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New senate executives outline goals for next year
By Rebecca Gibian
Staff Writer
On April 14 the newly elected
executive board was approved by
the community. The board is already
looking towards the future, and has
many plans for the upcoming years.
The board hopes to regain trust,
improve communication, and start
working on plans to improve the
school.
"One of our goals is making sure
all of our actions and decisions
reflect the voice of the people as
much as we can," said treasurer-
elect Lamar Gibson.
The executive council's main
goal is to gain back the trust and
respect of the community that they
feel Senate has lost over the years.
"1 think that one way to regain
respect will be reworking the by
laws to make Senate more accessible
to the community at large," said
Vice President-elect Patchouli
Oerther in an e-mail interview. "I
think being proactive and showing
the potentid of Senate to have
great impact on the community
will further combat the perceived
problem."
Besides reworking the by-laws.
Senate is also going to make the by
laws more accessible to all students
through a Google document,
so there can be more student
’contributions. President-elect Dana
Hamdan believes that students
have the right to understand the
policies of their school.
Gibson had a different outlook
on how to reclaim faith in Senate.
"An honest, good faith effort at
listening," said Gibson. "Leaders
in general struggle at listening, but
we're at the point where that can be
at the top of our list."
The executive board also has
plans that will affect the community
for years to come. An idea has been
forming to make the room on the
right side of the Community Center
into a 24-hour deli and coffee shop,
where students could study.
"We are trying to utilize the things
we already have," said Hamdan.
"A lot of ideas, like the deli, were
student ideas, and it is great to get
student input. If you give students
the chance they have really
great ideas that need to be taken
seriously, and most importantly,
implemented if possible."
Another idea from Hamdan is to
try and get two 20-minute parking
spots outside of Founders, Bauman,
and the library, so that people can
run in quickly to get their food, print
a paper, or grab a book. Hamdan
hopes to begin implementing these
plans soon.
"None of these plans are set in
stone," said Hamdan. "However,
we are not waiting for the fall to
start everything; we are starting in
the summer so that when students
get back. Senate will be tioHrrtg.'" •
Senate's budget for next year
is between $454,740 and $483,120.
How much money Senate has
per year depends directly on
the number of students enrolled
in the college, because it comes
from student activities fees.
Another goal involves
improving communication.
"A Facebook group could be
one means of communication,
e-mails are great," said junior
Rory Smyth. "It's a two-way
street, you know. Students have
to want to be involved."
According to Gibson, the
administration and students are
working to establish Orgsync
as a replacement for the Buzz.
"Orgsync will allow us to
share calendars, clubs can
share events, and each person
has their own module," said
Gibson. "It will make campus
communication more effective in all
sectors."
When asked what the main
points of the WE ticket's platform
were, Oerther responded,
"Student involvement and senate
responsiveness. Making sure
that there are effective dialogs
happening that students will be
interested in."
The members also have a few
goals of their own.
"There's no how-to guide for
what to do to hold an event and
people are confused on how to
'get'funds." ’Those -are''things I
personally want to make very
easy for students," said Gibson. "I
(Clockwise from top left) President-elect
Dana Hamdan, Treasurer-elect Lamar
Gibson, Secretary-elect Anne St.
Claire, and Vice President-elect Patchouli
Oerther.
want to make a tutorial so that the
moment a student has an idea, like
a healthy eating conference, they
can go online and there will be
something that tells them the steps
they need to take."
The executive board also foresees
obstacles. Hamdan said that
because Senate meets so often, their
discussions do not always reach the
administration or the students.
"That's good that we are having
a conversation that is ongoing,
but Community Senate is the
channel between students and
administration," said Hamdan.
■'^And''sometimes information gets
stuck in Senate, and sometimes
we are the only link, and that
is something we need to
overcome."
Another obstacle is the lack
of participation that Senate has
experienced over the past few
years.
"I think that our success may
be contingent on the amoimt
of participation we have,"
said Oerther. "Gaining this
participation will certainly be a
priority of ours throughout the
upcoming year."
Despite the obstacles, the
executive board said that they
are aware of their limitations,
and they believe they will be able
to overcome them. According to
Hamdan, one agreed strength
is that all members of Senate,
not just the four executives, have
qualities that work well together.
"A potential strength (of the new
executives) would be all the new
faces; they may be able to give a
fresh perspective on Senate and our
community," said current president
Nancy Klosteridis.
The executive board hopes to
start taking the steps to reach these
goals witFdn the next few weeks
and continue into the summer. They
have high hopes for the upcoming
year.
"I think Senate has a lot of
potential to greatly improve and
impact the lives of students in an
important'"''way," Oerther said.
"I would like to see Senate be
proactive in the community."
Emergencies in the classroom: How will you respond?
By Jordan West & Amber Reese
Staff Writers
Professors at Guilford are not required to
undergo first-aid training in order to work
in the classroom. But what happens when an
emergency takes place there?
College and university' faculty and staff
are presented with emergency situations
every day. There's no way of predicting who,
where, and how the next medical emergency
takes place.
A few weeks ago in a Guilfordian Practicum
class, a student blacked out. She was given
chocolates and space until she woke up. This
event provided a startling glimpse into an
emergency situation at Guilford.
Preparations
While emergencies are relatively
infrequent in the classroom, faculty, staff and
students can certainly do things to prepare.
"It's always helpful if (professors) have
actual Red Cross training," said Director of
Student Health Helen Rice. "But it is better
not to help if they have no idea what they are
doing."
While some faculty and staff have yet to
encounter an emergency situation in the
classroom, some of Guilford's faculty and
staff have taken measures to be prepared
nonetheless.
"Everyone should have first aid training
and should renew it regularly," said
Professor and Director of Peace and Conflict
Studies Vemie Davis in an e-mail interview.
'This includes students as well as faculty
and staff."
Associate Political Science Professor
Kyle Dell states that "practice" is key when
preparing for an emergency in the classroom.
"I had a (weekly private piano) student a
few years back who was subject to seizures;
he gave me an instruction sheet on what to
do if it happened," said Part-time Lecturer in
Music Michael Parker in an e-mail interview.
"I confess I was ill at ease about it and
prayed weekly that nothing would occur. (It
didn't.)"
Though it may be helpful for faculty
and staff to be prepared and trained for
medical emergencies in the classroom, it is
also important for students to inform their
professors of their medical conditions.
"It is vital that professors are informed of
one of their student's medical history and
medical conditions," said Assistant Professor
of Justice and Policy Studies Laurin Flynn.
"If a professor is unaware of the medical
condition a student has in an emergency, it's
hard for a professor specifically to help."
On some campuses, such as at The College
of New Jersey, medical aid bracelets are given
to students to wear if they have a medical
condition. These bracelets state the student's
name, medical condition, and allergies.
Emergency Response
Once an emergency occurs in a classroom,
Guilford has an all-hazard Emergency
Operations Plan that goes into effect.
"If you believe its life-threatening, call
911," said Rice. According to Rice, 911
emergency responses take one to three
minutes with fire trucks arriving first, then
the EMS. Rice also adds that when faced with
an emergency to call 2911, which is protocol.
There are various types of medical
emergencies that faculty, staff, and students
may encounter in the classroom.
Rice says the most common emergencies
include students passing out from illness,
seizures, irregular heartbeat, and side effects
from chemotherapy.
In any emergency situation, both 911 and
Public Safety should be called.
Faculty suggestions
While some faculty feel that the college
should offer first-aid classes, there were
concerns about the college doing so.
"I suppose I am a bit concerned about
the responsibility and/or liability under
which it might put teachers," said Assistant
Professor of Religious Studies Eric
Mortensen in an e-mail interview. "However,
should professors be responsible for the
administration of EPI Pens, medications,
administering CPR correctly, preventing
choking, etc.? What happens if we fail? Do
we/should we lose our jobs or be sued by
families of students? If not, then how would
we be protected from such liabilities?"
Other professors expressed the same
concern.
"I think it's helpful to have all the
"equipment" you might need in the
classroom, so I have done the training,
but it is far more important to have a
good, responsive Public Safety office
ready to move in with more deeply skilled
assistance," said Professor of Theatre Studies
David Hammond in an e-mail interview.
'There are also many laws governing what
a non-healthcare-professional can do in
an emergency without liability: professors
should not be placed in a position that makes
them liable for the handling of a health
emergency."
Mortensen added that faculty and staff are
overworked as it is. He also mentioned that
new faculty are not given sexual harassment
training either.
"I'd suggest combining issues like first aid,
trauma counseling, and sexual harassment
training into a workshop package on Health
and Safety Training, mandatory for all
faulty (and perhaps staff?)," Mortensen
said. "The workshop should not be an added
time burden for faculty, and / or they should
be compensated for their time."
Professor of Chemistry Dave Macinnes
said in an e-mail interview that professors
are given a list of numbers to call in the event
of an emergency.
"An emergency phone direct-connection
would be helpful on each floor of all
buildings," said Dana Professor of English
Carolyn Beard Whitlow in an e-mail
interview. "(It's the) same as if we had a
fire. How do we get in touch with the fire
department immediately?"
Currently, Guilford does have an all
hazard Emergency Operations Plan, so
rest assured that even in the event of an
emergency, regardless of whether your
professor knows first-aid or not, there are
protocols in place for appropriate responses.