Glenda Haskell, assistant provost for Academic and Faculty
Affairs, discussed the current faculty and student relationships
policy, approved last month by the University Board of Regents,
with members of the Michigan Student Assembly last night. She said
she hoped to receive input from the members regarding the
policy.
If a romantic or sexual relationship arises between a faculty
member and a student, then the staff member is obligated to
disclose the relationship to the University because it is a
potential conflict of interest. But the University discourages all
relationships between faculty members and students, Haskell
said.
Haskell said the definition of a faculty member is broad in the
policy. The definition includes graduate student instructors,
lecturers or supervisors in a research laboratory, she said.
MSA Vice President Jenny Nathan said members needed to be
further educated on the policy.
“Glenda Haskell came in because she wanted to inform
students about the policy but what she found was that MSA reps
aren’t that aware of it to begin with,” Nathan
said.
The old policy is vaguely worded, but the new policy, spells out
very clearly exactly what a violation is, said Haskell.
But members of the assembly spent the majority of their meeting
electing students for committees and commissions.
MSA has five internal committees and 13 commissions. Committees
can only be chaired by elected MSA representatives but commissions
can be chaired by students at large. LSA Rep. Paul Spurgeon became
chair of the Budget Priorities Committee, which allocates funds to
student groups. LSA sophomore Sashai Alvarez was elected BPC
co-chair. Art and Design freshman Kim Gaston was elected
Communications Committee chair. The committee allocates funds to
student groups.
Former MSA Vice President Monique Perry advised the
representatives to vote impartially. Elect people that will work
well with the assembly and not people that will work towards your
own agenda, said Perry.
“Don’t vote party lines…don’t vote
friendship lines,” MSA president Jason Mironov said.
“Vote for people who you think will do the best
job,” MSA representative Greg Graves added.
The assembly also passed the resolution to pay $3,600 for
Springfest 2004. Springfest is held on the North Campus diag on the
last day of class. Dan Levy.
“It is like a carnival atmosphere…MTV will be a
sponsor and there will be free food,” said Dan Levy, co-chair
for Springfest 2004.
Members of the assembly also voted to fund the screening of
“The Weather Underground.” The screen is yet to be
scheduled.
The film about a group of students who were disturbed by the
Vietnam War and racism in America during the 1960s and 1970s.
MSA will also sponsor a guest speaker, Laura Whitehorn, the
founder of the Weather Underground.
“This is huge and going to get great coverage in radical
arts circle,” LSA Rep. Matt Hollerbach said.