back to minutes list

IHC Minutes: October 25, 2005

meeting called to order in Parsons Gates

also present: Margo Marshak, Andre Mallie

  1. Margo Marshak reports that because of a large deficit in Caltech's general budget, there will changes/cuts to various student programs and services.
    • Waited dinners
      • Andre and Ryan Farmer have spoken about waited dinners after meeting with the faculty committee.
      • CDS will continue to pay for House waiters -- the numbers of waiters and the length of shits will be standardized (to something like 8 waiters and 1.5-hour shifts).
      • Andre had earlier suggested to the IHC that the plan for the South House rennovations had changed so that it would not be possible to hold waited dinners in the South Houses when they re-opened.
      • The administration clarifies that there will not be any drink fountains or hot serveries in the new dining rooms, so the setup will be identical to last year and waited dinners should be able to continue as normal.
    • Pre-frosh weekend will be shortened again down to two days.
    • Seven-day board plan
      • The Admissions and Financial Aid Committee has recommended a plan in which there are four pre-paid weekend meals.
      • Margo Marshak suggests that this plan is going to the faculty board and Provost this week, and that it is essentially a done deal.
    • It is mentioned that the currently $1900 is allocated (in the financial aid total cost calculation) for weekend meals for undergraduates, which comes out to about $14.40 per meal.
    • Andre raises the issue (which he has discussed with Ryan Farmer) that Avery may need to move to the same kind of board plan that the seven Houses are on.
    • Andre suggests that declining balance may no longer be dollar-for-dollar. That is, students might get only $0.90 for each dollar they pay for declining balance.
    • Margo Marshak will arrange for Dean Green and Paul Jennings to meet with ASCIT and the IHC to talk about budget cuts. The IHC requests as extensive a list as is possible of the proposed cuts in order to be prepared for this meeting.
    • The IHC expresses concern that because of rising costs and reduced services, upperclassmen will start moving out of the Houses, which could do great damage to the House system at Caltech.
  2. It is also reported that the ITS computer lab is going to be closed. The main reason is one of space -- Caltech is trying to recruit a new faculty member, and they need more space in Steele for this facult member's lab.
  3. The IHC also expresses concern that the Resident Associates are being moved by the administration into more of an enforcement role versus their more traditional support role. The IHC feels that it is critical, for the well-being and safety of students, that they be able to go to their RA without fear that they will be punished for violations of the alcohol policy, controlled substances policy, etc., much as if they had gone to the counseling center with such issues.
back to minutes list