By Billy Joyce
A year after the MAN collective and the CCR collective created Facebook groups, filed applications, took pictures and put up posters, the community is again under siege.
Before, it was Marjorie Jensen, Anne Fletcher and Niko Kowel and Corri Frohlich, Chelsea Martens, and Rory Adams-Cheatham who stood in front of the community in McGregor 113. On Tues. it was a different group of students who humbly introduced themselves to the community.
The collectives, as they stand now, don’t have catchy nicknames: Jamila Hunter, Meghan Pergrem, Fela Pierrelouis, and for an encore Niko Kowell are running up against Nicole Bayani, Micah Canal, Sarah Buckingham, and Julian Sharp.
The news out of this forum is that each collective running for CG has four candidates. This is abnormal since there are only job descriptions and funding enough for three people. ComCil last week, as reported by CM/OM Corri Frohlich, deliberated for hours to accept the collectives’ proposals for a fourth member.
From that ComCil discussion it was decided that if not enough funds are raised to support a fourth position, then one of the members of the collective must abdicate their position. Through what must have been a Survivor-influenced process, Kowel and Sharp agreed to be kicked off if their collective wins and there isn’t enough money to fund their position.
Both collectives plan on soliciting donations from alumni to gather enough money for salary.
In this year’s CG there are three positions: the community manager, the events manager, and the operations manager. The operations manager is a consolidated position that is comprised of the two former positions of budget manager and office manager. The fourth position that these collectives are running with is still to be defined.
Kowell’s collective wants a participatory process with an emphasis on transparency to decide the purpose of the fourth position. Sharp’s collective decided that the fourth position would be for alumni relations and governance.
Each member of these collectives has a relevant resume a mile long and ample reasons to be given the green light to take the reins. Look forward for more opportunities to hear these candidates speak.
Other parts of community meeting featured cil-updates, CMOTW, a grad student, the caf won’t be open over the break, and btw it’s genderfuck week.
AdCil was a mess, said Sharp. When talking about the decision to lift the suspension of operations he said, “This plan is a death sentence.”
Jen-E Johnson, a representative from CafCil, let the community know that the cafeteria will be closed from Weds. until Sun. Marvin Bohn, director of caf services, cited the low number of students who have historically utilized the caf over Thanksgiving breaks of the past few years. He also said that he’d have to pay union employees triple time on Thanksgiving and the budget couldn’t afford it. Foreshadowing?
SOPP Advocate Ann Hembree won community member of the week for her work that proves this institution can define and defend its values.
A graduate student from McGregor will be conducting a photography project on campus. She introduced herself.
Alumnus agitator Rowan Kaiser read a letter from old CMs and concerned persons reiterating their confidence in current community members.
Next week, same thing.