SA Meeting Minutes
The following were noted at the meeting of the SA on Mar. 25.
Undergraduate Representatives to the University Committee on on the Undergraduate Curriculum Virginia White and Emily Adkins revisited the proposed resolution regarding the add/drop deadline. New suggestions included limiting the number of "late drops" students may use throughout their time at Rice and implementing drop surveys to gather more insightful data about when and why students drop classes. Any changes will not affect the add/drop timeline for first-year students. Since the Faculty Senate will not implement any changes for another one to two years, the Student Senate tabled the resolution, most likely until the fall semester.
The following were noted at the most recent meeting of the SA on Apr. 1.
Brown College junior Shaurya Agarwal brought up changes to the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching resolution introduced two weeks earlier. The legislation was expanded to establish two student representatives to the Center for Teaching Excellence, include plans to address the quality of graduate student teaching, and recommend that the Office of the Registrar create a survey to gather data from students who drop a class. The Senate passed the resolution unanimously.
Rice Thresher Editor-in-Chief Rachel Marcus and Managing Editor Molly Chiu discussed facts based on their coverage of issues relating to allegations of inappropriate and discriminatory comments made by Rice Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan toward former basketball players. According to the Rice Office of Public Affairs, third-party investigations have not found evidence confirming the allegations, which were found in former Rice basketball player Arsalan Kazemi's hardship waiver submitted for eligibility to play at the University of Oregon, but students expressed a desire for further investigation to protect Rice's culture of diversity. The SA will assemble information to discuss the matter with Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson and the Office of Public Affairs before deciding on additional steps. Contact Hutchinson, Director of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Russell Barnes or Associate Dean of Undergraduates and Director of Multicultural Affairs Catherine Clack with any concerns about discrimination. Students are encouraged to send any opinions or statements to Rachel Marcus at thresher@rice.edu or SA President Yoonjin Min at sapres@rice.edu.
The SA will next meet Monday, April 8 in Farnsworth Pavilion at 9 p.m.
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