Committee 

May 14–15, 2015

Committee chair Matt Hoffman ’82 introduced Inge-Lise Ameer, Interim Dean of the College. She provided an overview of some of the social and community-oriented events and activities that have taken place during this academic year.

With Moving Dartmouth Forward seeking to impact and enhance multiple areas of student life, the Dean of the College has launch 4 working groups to oversee the implementation of the President’s plan. The working groups are composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents and are charged with addressing topics such as: house communities, sexual assault curriculum, student citizenship, and the development of a safety app.

Dean Ameer is confident that MDF will succeed, because at its core, it has the purest of intentions and desires for student success and health. This coupled with the fact that students are the driving force behind most of the changes, means that plans and programs being put into place are organic and accessible.

Dean Ameer noted that as our student population grows and diversifies, it is important for the college to also grow and develop to help meet the ever changing needs of the students it serves. Currently 86% of all enrolled students are using Dartmouth health services. The health needs of students are expanding and the college has responded by bringing on more professionals to help navigate the increasingly complex landscape associated with a diverse community rich with intersected identities.

The staff members in the Dean of the College area are excited about the rollout of the college’s new house system. The system hopes to give students an anchor and home base while they are on campus. Currently the office of residential life makes approximately 16,000 housing assignments each year. For a campus of roughly 4400 undergraduates, this is a very large number. The hope is that addressing the way students live and interact with one another will help to adjust other extreme behaviors on campus.

There is a lot happening on the ground here on campus since MDF has gone into effect. With the new hard alcohol ban on campus, medical transports to DHMC have been reduced. Over 2000 students have been trained in the Dartmouth Bystander Intervention (DBI) program. Dartmouth is on its way to developing a comprehensive 4 year sexual assault and conduct policy. The Dean looks forward to sharing more about the successes of MDF as more of its policies become concrete. Dean Ameer proceeded to moderate a student panel presentation by members of the MDF working groups. The following students participated on the panel:

Jose Rodarte-Canales ’16 is part of the Organizational Review Process, tasked with designing tangible and workable policies. The group’s focus is on creating accountability and promoting safety and inclusivity.

Noah Manning ’17 is part of the House Communities working group. This group hopes to create better public and gathering spaces on campus and renovate the existing ones, including kitchens and common areas in the dorms. Noah also spoke about reviving inter-dorm or inter-housing cluster sports competition. The new housing clusters will be rolled out this fall.

Katherine McAvoy ’17 is part of a group that is putting together a sexual assault curriculum. Starting next year, Dartmouth will introduce a comprehensive, four-year education and awareness program for students as well as first-year responder training for faculty and staff.

Kate Dumanian ’18 is part of a group working on a Student Citizenship Statement or code of conduct. Civility, dignity, diversity, community, and safety are the fundamental drivers.

Sophia Pedlow ’15 is part of a group that will be responsible for a Dartmouth-specific safety app for smartphones. The group is currently interviewing developers to help determine what functionality is needed, but it will probably be GPS-enabled and allow students to access help quickly and easily.

Taylor Watson ’17 is part of a group that focuses on Social Event and Alcohol Management. His group is reviewing and revising policies and expectations related to hosting social events, as well as alcohol management. They have gone back to as early as 1976 to examine previous alcohol policies as well as policies at other colleges.

Current Student Affairs Committee vice-chair Laura Hicks Roberts ’85 will become the chair in 2015-2016. The incoming vice-chair is Tim Millikin ’05, per a vote that was taken at the beginning of the meeting.