CCSC is like the dudes on the stage, yo

Bacchanal is coming up and nobody gives a shit about anything else, not even CCSC.  That in mind they had a relatively easy-going meeting and talked about some interesting stuff.  Resident “chill dude” Joe Milholland got a piece of the action.

The April 6 2014 meeting of CCSC featured an extensive discussions among council members about whether or not to sign a statement to the student body, written by Dean Martinez and other administrators, talking about proper behaviour during Bacchanal. Apparently, the situation at Bacchanal has been getting worse for the past couple years. There were almost double the amount incidents as Bacchanal 2012, most of which dealt with students disrespecting staff. Incidents at Bacchanal last year that President Chen noted:

• “Racial slurs” and other abusive language to workers at hospitality desks.
• Extensive vandalism to Carman, including its ceiling tiles and exit signs
• Dining Hall, which has never had problems with Bacchanal before, reported that students were “vomiting, they were cursing at staff, they were eating food and putting it back on serving trays”
• There were 20 CAVAs
• Students were found passed out in “basements, fountains, lawns”
• Complaints from people around the neighbourhood

Additionally, the administration is worried because SEAS Days on Campus will be during Bacchanal this year.

The council talked extensively about whether or not to sign an e-mail to students telling them they, administrators, and other groups on campus disapprove of this behaviour. 2017 Representative Chris Allison, among others, feared that signing the statement would be seen as “trite” and would be seen as another example of student government getting hung-up in bureaucracy and not being connected to students. Council members also raised that the council would not be doing anything to combat problems at Bacchanal besides signing the e-mail.

The council eventually came to the problem of the wording of the e-mail. “It reads as a very administrative letter” said University Senator Marc Heinrich. President Chen eventually settled on requesting an e-mail with more specific descriptions of the problems last year.

The council also talked about the Sandwich Ambassador, which passed in a ballot initiative in the recent elections. VP of Communications Peter Bailinson said the the Sandwich Ambassador will be chosen in an election with the class of 2018 council. Council members hope the position will work as a “liaison to local businesses.”

University Senator Jared Odessky spoke favourably about the position, saying it would be a chance for student government to address issues of expenses and class. Some in the council wanted the name to be changed to something like “Corporate Outreach.” However, if the council wanted to change the name, they would have to do it during constitutional review next year.

Other Updates:

• There will be a Courseworks App “definitely for Fall.”
• This year’s Columbia Music Festival will be groundbreaking in a number of ways. According to Benjamin Kornick, who was in the audience during the meeting, it is the first time for a standing room concert in Roone, the first time there will be special effects in a Roone concert, and the first time the concert will have no tickets.
• The contract to get Google Drive has been signed.
• Alumni Affairs Representative Daniel Liss brought up the idea of investing in Google Glass. Yale already has and is using it for its library system. President Chen confessed to a lack of knowledge about Google Glass but wanted to research it. “I’ll Bing it, and I’ll get back to you on it,” she said to Liss.

At the end of the meeting, President Chen echoed a statement Prezbu had made at the end of CCSC meeting last year: “It was a silly meeting, but we got some things done.”

Way cooler than you via Shutterstock