SG Update 10/13

Darci Lane-Williams, director of the Center for Women and Gender, came to promote the work she and her colleagues do. The Center for Women and Gender exists for three main reasons. Originally, it was established to serve the women on campus who were, and still are, woefully underrepresented. Since its name change in 2010, the Center has also come to represent all students and all genders, though the majority of its cases are still women. Finally, it serves to promote advocacy and support of Title IX regulations. Overall, the Center for Women and Gender looks to protect and equalize the interests of all students on campus, and ensure a safe learning and living environment.

The Center for Women and Gender has established a CARES Hotline, a 24-hour service that you can call or text to seek help for relationship violence, stalking, sexual harassment and other such issues. Speaking with a CARES representative does not require you to formally file a report, either — your inquiries are all confidential. Call or text 585-295-3533 or report online from the Center for Women and Gender website.

Following Lane-Williams' presentation, Senate moved to further table the Polling Booth discussion until more information could be gained and responses are received from RIT regarding past action.

A new charge was assigned to the Academics and Co-Ops Committee. A PawPrints petition was created requesting the establishment mid-semester course reviews, to answer the complaint many students have had that the current course evaluations don’t help current students in a course. By implementing an evaluation halfway through the semester, the hope is to give the professor feedback they could then utilize in the following half of the semester, such as adjusting the teaching style or offering more quizzes and fewer tests.

A response was approved to be posted to a petition to revamp the MyCourses UI. It states that RIT does not have direct control over the program, with MyCourses being owned and run by the third party vendor Desire2Learn. The Senate emphasized that student feedback is always welcomed by the MyCourses parent company. Another response was approved for a petition asking for Chik-Fil-A to be offered on campus The response came directly from Kory Samuels — executive director of Dining Services. RIT is currently trying to distance itself from third-party food vendors and will not be exploring bringing Chik-Fil-A to campus.

Senate closed early with high hopes for Brick City Homecoming — tickets had sold out for Trevor Noah and expectations were high.