Similar in both tone and content to Chancellor Robert Holub’s address last week, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Life Jean Kim spoke to the Student Government Association Senate during its weekly meeting last night.
Kim, discussing the school’s recent achievements including the University of Massachusetts recent U.S. News and World Report eighth place ranking in graduates with internship experience, congratulated the newly sworn-in senators on their elections.
She continued, echoing Holub’s point last week, saying that UMass students need to be better members in the Amherst community and that they should remove “Zoomass” and “Slamherst” from their vocabulary.
She challenged the senators to “exercise a very strong leadership … to safeguard the reputation of UMass Amherst.”
Kim showed a 10-minute video called “Community,” which was also recently shown to incoming freshmen, to the Senate to explain what the University is doing as part of a better neighbor campaign.
“Community” showed a variety of UMass and Amherst landmarks, football games and tailgating, partying activities and dorm life, with interviews from UMass Police Chief Johnny Whitehead, Dean of Students Enku Gelaye, UMass students and Amherst residents, who discussed the impact of living next to students.
Kim explained why the administration is focused on the issue of community and University perception.
“I think it is important to do all that we can to make sure that people have the correct impression and understanding of what a fine institution that we have here at UMass Amherst, but most importantly to show how great and talented our students are,” she said.
Following Kim’s speech, the Senate returned to several activities to start the new SGA term.
Lawyers Charles DiMare and Corey Carvalho spoke to the senators about their rights and power under the Wellman Document, the SGA’s governing document. The attorneys, who also teach the class “Education 393: Legal Issues in Student Government and Higher Education” with Carol Booth, also handed out memorandum on the document.
The senators, sworn in last week, also took their next step towards full Senate power last night as Speaker Jarred Rose appointed each senator to a committee. Senators were appointed to the Ways and Means Committee, the Administrative Affairs Committee, the State and Federal Committee, the Finance Committee or the Student and Academic Affairs Committee.
Committee heads were chosen by each committee following the meeting and Rose and Sen. Nick Barton were appointed to student legal services by the Senate.
Sam Hayes can be reached at [email protected].
