Staff, Students Gather at First of Three Town Meetings

Author: Tim McCahill

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, President McCardell spoke at the first of three College-wide town meetings.
Two subsequent meetings are scheduled for Winter Term and the middle of the spring semester 2003.
The almost two-hour meeting began with College administrators and students in roughly equal attendance, with some stragglers filling in as the evening wore on.
McCardell shared the microphone with several other key administrators, including Treasurer Emeritus and Executive Vice President for Facilities Planning David Ginevan, Lisa Boudah, associate dean of student affairs and director of Public Safety and Executive Vice President and Provost of the College Ron Liebowitz.
Administrators entertained concerns from students on a breadth of issues, ranging from noise complaints from nearby the Atwater Commons construction site to campus dining to the future of the College's visual arts departments.
McCardell spoke passionately about the College's committment to the commons system, and commented on almost every issue brought to the table.
For topics that required further substantiation McCardell also readily deferred comment to the other administrators present at the gathering.
The town meeting was co-sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA), of whom key members of the SGA Cabinet were also present to hear student concerns as well as comment on some of the topics raised for general discussion.
Adminstrators in Old Chapel, Forest Hall and elsewhere on campus have their hands full already with a combination of tabled initiatives from last year — such as the revision of the College's Sexual Assault Policy — to more recent concerns related to building on campus.
The fall town meeting continued the discussion of short- and long-term issues of significance for students, faculty and staff.