7:02| The following Consent Agenda is approved.

1. $1,150 from Conference Fund to Vassar Debate Society
2. $992 from Conference Fund to Vassar Debate Society
3. $1000 from Council Discretionary Fund to Shakespeare Troupe

7:02| Executive Board Reports

Academics

The application for student seminars “is going to be out sometime next week,” reports VSA Vice President for Academics Kate Dolson ’13.

She also reports that the Committee on Curricular Policies will focus on Course Evaluation Questionnaires (CEQs), because the CEQs “clearly do not reflect the best way to evaluate the course,” she said. The discussion will continue throughout the semester.

Student Life

VSA Vice President Charlie Dobb ’12 says that the Campus Life Office will consider the position of an LGBTQ Director as a full time position.

“The alcohol task force is at the height of activity,” says Dobb. The results of its studies will “be released concurrently ,” he says; these studies are the result of a lot of “time and money being invested” on the part of the task force.

He says that the Campus Dining Review Committee (CDRC) is “still looking for feedback informally.” The CDRC, says Dobb, will turn its focus on the renewal of dining-service provider ARAMARK’s contract with the College.

Student Life is also looking for ways to best bring the student voice to Dean of the College Christopher Roellke’s review.

He also reports that the Committee on Inclusion and Excellence (CIE) will work on the “encouragement of transfer students from local community colleges.” The CIE will work on how to encourage those transfers.

7:15| Update from the Student Technology Advisory Council (STAC). 

VSA Vice President for Operations and co-Chair of STAC Jenna Konstantine ’13 reports that STAC is talking about the switch from Zimbra to Google as Vassar’s email provider. The committee is currently is beta testing the new Google Apps for Education.

She reports that STAC is considering “things to put in a Vassar mobile app for a smartphone.” “What would you like to see on such an app?” Konstantine asks.

7:25| Update on the Fall Leadership Conference (FLC)

VSA President Tanay Tatum’12 — who sits on the FLC’s planning committee — reports that the committee is preparing for backup plans for the conference should, as it did last year, the schedule be disturbed by natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene.

VSA Vice President for Activities Mookie Thottam ’12 says that committee is “planning to have a keynote speaker at the conference.” “An alum who has had some leadership experience on campus” would be the profile of the speaker, he says.

Tatum reports that the committee is looking for ways to receive student input on the FLC to improve it in the coming years.

7:30| Update on the “Constitution Marathon” 

Konstantine reports that says that the VSA is looking at purging “grammatical errors, inconsistencies and gender binaries” from the VSA’s governing documents. Members of the VSA Council “locked themselves in a suite in Jewett and read the constitution for six hours,” says Konstantine. The changes the committees thinks are advisable will be brought to Council for ratification. “We’re not trying to sneak anything in,” confirms Konstantine.

7:37| Recommendation to Appointment Madeline Zappala to 2012 Vice President

Konstantine says the the Operations Committee reviewed candidates and now recommends Madeline Zappala to the position, which will mean that she will sit on the Class of 2012 Executive Board. The motion to appoint Zappala passes. Disclosure: Zappala is photography editor for the Miscellany News.

7:45| Open Discussion

There are 111 days left until graduation, reports Class of 2012 President Pamela Vogel. “There is also representation from all four classes on the gift committee,” she says.

There is some confusion over whether or not the VSA council’s time for 7 p.m. is set in stone. The online version — “the master version that trumps all others” according to Konstantine — says that it is set at 7 p.m. There is a motion to move the meeting to 6 p.m. since  ”next Sunday is Superbowl Sunday,” says Tatum. She says that students and administrators alike tend not to attend Council on that Sunday.

Jewett House President Clayton Masterman ’13 says that the Board of House Presidents meets before Council, and changing the time of the meeting distrubs that. “Doing it just for a game to watch on TV” seems inappropriate, he says.

A member of the audience says that because the Superbowl is “important culturally,” and many Residential Houses host special events on that day.

The motion to bring the meeting forward to 6 p.m. passes.

There is a motion to adjourn. It passes.

Hannah Groch-Begley ’12 is a proxy for the South Commons. Ferry House President Saffran Ashford ’13 and VSA Vice President for Academics Kate Dolson’13 are absent.

7:03| Executive Board Reports.

President

VSA President Tanay Tatum ’12 reports that she and members of VSA Council will work with House Teams to encourage dorm residents to put up pledges upholding the College’s mission statement.

Operations

VSA Vice President for Operations Jenna Konstantine ’13 reports that “there have been some problems with the meeting times” of Operations Committee. The new time of meeting will be Mondays at 4 p.m., and if there are any changes, she will alert the community.

She also bring Council attention to the ongoing discussions on the structure of the VSA. Currently, her committee is working on “looking at how the VSA operates in relationship to the larger Vassar community.”

7:08| Revision of the non-discrimination clause.

Konstantine reports that she has been with Director of Equal Opportunity at Vassar Belinda Guthrie to update the VSA’s Revision of the non-discrimination clause. The amendments will make sure that the VSA’s governing documents to be at par with those of Vassar.

7:10| Appointment of Dough Greer’14 to the Committee on Technologies

Unanimously, Greer is appointed to the joint-governance committee.

7:11| Open Discussion

Class of 2012 President Pamel Vogel reminds everyone that there are 175 days left until graduation.

VSA Vice President for Student Life Charlie Dobb ’11 says that “[The VSA] is far ahead of other institutions” in terms of student government governing documents. “Now we just have to make sure to embody” the language within the constitution.

7:13| The Council adjourns.

The prize was created in 2010 to honor Gluck, the late wife of Professor of Political Science Sidney Plotkin, as well as “to acknowledge outstanding work on issues about which she cared deeply,” according to Davison. Gluck was also an alumna of the College and a former Computing and Information Services employee.

Theses from any department or program are eligible for nomination. In order to nominate a thesis, advisors must submit a copy of the thesis, along with a statement explaining why the thesis was chosen for nomination, to the Political Science Department by May 3. Nominations should be addressed to “The Marjorie Lynn Gluck (VC  ’84) Thesis Prize Committee, Department of Political Science, Box 260.” Nominations can also be submitted electronically in PDF format to both Davison (andavison@vassar.edu) and Beth McCormick (bemccormick@vassar.edu), the department’s administrative assistant.

Theses due after the May 3 deadline can also be nominated. “We ask that advisors communicate to us in advance their intention to submit a thesis for consideration with a short note that describes the student’s work,” wrote Davison. “We will await a copy of the complete thesis, within the constraints of the Student Awards deadlines, until a final decision is reached.”

Additional questions can be directed to Davison or McCormick.

6:59| VSA Vice President for Student Life Samin Shehab ’11 is presiding. The meeting is called to order.

7:00| Cramer summarizes the reason for the appeal. The Judicial Board acted on its own initiative during the initial hearing. “The case boiled down to whether or not we had an abstention option on our referendum vote.” There was not, and that factored into the Judicial Board’s decision, but the BOE did not have a chance to defend this point in the initial hearing.

The second basis for appeal is the new evidence- a discussion in an Operations Committee meeting in which it was decided that not voting should be considered an abstention. “We have not had an abstention on our elections ballots for the last three years”, says Cramer. Therefore, she says the Judicial Board has used an inconsistent interpretation of the Bylaws.

The last basis for appeal is that the interpretation of abstentions has changed in the transition from paper ballots to electronic ballots three years ago. Blank ballots once signified abstentions. “Right now the closest thing we have to a blank ballot is not voting at all,” said Cramer.

7:07| Judicial Board members are asking questions.

Cramer clarifies the electronic voting procedure. Voting software requires voters to vote in at least one of the polls, but can leave all others blank as an abstention or not voting at all.

7:09|The room is now full and spectators are sitting on the floor.

Cramer believes a consensus was made around the fact that not voting is considered an abstention and that that is taken for granted by the student body.

7:11| Bhattacharya is responding. He believes there is no basis for appeal.

The basis for the appeal is “fancy Latin which applies to courts. We are not a court.” says Bhattacharya.

He cites a bylaw that says the Judicial Board shall have access to all documents regarding the case.

“Our mandate is not to look at a charge and then not consider random things. The whole appeal rests on the fundamental misunderstanding of the Judicial Board.”

He says the dialogue at the Operations Committee was mentioned at the hearing.

“If the precedent set by the last three years is wrong we are sorry to tell you that the process has been wrong all along. It is not our fault that the documents are not up to date. Our mandate is to look at the documents and make sure the VSA is in compliance with that,” says Bhattacharya.

“The vote is invalid, why are we dragging this out?” asks Bhattacharya. He says not including a reference to Art. VI.6.A of the Bylaws smacks of not having a reasonable interpretations.

“There is conflict of interest written large across this process” says Bhattacharya. He acknowledges that the decision is unpopular but binding.

The Judicial Board has the right to convene and find a vote unconstitutional.

7:19| The Judicial Board has no questions. Cramer will make her closing statement.

Cramer cites the rights of respondents and complainants to appeal when procedural rights are violated. Abstentions was not a focus of the hearing on Monday because respondent Alex Koren ’13 did not bring it up.

“There is no way to have a blank ballot on the form we use right now” says Cramer. In this electronic ballot, she believes a blank ballot is synonymous with a nonvote, and therefore a nonvote is an abstention. The bylaws state that blank ballots are to be considered abstentions.

7:23| The Judicial Board is asking questions.

Cramer clarifies that though the definition of abstention was discussed in the hearing, the bylaw requiring abstentions was not considered.

She adds that an “abstention box” can not be included into the candidate field. In a “yes or no” question, such as the referendum, an abstention box could have been included but not in general elections.

Leonard had contacted Cramer asking for the language used in the actual poll after the hearing had closed. That evidence was used to inform the Judicial Board’s decision. Cramer did not feel this was an appropriate time for her to defend this language.

7:30| Bhattacharya will give his closing statement.

Bhattacharya was surprised by the vote but the Judicial Board continued to explain their decision and went to great lengths to include the governing documents in their decision.

He says Cramer should have known the Judicial Board would use governing documents as the basis for its decision. He says that the act of putting in a blank ballot is not the same as not voting. He refers to Koren’s statement on Monday, in which he said that silence is not consent.

He understands that there was a gap between paper and electronic ballots, but the documents should have been updated, according to Bhattacharya.

7:33| The appeal hearing is adjourned. The Judicial Board will go into closed deliberations.

3:41 p.m. | Vice President for Student Life Samin Shehab ’11 is currently explaining how the proposed amendments originated and then were brought to referendum. According to Shehab, the referendum period will run for 48 hours from Thursday, April 7 at 5 p.m. through Saturday, April 9 at 5 p.m. The referendum requires the approval of a simple majority of voters to pass.

3:44 p.m.| The panelists are now sharing brief statements on the proposed amendments. Moore and Taterka voice their strong support for the amendments, while Koren encourages audience members to vote against the revisions in the upcoming referendum.

3:58 p.m.| Rubin says that his concerns are more with the process than the amendments themselves: “You have this one proposal, and it was the only proposal that was going to be considered due to time constraints.” He believes that there are other alternatives that have yet to be considered. Rubin acknowledges that serious problems exist within the VSA’s structure, but he believes that those problems would best be addressed next year, and with more involvement from students.

4:00 p.m.| “I don’t think we should wait another year,” says Acevedo. She claims that the changes are necessary because as Council is currently structured, Council members don’t have enough time to work on issues important to the student body. She rejects calls for gradual changes to the VSA Council’s structure. “I really think that you need a big change for there to be a change in culture.”

4:08 p.m. | “Approaching this debate as a House President sort of puts us in an odd position,” says Gardner, who claims he has had difficulty sorting through his personal feelings about the amendments. He believes that the amendments have promise, but that the restructuring hasn’t been thought through fully. “I wouldn’t say vote no or vote yes; I think either way this discussion will continue.”

4:16 p.m. | Leonard has invited audience members to ask questions. One audience member says that she doesn’t understand the senator position or how it will increase Council’s inclusiveness. “The idea as it stands right now is that people would run on issues that they’re concerned about,” said Acevedo. She claims that students concerned with a particular issue would more easily be able to identify and contact a member of Council who feels similarly, since senators would run on distinct, clear platforms.

4:29 p.m. | An audience member expresses concern about the accountability of class representatives. House presidents, he says, are held accountable both by their house advisers and other house team members, but there are no such checks on class presidents or the proposed senator position. Leonard says that members of the VSA Executive Board will be meeting with administrators in the coming weeks to discuss ways in which class representatives might be held more accountable.

4:41 p.m. | An audience member notes that house presidents tend to be sophomores, and expresses concern that the Council’s current structure may result in an over-representation of sophomores. “I definitely think it has an effect,” says Rubin, who says it is ridiculous that only one freshman sits on Council. “It really depends on who is in charge,” says Koren.

4:48 p.m. | Davison House President Michael Thottam ’12 says, “I’m afraid that class senators will not be open to change if they’re running on platforms.” If senators are running on issues that they’re passionate about, he argues, they may be unwilling to consider alternative points of view brought to them by their constituents. Moore claims that representation will be fair because senators will be elected at large.

Koren disagrees. “There’s empirical evidence of this happening on the vote that just occurred,” he said, noting that most house presidents voted against the revisions based on negative feedback from their constituents, while most class presidents voted in favor of the amendments based largely on their own convictions.

Vice President for Activities Tanay Tatum ’12 says that members of the Executive Board run on platforms, but are receptive to student concerns in accordance with their roles as representatives of the entire student body.

5:00 p.m. | “I think the VSA has problems, but I think the bigger problem is that students don’t care,” says an audience member. “I don’t understand how having more people will make people care more. I think you’ll just have more people who are representing apathetic people.” Moore responds that while the amendments might not solve the problem of student apathy, he feels that students would take more of an interest in Council as a body if it were more effective.

5:12 p.m. | An audience member criticizes Council for advancing what they claim to be democratic changes in an anti-democratic way. “Why is it okay for a restructuring to be voted on two days before filing?” Moore contests the anti-democratic characterization of the referendum, noting that 15 percent of the total student body petitioned to bring the amendments to a student vote. Koren and Rubin disagree with the portrayal of the referendum as a grassroots, student-driven effort, pointing to the close involvement of members of the VSA Council and Executive Board.

5:22 p.m. | The teach-in has adjourned.

“A student reported a suspicious individual to the [Campus Response Center], and we found him after a brief chase,” said Marsala. Safety and Security then reported the individual to the Poughkeepsie Police Department (PPD), who arrived on campus and arrested him. The PPD, said Marsala, already had an “outstanding warrant” on the individual and is currently questioning him.

Be sure to check The Miscellany News for constant coverage on this topic.

Hayworth, a former ophthalmologist with no political experience, has campaigned fiercely against Hall’s adherence to the Democratic party line, most notably criticizing his support of the Democrats’ health care reform bill. In addition to repealing that bill, which was passed earlier this spring, Hayworth’s platform calls for decreased federal spending and lower taxes. Hayworth and Hall have been tied in the polls in recent weeks, and the election has been widely regarded as a toss-up by political analysts.

New York’s gubernatorial election was called early in the evening, with Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo handily defeating bombastic Republican Carl Paladino by a wide margin. Incumbent Democratic Senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand also claimed early victories, beating out Jay Townsend and Joseph DioGuiardi, their respective Republican challengers.

Contrary to how it sounds, Williams and Walker explained that using chemical herbicides now is actually a step towards using many fewer in the future. “The college is committed to minimizing the use of chemicals, but we have learned that there are no organic products strong enough to treat the current infestation of weeds in campus lawns,” they wrote in the e-mail. “The goal is not to achieve a lawn that is 100% grass, but instead to build up turf grass populations so that weeds are not the predominant vegetation (as they are now).”

“Six years ago the college quit using any pesticides on the central campus lawns,” they wrote. “Before that time, the lawns were sprayed regularly in the Fall and Spring. Unfortunately, abandoning pesticides ‘cold turkey’ without a system or budget in place to manage the lawns organically, allowed a strong crop of weeds to grow in the lawns.”

They urged students to avoid the sprayed lawns for 24 hours after they have been sprayed. Signs will be posted to remind passers-by.

The stolen items include electronic products such as iPods, laptops and an Xbox. The thefts are being investigated by The Town Police and Vassar College Security.

Below is Squillace’s complete letter, which contains a detailed report of the thefts:

8:10 | Candidate for President Mat Leonard cites his experience as Cushing President in explaining the need for input from constituents.

8:12 | Candidate for President Stephanie Damon-Moore echos Leonard’s views on student input but also underlines the importance of the President’s responsibility to moderate that conversation.

8:13 | Candidate for President Ben Reichman feels the VSA should echo the moral principles the College was founded upon.

8:15 | Candidate for Vice President for Operations Ruby Cramer is asked how she’d bring the somewhat invisible tasks of the position into the view of the student body.

8:18 | Cramer: “The connection between student body and alumni community is one of the campus’ biggest untapped resources.”

8:20 | Candidate for Vice President for Academics Laura Riker stresses the importance of Majors’ Committees.

8:20 | Candidate for Vice President for Activities Michael Longue is asked to describe the efficacy of the strengths noted in his candidate statement.

8:21 | Longue: “I’m going to vomit on your behalf.”

8:22 | Candidate for Vice President for Activities Tanay Tatum stresses the importance of an alumni connection for student organizations.

8:24 | Leonard cites Free Weezy and other events in describing unresolved campus controversy. He wants to “increase the VSA’s self-governance” and student voice. He wants to increase communication between the Executive Board and the student body, in an effort to bring more relevant student comments to the College’s administration.

8:29 | Damon-Moore is asked about community engagement and says there is lack of communication and collaboration between Vassar’s community groups. She notes the difficulty of the creation of a new community-based learning office at this time, but desires a central hub for students and alumni.

8:30 | Reichman is asked how his previous student activism will affect his relationship with the administration as VSA president. “A lot can be gained from the admission of our intolerance.” He would redirect campus debate towards a more “progressive conversation.”

8:32 | Anderson describes the VSA’s review of the JYA office this year as a learning experience benefiting her goal to improve inter-office communication.

8:36 | Turpin asks Vice President for Student Life candidates how they’d approach recent social conflicts involving race and gender arising at Vassar.

8:37 | Daryl Duran wants to develop a program to address these issues on campus.

8:40 | Samin Shehab would like to begin conversations with dorms and among student groups. “The passiveness of the VSA has to change.”

8:43 | Erin Clarke would like to see specific events where speakers would hold discussions on social conflicts.

8:46 | Candidate for Vice President for Finance Louise Connor stresses the importance of fundraising by student groups.

8:48 | Candidate for Vice President for Finance Liz Boateng echos Connor’s feelings on fundraising and collaboration between groups.

8:50 | Candidate for Vice President for Finance Travis Edwards notes the difficulties of allocating funds. Fundraising is “somewhat inconvenient” and wants to increase use of technology to streamline the financial aspect of organizations.

8:53 | Turpin asks Presidential candidates of their mot ambitious goal for the college’s 150th year.

8:54 | Leonard: Ensure students are engaged with the administration and the community and restructure funds to encourage organizations to reach out to Poughkeepsie.

8:56 | Anderson wants to make students as comfortable approaching the Executive Board as they are approaching their House Team. She desires further dialog between Security, Residential Life and students.

8:58 | Damon-Moore wants to establish joint task forces between elected students and non-elected students to ensure the most knowledgeable voices are heard.

9:00 | Reichman feels the way students of color are treated on campus is “reprehensible” and wants to ensure viewpoints on campus are not marginalized.

9:01 | Questions taken from the audience.

9:02 | Chair of Judicial Board Dan Salton: “How would you balance increasing campus security while encouraging community engagement?”

9:03 | Leonard: Move security outside of the dorms while creating desk attendants inside to act as first responders to noise and other complaints.

9:04 | Reichman: it is important to know why security incidences are occuring.

9:05 | Damon-Moore: Give security guards first-responder training.

9:06 | Anderson points out that guards do have first aid training and says it is “unacceptable” that guards are patrolling dorms instead of the grounds.

9:08 | Natalie Allen, Lathrop freshman representative, asks Leonard about his posters referencing delays in Lathrop renovations. Leonard notes the current financial situation of the College but says small things, such as replacement of bathrooms and doors, can be accomplished. Suggests the use of the Great Works fund for renovations.

9:11 | Shehab references increasing efforts by Buildings and Grounds to improve transparency via new programs and meetings.

9:13 | Damon-Moore sees the VSA as unable to tackle issues as large as dorm renovations but says the VSA can act as an intermediary between House Teams and the administration.

9:15 | A rising senior asks about the possibility of seniors being forced to buy a meal plan and asks the Presidential candidates what they’d be willing to do to prevent it.

9:16 | Leonard would send the issue to the Judicial Board, claims it is an infringement of students’ rights.

9:17 | Damon-Moore would ask students to petition the administration. If the administration wants to bring seniors back to ACDC, Anderson calls for reduced meal prices as incentives.

9:18 | Cramer is asked about the fairness shown toward Tasty Tuesday vendors and says that the event often sees more vendors than it can accommodate.

9:25 | Current Vice President for Activities Aaron Grober asks how candidates will balance personal involvement in organizations with being a representative for all organizations. Longue: “I want to see chickens dancing down the street.”

Voting opens tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.