saying that they would be cancelling my card because multiple people had their information stolen and that they had issued me a new card.” Pitcairn mentioned that none of her money was withdrawn.

Pitcairn said her credit card information had been taken once before during her sophomore year. However, she knew at which store her card information had been stolen.

Pitcairn offered these words of advice: “I would suggest always knowing how much money should be in your account, speaking directly to your bank if a problem arises and cancelling your card as soon as something happens.”

Senior Maria Urbina said her information was compromised in early June. However, Urbina said “around $200 was taken and I got it back after talking to my bank.”

Urbina had her credit card information stolen before, during spring break of 2014. Since the two incidents, Urbina has instituted preemptive security measures.

“Since I work at a bar and get most of my money through tips, I’ve just been paying with cash all the time and that’s been a good and safe alternative for me,” she said.

Senior Lauren Rump, another victim of credit card fraud, said “I practically use my card everywhere I go, so I have no idea where my information was taken.” Her credit card information was compromised about three weeks ago.

“I have a mobile banking app and was checking my balance after a day of shopping when I saw there was a transaction made earlier in the day that I had not authorized or been present for,” said Rump.

Rumps said $66 was charged to her account. “I had to fill out paperwork with my bank and my money has since been credited back to me,” she said.

Rump explained that this had never happen to her in the past.

For future protection, Rump said, “I would suggest trying to have more cash on hand and use that more often than a card, using credit instead of debit more often, since with credit the money isn’t taken off your account immediately, with debit it is, and check your transactions often to make sure your money isn’t being spent without you knowing.”

Rump said she found it odd that so many students have had their information compromised in such a short time span.

OWU receives $10,000 grant for sustainable move out

With high hopes of a few relaxing months away from school, or perhaps fears of facing the apocryphal ‘real world’, it can be difficult for students to think sustainably when it comes to moving out at the end of spring semester.

At Ohio Wesleyan, moving out in May almost always incites dumpsters overflowing with discarded room trimmings such as carpets, couches, refrigerators, lamps, chairs and more.

The Delaware, Knox, Marion, Morrow (DKMM) Joint Solid Waste District awarded OWU a $10,000 grant as a way to help divert this yearly abundance of waste.

The donation will partially be used to rent 8 feet by 8 feet by 16 feet portable storage containers. These “PODS” will be stationed in various places around the residential side of campus in May; exact locations have not been chosen.

As students clear out their rooms, they will be advised to recycle reusable items, rather than disposing of them in dumpsters. Recyclable items will be stored in the PODS and then transported to a nearby Goodwill Industries where they will be sorted for resale.

Cheryl Corbin, fiscal administrator for the DKMM, said the group receives proposals from across the four Ohio districts they serve.

“Every year we have a recycling and market development assistance grant application,” Corbin explained.

“We try to solicit the community to come up with innovative ideas of how they can reduce waste going to the landfill. We felt that Ohio Wesleyan did come up with an innovative project.”

Corbin said that the DKMM has provided sustainability grants for past OWU projects as well.

“It is no guarantee that you will get a grant every year,” Corbin said. “It is a competitive process.”

OWU’s sustainability task force in part formulated the grant proposal. A portion of the $10,000 will be used for an educational program called “May Move Out.”

Members of the task force, students in John Krygier’s environmental geography and sustainability practicum courses, Buildings and Grounds and Residential Life staff, as well as members of the Tree House Small Living Unit (SLU) will be in charge of teaching the campus community how to recycle their unwanted items.

Michelle Smith, a senior and member of Tree House, is currently working to help carry out the “May Move Out” program as her house project.

“My initial interest [for my house project] was to bring the free store back to campus,” Smith said. She explained that she became interested in “May Move Out” after contacting some students in Dr. Krygier’s practicum courses who were working on the program.

“I am kind of the student organizer that is helping to get more people involved,” Smith said.

Smith said the grant will partially go toward paying the students for the work they will be doing to educate those living in fraternities, residence halls and SLUs on how to move out sustainably.

“It is still under discussion what exactly we will be doing,” Smith said. She explained the group is planning to do promotional work in the Hamilton Williams Campus Center and join forces with Residential Advisors in the residence halls as a way to spread the word.

Sophomore James Ormerod, a member of Tree House and participant in the project, explained that the students working on “May Move Out” have to be educated by Goodwill before they can begin telling other students what can and cannot be recycled. A portion of the grant will be used as a stipend for Goodwill employees who help in the education process.

Smith said even though OWU won’t be able to receive a $10,000 grant annually, she hopes the program will still continue. Smith said that the university’s president, Rock Jones, has committed to funding PODS for May 2016 move out as well.

Senators address campus concerns

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.

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.”