meeting minutes

DormCon Meeting Minutes - March 4, 2004
Next Meeting: Thursday, March 18, 2004. Time and Location TBD.

Next DormCon Meeting

All RACs/Housing Chairs from dorms encouraged to attend.
Valuable information regarding housing, including past year's statistics.

CPW

Deadline for everything CPW is March 19.
Encourage residents to register to host prefrosh.
East Campus instituted a internal dorm contest to encourage registrations.
Contact Amrys Williams (residence-related issues) <amrys@mit.edu> or Matt McGann (events related issues) <mcgann@mit.edu>

i3/Guide to Residences

Deadline for Guide to Residences content is next Wednesday, March 10.
Deadline for i3 video and website content is Friday, March 19.
"Orientation Adjustment Lottery" Renaming
- Renamed Phase One and Phase Two of Housing Selection Process
- Conveys to frosh that it's mandatory and involves commitment.
New Guide to Residences Content
- Will include link to student-run dorm websites, not just housing websites
- Include more details about house-specific policies and procedures relating to in-house rush
- Facilities descriptions? Would be included in housemaster's page as "Extra Amenities", but would discourage comparison between dorms solely on the basis of facilities.
March 18, i3 reps meet with designer for final touches on student page.

JudComm

Next week, meeting with Steve Tyrell to work on new JudComm
Encourage your residents to submit ideas or to be involved with a potential JudComm working committee.
Goal: working JudComm by the end of the term, beginning of summer

Event Registration

Working toward having everything web-form-based.
- Web form allows potential problems to be flagged immediately
Campus police would only be notified (would receive a copy of the submission) after approval
Events would get "tentative" approval. If host doesnt hear back within certain amount of time, event is approved.
Training program for servers would be optional now, maybe mandatory later.
BYOB option received positive feedback.
GRT involvement:
- PRO: GRT's are well connected with students
- CON: Jeff noted that GRTs are there to help, not to be administrators
- CON: Would not be too cool to put liability on them.
Contact Aayesha <aayesha@mit.edu> with questions.

RACs/Housing Chairs

Meeting next week with Denise Vallay.
Writing down dorm-specific room assignment process.

Burton-Conner DTYD Party

Sunday of Patriots Day weekend. Yearly event. Hosted by Burton 3rd.
Open to all.
Has received funds from Burton-Conner and others.
Last year, received $1700 from DormCon.
This year, asked for $1000 from DormCon.
DormCon approved $1000.
Email DormCon Treasurer Mike Childress <mchildre@mit.edu> for transaction details. Email dormcon for advertising help.

New House Tower of Babel Party

Tentatively May 1. Open to all.
Promotes cultural diversity.
Will receive funds from New House and others.
Last year, received $1000 from DormCon.
This year, asked for $1000 from DormCon.
DormCon approved $1000.
Email DormCon Treasurer Mike Childress <mchildre@mit.edu> for transaction details. Email dormcon for advertising help.

Summer Housing

Dean Benedict is taking DormCon's recommendations over recommendations from Summer Housing Task Force.
Issues to be dealt with:
- professionalizing Front Desk
- RA positions
Dean Benedict will write DormCon a response to recommendations.
Thanks to DormCon President Emily Cofer for all her work in making this happen!
Snaggs' suggestion:
- during first few DormCon meetings next fall, look back at summer and evaluate, to be ready for the same battle next year
- need to have a functioning JudComm to make summer housing work. Encourage house residents to get involved and send ideas.

Dorm Security

Karen Nilsson (Housing) is leaving it up to the individual dorms and house managers to decide whether or not to implement the door hanger campaign.
Still working on professionalizing Front Desks.
Will still ask desk workers to close/lock mailboxes.

Risk Management Initiative

Get feedback from your houses regarding the Risk Management initiative discussed last meeting.

U.A. Elections

Encourage residents to vote next week!

REX: Planning the Tuesday and Wednesday Night Events

REX co-chairs: Harvey Jones <harveyj@mit.edu> and Harel Williams <harelw@mit.edu>
Tuesday night "Welcome Party"
- highlight of student leadership
- IFC not involved, just DormCon and UA
- UA and SLP funding.
- Logistics: frosh will be in Kresge/Rockwell area before party, we should pick a location where it would be easy to herd them to and to keep them there
- options to consider: Killian, Amherst Alley, Kresge Oval
- ned to get something in writing soon
- BBQ? Desserts? Ice cream?
- get MIT administrators involved (dunktank)
Wednesday night REX kickoff
- Scavenger hunt among dorms?
- "Soapbox" speech to frosh to start REX
- Have dorm reps ready to take frosh back to dorms
- have some kind of checkoff system, give prize to frosh if they visit certain number of dorms
Dorms really need to get REX chairs mobilized.
If you need money:
- DormCon
- DormCon website: http://web.mit.edu/dormcon/
- Ask your UA senator
Snaggs suggestion:
- have a rainy day backup