Vernon Allen Planning Committee also wants to improve Campus Life
HARTFORD, Conn. – President James F. Jones Jr. announced Monday that he has named 11 members to the new President’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate, a panel that grew out of the recommendations of the Campus Climate Charter Committee.
The new group will be co-chaired by Chaplain Allison Read and Gary Reger, Charles A. Dana Research Professor of History. Other members include Fred Alford, dean of students; Karla Spurlock-Evans, dean of multicultural affairs; Jane Nadel-Kline, professor of anthropology; Mary Sandoval, associate professor of mathematics; and Maurice Wade, professor of philosophy.
The students appointed to the panel are Brooks Barhydt, ‘08; Michael Belkin, ‘11; Sarah Khuwaja, ‘10; and Elysha Padilla, ‘10.
The Council, which will report directly to Jones, will periodically review how Trinity is responding to the many recommendations made by the Charter Committee. In addition, the council has been instructed to apprise the campus community and the Board of Trustees as to the progress being made.
The 18-member Charter Committee was created in the aftermath of several incidents on campus that were deemed to be either racist or sexist. The panel concluded its work by making 30 recommendations intended to accelerate the cultural transformation of the campus and change the atmosphere that contributed to “offensive acts of hostility and intolerance.” Establishing the President’s Advisory Council was one of the Committee’s 30 recommendations.
Also Monday, the Vernon Allen Planning Committee, which also was appointed by Jones, released a statement calling for proposals from groups who would make use of one of the soon-to-be vacant houses on Vernon or Allen Street to improve campus life. The 11-member Committee has identified as many as five buildings where student groups could provide new and interesting forms of social interaction and help diversity the social life on campus.
“It is the hope of the committee that the Vernon-Allen area will become a ‘cultural quarter’ where one might find a variety of social options appealing to a variety of appetites,” said the Committee’s statement.
Groups should submit a proposal not to exceed three pages that outlines what they hope to accomplish, how they will accomplish their goals and what kind of space would work best. Also, they should say how many people are involved and who the people are. Proposals should be turned in no later than April 4 to the Vernon Allen Planning Committee c/o the Dean of Students’ office.
Members of the Committee will host an open meeting in Gallows Hall on Wednesday, February 20 at 5 p.m. Questions will be answered at that time.