This week’s LUCC meeting was the first with definite results from the recent elections that selected Jacques Hacquebord and Ned Connors president and vice-president, respectively, of LUCC. Despite the increase in the number of voters compared with last year’s election, the issue of clarifying the selection process was raised as there were several voting ballots with unusual marking.
New off-campus program locations were announced, including Amsterdam and Tokyo. These new programs are notable for their lower costs.
LUCC is giving serious thought to the creation of smoke-free areas near residence halls, as recent polls show that about 80% of the students would approve or not mind the establishment of these zones.
The same poll also showed that a considerable portion of the Lawrence community would desire the construction of another smoke-free dorm. The issue is very likely to be discussed in the future.
Despite requests by some conservatory students, Kathleen Murray, dean of the conservatory, has not approved the possibility of installing vending machines in the conservatory complex, since it can jeopardize the safety of the instruments, especially the acoustic pianos. She also mentioned that the proximity of the Union and other establishments makes the presence of vending machines even less necessary.
The committee then held a discussion of meal plan pricing, during which some pertinent facts regarding the establishment of prices were raised. The Food Services Department is in a way a small business independent of Lawrence University.
It is an “auxiliary service,” where the meal price is determined according to the actual expense of past terms, where unused meals are taken into account. A debit-based “pay for what you eat” system is likely to be adopted in the future, and it would be implemented with the opening of a new student union.
In discussing the complaint that the ITC (Information Technology Center) in the library is frequently closed for classes and staff/faculty training, it was pointed out that the ITC is primarily intended for staff/faculty use.
The installation of several network ports and computer stations in the past years was directed to student use and there is no more physical space in the library for an additional lab.
The amount of paper used by students is the focus of a recent and ongoing debate. There is a significant expenditure with paper usage in the college and waste, such as large documents being printed and never claimed from the printers; alternatives are being considered.