The first Student Assembly meeting of the term opened with the appointment of James Joun '03 as chair of the new Diversity Affairs Committee.
Issues that the committee intends to address include the creation of programs that will make Dartmouth a more inclusive place and the facilitation of interaction among present ethnic, religious and cultural groups on campus.
"There is so much the committee can do to work with other organizations on campus," Student Body President Molly Stutzman '02 said. "Interacting with groups such as [Native Americans at Dartmouth] and [Dartmouth Asian Organization] would create a synergy, in which input from them can contribute to the sharing of views."
The unifying influence of the Assembly among already existing organizations could give rise to forums for discussion involving multiple organizations and the rest of campus, Stutzman predicted.
The new committee is designed to address not just race and ethnicity, but also religious perspectives and diversity of ideas.
Upon being appointed chair, Joun explained, "I think the first big issue about diversity is that people tend to categorize it as a separate issue, and I don't think that's the case. I think everything in life is inter-related, and thinking of things that way opens perspectives a lot."
Joun is still developing the specific long-term goals and structure of the new committee. During initial discussion, a committee was envisioned that would treat three areas of concern: the advocacy of diversity, the Assembly's capacity to act as a liaison between campus groups and the formation of new programs.
He is also in the process of recruiting members for the new committee in order to receive the most support and input for the committee's actions.
Stutzman was also enthusiastic about the Student Assembly's acquisition of participants for the new committee. "I've been contacted by so many people, some who have been involved in the Student Assembly in the past, and some who have never shown interest in the Student Assembly before. This shows that there is a need at Dartmouth for this sort of committee."
Another new committee, the Assembly Committee on Alcohol Policy, will be headed this term by Tom White '04 and Matthew Oppenheimer '05.
The committee's goal is to make the College's deliberations of changes to alcohol policy more transparent to the student community, according to Student Life Committee Chair Bill Jaeger '02.
"I think you'll see major changes in the way that the social drinking scene on campus operates as a result of the new policy," Jaeger said. "The content of these changes and the timeline of these changes is uncertain at the moment, though."
In other business, the Assembly announced that religion professor Darryl Caterine has received this term's Profiles in Excellence Award. As the award recipient, Caterine will lead a seminar on April 11 focusing on issues of university teaching and the tenure process.
