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(11/16/01 5:18am)
The Meal Plan Committee is expected today to decide the fate of the often contentious miss-a-meal program. Facing increased discontent in the way the funds are distributed to charity, the committee might vote to terminate the program. \nPresently, students participating in miss-a-meal donate $7.50 of their meal points by swiping their ID card. Of that $7.50, 40 percent goes to charity while the remaining 60 percent goes toward Residential Programs and Services overhead costs. Because the majority of the donations never make it into the hands of the charity involved, the miss-a-meal program is not an effective fund-raiser, many say.\n"I'm not in favor of the miss-a-meal program because I feel that residents have better opportunities to get involved," said Wright Quad president Jen Jacobs, a junior. "I think there are better ways for residents to donate to charity through buying canned goods at a 'C-store' or food drives." \nIn the past, the committee has looked at ways to increase the percentage of each donation that goes to charity but has not come up with any answers. The 60 percent is a rigid amount that must be retained by dining services in order to cover overhead costs, explained Graham Shepfer, dining services special events coordinator.\n"There is a feeling that there should be a better way to raise money for charity," Shepfer said. "The 40 percent is what we save in food costs, so it's pretty much the best we can do." \nShepfer said the concerns about the program but defended its intentions. \n"I think there are some problems, but I do see it as a good fundraiser for some small charities," he said. "It is an easy way to raise money."\nThe committee might vote to terminate the miss-a-meal program, or in an alternative solution, it could simply vote to reserve the right for each individual center to keep or remove the program. This way, explained Collins president sophomore John Schlafer, the program would not be completely scrapped, but would allow each center to individually judge the merit of the program.\n"My largest concern is that miss-a-meal should not be (centrally) mandated," he said. "It should be handled on a center-to-center basis."\nBut this would not alleviate the central concern that too much money is being kept by dining services. \n"The 60-40 is not going to change," Jacobs said. "That's not something that we on the committee or any of us can change"
(10/30/01 6:11am)
Residents of Eigenmann Hall will vote today on a referendum that would merge the Eigenmann Resident Association with the Residence Halls Association. \nThe polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. \nFor the vote to be official, at least 20 percent of the residents must participate in the referendum. The same vote was held last year, but because turnout was below 20 percent, it was never made official.\nERA governs its residents independent of RHA, which oversees the other residence halls. If the referendum passes, Eigenmann Hall will be absorbed by RHA. \nHistorically, Eigenmann residents have been chiefly graduate and older students, unlike other campus residence halls. Because of the difference in the dorm's make-up, Eigenmann has never been under the sphere of influence of RHA, but instead governed independently by ERA. \nIts autonomy from RHA made sense at a time when older students did not benefit from the programs and services offered by the RHA, said junior Brian Logue, senior vice president of ERA. \nBut in recent years, the number of older students has declined and more freshman live in Eigenmann. Logue feels that as a result of the change in the students that live in the dorm, there is no longer a need to be separate from the RHA. \n"Basically, it doesn't make sense anymore for Eigenmann to be responsible for its own program," Logue said. "(Eigenmann's) on its own, and so we miss out on a lot of opportunities. It creates sort of an unneeded bureaucracy."\nVoting to become a member of the RHA has its benefits, RHA President Ken Minami said. Eigenmann would receive money from RHA and could fully participate in all RHA activities that it otherwise couldn't. Also, the student leaders of Eigenmann would be eligible to run for positions in the RHA.\n\"The benefits are amazing," Minami said. "They will have a greater voice and better representation than they had alone. RHA has a lot more weight than a lone center would. It will give residents more power through the Presidents Council and RHA.\"\nLogue sees no purpose in remaining unlinked to RHA.\n"I can't see a reason not to merge at this time," he said. "Basically we'd be uniting all the student voice under one umbrella. It would be more of a teamwork effort that would give us access to the RHA budget and all its services."\nEigenmann President Dietrich Willke also championed the advantages of the merger.\n"If you look into the makeup of Eigenmann, it looks like any other building," he said. "I think it's time to have one student government and one student voice."\nWhile the merger would provide Eigenmann with full RHA benefits, it would alter two important committee seats in the process. ERA could no longer send a direct representative to the Campus and Housing Advisory Committee or the Meal Plan Committee.\nWillke, who supports the merger, holds the position on the Meal Plan Committee, but would continue to serve as one of the seven students on the committee, said senior Brian Holman, RHA vice president of student affairs and chairmen of the committee. Holman is an IDS employee. Under the committee's charter, Willke would keep his seat as a representative of Eigenmann, but would be affiliated with RHA rather than ERA, Holman said.\nAs part of becoming a member of the RHA, $1.65 from each student would be reallocated to RHA from Eigenmann's budget. The fee would facilitate RHA's ability to bring programs to residents there.\n"It's a lot from the budget of Eigenmann, but then we will have eligibility to demand programs to be done," Willke said. "People need to be careful because they didn't lose (the money), it was reallocated. We still have control over it."\nEigenmann has three floors of students more than 21 years old who are permitted to possess alcohol. Despite rumors, Willke said RHA cannot make those floor alcohol free.\n"That is all bogus," Willke said. "RHA doesn't have the power to mandate things like that. It's up to the buildings to decide"
(10/29/01 5:44am)
A Residential Programs and Services committee will implement a new, cheaper meal plan tailored for off-campus residents beginning next semester.\nThe Meal Plan Committee discussed the plan, an effort to entice more students who live outside the residence halls to buy into the meal program, at their meeting Friday. The plan will be worth $300, much smaller than any current plan offered.\n"The idea is to encourage off-campus students to invest in the meal plan," said senior Ilia Smith, president of Willkie Quad. "They should be able to have a lower plan, in case they want to eat in between classes."\nThe plan would specifically benefit members of the greek system, said senior Brian Holman, chairman of the committee and an IDS employee.\n"Some of the people in the frats are very eager to have this plan," Holman said. "They've actually complained that they don't."\nA few committee members are hesitant, however. If enough off-campus residents opt to purchase the new plan, some said, it could significantly increase traffic at the dining halls and have adverse effects on quality and service. \n"I would have severe reservations about diving into the greek system," said junior Jen Jacobs, president of Wright Quad. "The more you expand, the more chance you have to hurt those in the residence halls."\nErrol Huffman, training coordinator and business consultant for dining services, said he has already anticipated the backlash that comes with more traffic. But he said he won't let it affect services. \n"We're expanding across our typical campus boundaries," he said. "But we won't let it get out of control. We're not going to sacrifice service for our residents."\nPart of the implementation of the plan is that even as students move out of residence halls, they will view the option as a viable and affordable one. \n"We are targeting all current hall residents," Huffman said. "We want them to return, but if not, this is an available option for them."\nThe committee will meet again Friday.
(10/25/01 5:38am)
A state study of underage and high-risk drinking made 12 specific recommendations to IU on how it can combat that problem here on campus. The report also criticized IU and other state university administrators for failing to take a harsh stance on alcohol.\nThe report tried to pinpoint the motivations and behaviors behind drinking. Acknowledging that the alcohol problem is not a new one, the report said alcohol use is both a deeply rooted college tradition and a coming of age ritual. \nOne of the theories advocated by the report is that administrators are to blame for the high levels of drinking because they refuse to take a harder stance against alcohol in order to keep up retention rates.\n"An even more dangerous view is when alumni, students and administrators feel that alcohol consumption helps admissions numbers, retention rates and school morale," the report read. "The main hurdle in facing high risk drinking is the idea that underage and over consumption are harmless, a rite of passage and acceptable despite their unlawfulness." \nDean of Students Richard McKaig said he disagrees with that portion of the committee's findings.\n"I can't think of anyone I know who would think that's an accurate perception," McKaig said. "There are some who would perceive the University as reluctant to act but the question about retention has never been a factor. The motivation is, would this be effective?"\nBut in order for attitudes toward underage and high-risk drinking to change, the report said, universities must start holding themselves more accountable.\nSome of the proposals emphasized in the report include stricter enforcement of current alcohol policies, providing alternatives to drinking and educating students about the health risks. \nThe study also identifies multiple factors that lead to alcohol abuse on college universities, blaming both the social mix of underage and over-21 students, with administrators' desire to boost enrollment and retention rates. \n"The mix of those students of legal age to drink alcohol and those that are underage creates a situation where access to alcohol is easier and consumption is unsupervised," the report said. \nIn a collaborative effort by the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking and the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, among other groups, the report is based on four forums held at IU, Purdue, Ball State and Notre Dame in August. An array of community members, students, parents, administrators and vendors were invited to the forums to discuss the behaviors that lead to drinking and possible measures to discourage it.\nMcKaig explained that while curtailing alcohol abuse has been an ongoing problem for years, the report did include a few helpful suggestions. \n"The University has many of these things in place," he said. "I feel like we're already doing quite a bit." \nOne area McKaig said the University needed to address was in IU's assessment program, which identifies potential incidents before they occur. Implementing a more proactive assessment, he said, could potentially curb alcohol behavior before it became out of control. \n"In assessment we begin to identify students who were making bad behavior choices and students who might have addictive tendencies," he said. "If we could sort out who really needs assistance, we could save them a lot of grief and the University a lot of grief." \nDirector of the IU Alcohol and Drug Information Center Dee Owens praised the report's emphasis on "social norming," a process that teaches students that not everyone drinks and even less drink in excess.\n"Some of the discussion on social norming is very appropriate because to talk about what is good is a new take and one that I like," she said. "However, I am also for consequences." \nMcKaig and Owens plan to discuss the report's recommendations at the Nov. 16 meeting of the IU Campus Community Commission on Alcohol. The committee will address which portions of the report to accept.\nOwens hopes that the commission will also be able to work hand-in-hand with the city and local bar owners when searching for solutions. \n"We are trying to get with some bar owners in town to talk about what it is that might make a difference," she said. "We have to have our own specific response to the report"
(10/15/01 5:16am)
Beginning next year, all students in their fourth year of living in a residence hall will have the option to create their own meal plan, or to forego a meal plan altogether. \nThe proposal was approved by the Meal Plan Committee in a 12-1 vote Friday. \nCalled the Willkie I plan, this approach works much like a blank check -- it allows students the liberty to write in whatever dollar amount they want for the entire year. And if a student prefers, he or she may opt to write in no money at all.\nCurrently, all dorm residents are required to purchase from one of three pre-selected dollar amounts for a meal plan. The only exceptions are residents in Willkie, Residential Programs and Services sponsored apartments, and Mason Hall, who also have the Willkie I plan available. \n"It is better because students can select their own plan," said Dining Services Special Events Coordinator Graham Shepfer. "You can make it fit whatever your needs are."\nBy the time residents are in their fourth year, the committee said, they will have cars to travel off campus to eat and will hopefully be more responsible in budgeting their money without the aid of a meal plan.\n"I think it's a good plan because it gives students more responsibility and freedom to eat where they want," said senior Ilia Smith, president of Willkie Quad.\nThe bottom line of the new plan is to give greater freedom and latitude to fourth-year residents when making dining selections. \nBut the decision also acts as a mini-trial experiment for the Meal Plan Committee. Once implemented, they will be closely monitoring the financial repercussions of the move to determine if they can extend this option to even more students in the coming years.\n"The goal was to help all students," said committee chairman and president of Wright Quad Brian Holman, a senior. "But we had to start somewhere that wouldn't hurt the budget."\nErrol Huffman, training coordinator and business consultant for dining services, warned that if enough students elect to not have a meal plan, it could lead to a cut in certain food services. At the same time, he anticipates that giving more options to fourth-year students may increase retention rates.\n"We want to look at how many would participate and at what level," he said. "The intent is not to change any services. That's why we want to do this in small steps, to ensure that we can maintain services. If it can balance out right, we won't have to decrease them in any way."\nCurrently, there are 241 fourth-year students living in the residence halls and 534 third-year residents.\nGraduate student and committee member Dietrich Willke said he is optimistic that the new approach will increase the number of fourth-year students who choose to live in the dorms.\n"A lot of people left (the residence halls) to live in family housing because of the meal plan," he said. "A lot might come back if they have the option to not have one."\nCollins president John Schlafer, a sophomore, was the only committee member to vote against the proposal for fear of a backlash in the quality and selection of food. \n"For me and the residents of Collins, the Willkie I plan is not a priority," he said. "Really it's about which services do we want to increase -- student options or quality of food"
(10/10/01 4:45am)
The Meal Plan Committee, which makes recommendations on meal plans and dining services for students in the residence halls, voted to bar the public from its weekly meeting last Friday and kicked out three students, including the president of the Residence Halls Association.\nThe students removed were senior Kenji Minami, president of RHA; senior Elizabeth Wysong, executive vice president of Wright Quad; and an IDS reporter.\nSandra Fowler, director of Residential Dining Programs and Services, cited the need for a positive environment for debate. She said members needed a private atmosphere to do so.\n"We do a lot of brainstorming, and we may not come to a consensus," Fowler said. "It has been our experience that information has been taken out of context (in the IDS)."\nWith the IDS and the public present, some committee members felt they would be reluctant to openly speak their mind for fear of being misinterpreted.\n"It's not fair for students to say whatever they want and be under the microscope," graduate student Dietrich Willke said during the committee's Sept. 28 meeting.\nThe committee voted 10-1 Friday to close the public and the media from the meeting before deliberating behind closed doors for an hour and a half.\nAccording to the meeting minutes, discussion included cafeteria usage reports, the budget summary and the possibility of extending the Willkie "I" meal plan. The plan would let eligible students determine the amount of money in their meal points accounts. The minutes become official when approved by the committee at the next meeting. \nMinami said he was disappointed by the decision to close last Friday's meeting.\n"I am absolutely no way in agreement with closing a meeting of any kind," Minami said. "In terms of student representation, I don't think closing a meeting represents student values." \nThe lone dissenting voice on the committee belonged to junior Laura Edwards, president of Foster Quad. She said she believes the committee serves students and has an obligation to keep all its deliberations open to the public, for better or for worse. \n"RPS' main concern is student satisfaction, especially with the meal plan," she said. "As a representative of the student body, I feel that it is a necessity for everyone to be informed."\nAssociate Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs Bruce Jacobs backed the committee's decision. \n"The committee should have the opportunity to go through these negotiations without it being trailed in the paper," he said. "They ought to be able to have that give-and-take and exchange without it being played out on the front page."\nAfter the IDS challenged the legality of closing the meeting under Indiana's Open Door Laws, the committee consulted with the University Counsel's office. Their advice was that the Meal Plan Committee, which monitors the meal system and makes recommendations to the Campus Housing Advisory Committee, is exempt from Indiana's Open Door Policy. Therefore, it is within their legal right to close the meeting, committee members said.\n"I don't think it matters what the law is," Minami said. "From a student perspective, it should be open."\nFourteen people sit on the committee: seven students and seven RPS staff members. The seven students each represent one of the residence halls. Senior Brian Holman is chairman of the committee and does not vote. Holman is also an IDS employee. Two members were absent.\nThe next meal plan meeting will be Friday. \nWright Quad President Jennifer Jacobs, a junior, said she doesn't see any reason to close Friday's meeting. \n"I don't anticipate any issues coming up this week that would lead me to vote the same way," she said.
(10/09/01 5:32am)
As part of an extended look into the future of residential dining services, the Meal Plan Committee will consider offering more dining options to students returning to the residence halls.\nThe committee considered allowing students entering into their fourth year of continuous residency the option of selecting the Willkie I plan, which allows students complete freedom in selecting the number of points in their meal plan, according to a statement.\nThe committee began discussing the possibility last Friday and expects to make a decision by Friday. Such a move would be the first step in possibly extending the plan to other returning students.\nAll students who live in residence halls have to have a meal points plan. The choice available is selecting a dollar amount from one of three set plans. This was how it used to be here, and for most students, that is how it is today.\nBut residents of Willkie, RPS apartments and Mason currently have their own unique option called the Willkie I plan. It lets them decide if they want to have meal points, and if so they are given the flexibility to put as much or as little money as they want into it. \nThis plan was enacted when Willkie was the only residence hall without its own dining center. \nThe popularity of its flexibility, and last year's closing of several dining centers, has prompted the RPS Meal Plan Committee to look into extending the Willkie I plan further.\n"We are currently discussing the possibility of expanding the Willkie I plan to residents who have lived in housing for four years," said Forest Quad President Laura Edwards.\nWith its blank check approach, the Willkie I plan would give students more liberty to decide how much and where they want to spend their money. It would also encourage students to stay in the residence centers, said senior Ilia Smith, the president of Willkie.\n"It is a way to reward students who have been in the dorms all four years," she said. "It gives more freedom to let students eat where they want."\nPart of the discussion of the implementation of the plan revolves around its financial consequences. Allowing residents to choose to not use the meal points program would almost certainly result in a drop in participation.\n"We're looking at the long term process of phasing this is," said Errol Huffman, business consultant for dining services. "We have to see what we can do and what we can't do financially"
(09/26/01 5:49am)
The enormous popularity among students of multimedia sharing programs has noticeably slowed the Internet in residence halls this year. Programs such as Kazaa, AudioGalaxy and Gnutella have had such an impact on the speed of Internet usage that University Information Technology Services has been forced to implement several changes including a temporary "dynamic rate limit" program.\nThe multimedia sharing programs clog up the Internet because they turn students' computers into individual servers that are accessed by others with the same program, said Sue Workman, director of the Teaching and Learning Internet Technology division.\n"Eighty-eight percent of the Residence Halls network is being used by those coming into the University to obtain these multi-media files from student systems," Workman said.\nTo combat the high traffic, UITS has instituted a one-week-only temporary "dynamic rate limit" program. This trial program will cap the amount of outside users accessing IU's servers. The program has already proven to be effective in reducing the outgoing bandwidth used by multimedia sharing programs to 46 percent.\nIn addition to "dynamic rate limits," the Residence Halls Association is organizing a campaign to discourage students from using the serving (uploading) portions of multimedia programs. If students police themselves and limit multimedia uploading from their individual computers, then RHA won't have to limit multimedia downloading.\n"The problem isn't people downloading at extreme rates," said RHA president Ken Minami, a senior. "The problem is that the outgoing traffic is significantly slowing down the incoming traffic. The dynamic rate limit minimizes outgoing traffic because it doesn't benefit IU students."\nFreshman Nathan Scheeler, a resident of Teter Quad, uses both Kazaa and AudioGalaxy to share music. The slow Internet speeds have been annoying, he said.\n"I've noticed that during certain times of the day, my computer runs really slow," he said. "If it would make it run faster, I'd stop people from sharing my files."\nDownloading multimedia through these programs is a digital quid pro quo. If a student wants to download a song, he or she must download it directly from another person's hard drive, through programs that act as gateways such as Kazaa and Gnutella. Because of IU's T3 connections, outside users often look to students here to download music from. When too many people access a student's hard drives, the system becomes congested and slows down.\nFreshman Ted Derheimer, who uses WinMX to share multimedia, has already stopped letting people have access to his files because of the burden it puts on his computer.\n"It makes my computer very slow, so I only download from other people."\nThe RHS IT committee plans to meet this Friday to evaluate the results of the weeklong trial.