Roth Recounts Meeting with Board of Trustees to WSA

, by Sofi Goode, Bryan Stascavage, Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer

Jonas Powell/Assistant Photo Editor

This is the first of a series of briefs from The Argus to summarize issues discussed at the weekly General Assembly meetings of the Wesleyan Student Assembly.

University President Michael Roth attended the weekly Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) General Assembly meeting on Sunday, March 1 to summarize the Board of Trustees discussion that took place on Friday, Feb. 27 and to answer questions from students and Assembly members.

Roth noted that the Board of Trustees meeting was focused primarily on restructuring the University’s debt, due to historic interest rates. The Board’s discussion was intended to produce ideas to alleviate financial pressures on the University in the near future.

In response to an audience member’s question, Roth commented on the power of WSA resolutions, stating that all resolutions receive feedback from the administration, either from the president’s office or from the specific department to which they are relevant. The WSA later discussed making those responses public to increase transparency about the resolution process.

Attendees also questioned Roth about the past two WSA meetings, which included discussion of inclusivity on the WSA, especially with regard to low-income and first-generation college students. Roth answered that the discussion had changed how he thought about the issue and that the University is in the process of reevaluating financial aid packages.

Related to those concerns, the WSA Executive Committee is currently looking for ways to make the WSA a more feasible time commitment for students who have work-study requirements.

During open forum, the WSA collectively acknowledged a need to be more proactive about ensuring effective communication between WSA members and the student body. One suggestion included having WSA members canvass the community to ask for feedback and concerns as well as to tell students what the WSA is working on.

The WSA Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) announced a focus on textbook costs, transfer student issues, and working to improve advising. The AAC will be hosting an academic fair on Monday, April 6, in Beckham Hall, specifically designed for first- and second-year students to ask questions and receive information about the various majors offered at the University.

  • Concerned

    Uhhh Bryan is a member of the assembly…

    • why

      so?

    • Non-Idiot ’17

      Bryan has also proven to be a very level-headed contributor to this site/paper. Are you insinuating with your “…” that because he’s an assembly member he’s being dishonest in his response to DavidL?

      • l

        ?????
        Drugs were not mentioned in the article, even though it was topic A at the school. So I asked if it had been discussed. How is that a question about his honesty?

        But I do wonder why he didn’t mention the topic until asked, if it was part of the discussion.

        They damned well ought to be very concerned. I’d rather they freaked out than mellowed out over this. Trusting in luck and the recovery power of healthy young people is a pretty bad strategy.

  • DavidL

    Drugs? No discussion of drugs?

    • Bryan Stascavage

      David,

      There was a discussion of drugs.

      Roth stated that it was too soon to start making adjustments to policy while the issue is still filled with emotion. Rather, once everyone has recovered (both those who were hospitalized and the campus community as a whole), we can tackle the problem with a more level head. This is not a direct quote, but a paraphrase.

      Roth also discussed the response, stating that the administration was very concerned (I’d characterize it as freaking out) that students who had taken the contaminated Molly had gone home from the party and could be in their rooms, alone, in serious trouble. Thus the focus of the administration in those first critical hours was making sure that students were checking on their friends to make sure they were okay.

      – Bryan

      • 90sAlum

        Sounds appropriate to me. So far, Team Roth.

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