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Consortium
Representatives Meeting The
most recent semi-annual meeting of Consortium Representatives convened on
The meeting was held from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM,
CHAS REPS AGENDA I. Governance/Election Procedures II. Membership/Invoices III. Changes in Representation IV. Reports
on Planned Meetings
V. Reports on meetings as yet
unscheduled
CHAS Reps
Meeting Minutes: Meeting was called to order promptly at 11:30 A.M. by Steering Board chair, Dorothy Denburg. Reps introduced themselves. There were forty representatives from 27 CHAS schools present, along with Kidan Kassahun, CHAS coordinator and her administrative assistant, Patti Maisch. The participants were: Barnard College
Sonny Ago Bates College Pam Baker Bowdoin College Nancy Jennings Bryn Mawr College
Karen Tidmarsh Bucknell University Jessica Hess Clark University
Wesaline Gadson Colby College Janice Kassman College of the Holy Cross Mable
Millner Franklin & Marshall College Ralph Taber Hamilton College
Kirk Pillow Haverford College Steve Watter Lafayette College Jim Krivoski Mount Holyoke College Gladys
Moore Oberlin College KathrynStuart Reed College
Mary Catherine King Sarah Lawrence University Allen Green Smith College Maureen
Mahoney Swarthmore College Sarah
Willie Trinity College Karla Spurlock-Evans Union College Christine
Henseler University of the South Eric
Benjamin Vassar College J.J.
Jackson Washington & Lee University Tammy Futrell Wellesley College Angela
Carpenter Wesleyan University Daniel Teraguchi CHAS Kidan
Kassahun Dorothy began the meeting by reiterating the objective of having each member-college president choose, as representatives, senior administrators with easy access to their presidents. One model suggested at the Presidents Forum was that of a pair of administrators consisting of one student affairs officer and one academic officer. Such a pairing would assure optimal performance of the CHAS group as a whole. Dean Denburg noted that the December 2006 expiration of Nellie Mae’s financial involvement would carry the consortium through to July 2007 when CHAS would “stand on its own” financially through an $8,000.00 fiscal commitment of each of the 25 currently signed-on schools. Reps were reminded that if their presidents had not yet signified their intention to remain within the CHAS organization they should do so as soon as possible. An invoice for the $8000 membership was included in the individual folders of each rep. It was brought to
the attention of the reps that a number of colleges have not been active
participants at recent meetings, and conferences and, it was suggested
that, where
possible, present and involved reps should reach out to those absentee
colleges and their reps, to ascertain their commitment to CHAS. Among
the colleges which would be contacted are: Joe Tolliver will be in contact with two schools, College of Wooster and Skidmore College, which had previously expressed interest in joining CHAS.
Dorothy acknowledged and thanked Kidan Kassahun, Coordinator of CHAS, for all her hard work throughout the past few years and said that she would be missed as she embarked on her maternity leave, which begins immediately. Patti Maisch, Administrative Assistant to Kidan Kassahun will fill in as interim Coordinator of CHAS. All of Patti’s contact information was made available in the meeting folder. Her responsibilities would include, taking meeting minutes, facilitating the organization of future conferences and meetings, updating the representatives of current CHAS activities, retaining correspondences between schools and administrators, and maintaining records of membership payments. Joe Tolliver, St. Lawrence University was absent, attending a board of trustees meeting. The responsibilities of the steering board were described as defining policy and deciding questions regarding the CHAS agenda. The group agreed that the Board should retain its size of six members until some future time when it might need to grow to accommodate a larger consortium. It was noted that a list of the steering board members is always available on the CHAS website http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/student-services/chas/default.htm.
Lee Bowie, Mount Holyoke The election process
follows: Voting procedure
will include: The job
description of CHAS reps was reaffirmed as an effective means of
maintaining personal contact with and disseminating information to the
respective school’s president and to those in the appropriate academic
and administrative positions.
WEBSITE Discussion: It was suggested
that the website should be embellished to be able to accommodate
archival and current agendas and minutes. This discussion was tabled until a decision is reached as to whether or not there would be a cap placed on membership down the road. It was observed that to expand the membership, at this time, could have a negative effect on all meetings and conferences already in the planning stages. Volunteers to man a membership committee will begin to assess the limits of membership size and criteria for membership and will report at the June representatives meeting. That committee
includes: Another suggestion for getting the “CHAS word out” was the establishment of a publication which would distribute even more details about CHAS. It was noted, for the benefit of the new reps, that reps traditionally meet twice a year and it was suggested that the next reps meeting be held in Baltimore the Friday after Father’s Day –June 22, 2007. Patti will begin to look for a space. It was announced that 6 Grants, awarded to 5 schools, yielded wonderfully informative studies, one of which is a developing website on Claude Steele’s stereotype threat research. However, since most members had not seen these studies, it was suggested that the grantees be given the opportunity to present their findings.
A group of
volunteers came together at the meeting to establish a grant committee
to work toward repeating the grant process in May ’08. Those committee
members volunteers are: A reunion of SMDEP students was discussed—the opportunity for past SMDEP students and new students to get together for a weekend.
UPCOMING MEETING Discussion: Targeted meetings were listed on a sheet in the folder. And in an answer to the question, “Are planning committees members limited to representatives?” Kidan extended the invitation to all members, all interested and/or pertinent parties from member schools to join various planning committees for the already scheduled and the “yet to be planned” meetings.
Meetings in the planning stages: Pre-Health Advisors Meeting 06/08/07 at Bryn Mawr Psychological Counselors Meeting 10/11-10/12/07 at Reed College Black & Latino Males Meeting November 2007 at Swarthmore College DSL Meeting November 2007 at Haverford or Colby
Potential Meetings Discussion: Writing Center/Faculty meeting Consideration: There was a discussion on a proposal to extend the science-oriented pedagogy conferences across disciplines into liberal arts and the humanities, specifically writing centers. Possibility of a
team which would include: J.J. Jackson,
Vassar, volunteered as “point person” Possible presentation of pedagogies of writing might be an effective way of getting this off the ground. Also connections with various member learning and teaching centers These questions
arose in reference to a writing center meeting:
SAFETY & SECURITY
meeting: Pre-major
advising meeting Faculty
Workshop It was decided that new faculty and staff should be informed of CHAS, its progressive mission and its available conferences. And that colleagues should be informally polled as to what they are interested in and what they would like to see addressed. ASSESSMENT: Reps discussed the successful research material that was collected in the last survey. Approximately 1,000 students completed the survey, in which 19 schools participated. A panel of representatives will take the initiative to follow up on this collected data and prepare to conduct another survey which, in conjunction with the old material would further broaden CHAS’s goal toward “transform [ing] our campuses into optimal learning environments for all students.” Those volunteering
to assist in administering the line of investigation with I.R. are:
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