Everyone softly shuffled to their seats marking the beginning of the fifth meeting of the Hamline Undergraduate Student Council (HUSC) general assembly. The meeting began with a land acknowledgment by Internal President and senior Oliver Engstrom, followed by an executive board roll call, led by secretary and sophomore Anna Beaudry.
Representatives followed roll call. Engstrom briefly mentioned that his presentation would largely cover committees, an introduction of HUSC processes to all the new representatives and issues around campus.
HUSC is made up of four committees: the Economic Affairs Committee (EAC) chaired by junior Heather Chandler, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) chaired by senior Allie Kretsch, the Board of Elected Representatives (BER) chaired by senior Abbi Kutz and Public Relations (PR) chaired by junior Momed Abdrihman. The HUSC Executive Board is made up of nine members. Ollie Engstrom sits as the Internal President and Elisa Lopez sits as the External President.
Representative Reports included many pressing issues. In Osborn Hall, Heights Representative Brooke Paar shared that students have noticed issues with one of the washers and dryers, leaving only two washers and two dryers for students to use. Contrary to popular belief, facilities does not manage washers or dryers, but rather, it is tied to a third party company called CSC ServiceWorks. In order for an issue to be addressed, a work order must be placed.
Second-year representative and sophomore Anabel Bradley, and an Oracle staff member, mentioned that dry erase markers have been lacking in both quality and quantity for professors to use. Professor of Communication Studies Suda Ishida explained that there are supplies waiting to be claimed, but the whereabouts were not shared with faculty. General assembly members debated what department this responsibility would fall under, but the entire governing body was in agreement: it is not HUSC’s responsibility.
Apartment and residence hall safety checks were another issue that assembly members brought to light. The Hamline Apartments have a main door to get into the apartment itself and a separate door for the resident’s individual bedroom. Some apartment residents noticed that after the safety checks concluded, those conducting the room checks proceeded to lock the doors, regardless of if they were originally left unlocked. Students locked out of their bedrooms were required to pay a $25 fine to Hamline Public Safety (HPS) to get back inside.
Another issue brought to light by Paar dealt with the accessibility of the West Hall East Entrance. The entrance is missing an accessibility button to open the doors, leaving students with disabilities unable to enter from the east side of the building.
Paar also mentioned that in the dining hall, allergen-free foods lack consistent availability and would benefit from clear labels specifying what allergens are present in the dish to avoid allergic reactions.
HUSC Treasurer and junior Matthew Maroney wanted students on campus to know that if something happens to you in the dining hall, a classroom, etc. to please send those concerns to Dean of Students Patti Kersten at pkersten01@hamline.edu so they can aim to improve.
Senior Representative Wren Heille shared that students attempting to gain entrance to Drew Fine Arts (DFA) have had problems finding a way inside due to a lack of key card scanners. Heille mentioned that even the professors do not have the keys to get in. This requires HPS to have to walk across the entire campus, from their office in Sorin Hall to DFA. Every other building has a key card scanner, except for DFA.
Engstrom added that the commuter lounge will be revamped with some new furniture soon upcoming, along with a representative retreat that will focus on team bonding. Details will be released in the coming weeks.
Fall break is a week from Friday, along with a conversation with “Deserts with the Deans” where you can talk about policies and ask questions. More details will be released closer to the event date.
Kretsch also introduced “Robert’s Rules”; a set of rules created by Henry Martyn Robert in 1876 to govern student congress. It outlines the most effective rules and regulations for non-governmental congresses such as HUSC, including a motion and voting system.
Paar enacted a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by all, effectively ending the fifth HUSC general assembly meeting.