UC Discusses Housing and Career Services, Modifies Internal Procedures

Members of the Undergraduate Council discussed a proposal to ease the transition of freshmen into upperclassmen Houses, provided feedback to guests from the Office of Career Services, and approved legislation specifying the roles of different Council members in their general meeting Sunday evening.

Rob C. Gunzenhauser ’15, a member of the Adams House Committee, first spoke before the UC to solicit feedback for an event designed to better integrate freshmen moving into upperclassmen Houses.

“We can do a better job of coming up with ways to make sure [undergraduates]…are at home more quickly than [they] would be otherwise,” he said.

Each year, freshmen are randomly assigned to various Houses in the middle of the spring semester. Gunzenhauser presented a plan that members of several House Committees are working on that would  allow students to interact with members of their respective houses after Housing Day.

While the specifics have not been completely generated, Gunzenhauser and UC members discussed the idea of a field day competition in the Spring, where freshmen either would pick or be assigned a student who currently lives in their assigned House and compete against rival House neighborhoods in outdoor games.

Afterwards, OCS Director Robin Mount and Benny Belvin II, assistant director of career services, both spoke before the Council about misconceptions students might have about the OCS and how their employees can improve communication with students.

After discussing these matters, the UC shifted its focus to voting on internal affairs.

In a bylaw brought before the UC by Rules Committee Chair Kevin H. Xiong ’17, the UC specified responsibilities of the social chairs, two of which were elected last week.

In a similar procedural move, UC representatives approved an update to a portion of their bylaws that now outlines the duties of the Student Faculty Committee director.

Finally, members of the Council passed what they named the Executive Board Voting Membership Update Act.

Under this amendment, the Rules Committee chair and the Student-Faculty Committee director, along with the previously specified Council members, will be allowed to vote in executive board meetings.

Prior to the law, the UC president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, as well as the chairs of standing committees constituted the voting power of the Executive Board, which meets weekly and holds all executive authority of the Council.

In addition to these matters, the UC also approved another wave of student grants for the coming semester.

—Staff writer Noah J. Delwiche can be reached at noah.delwiche@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @ndelwiche.