Approval of Minutes

The College Council minutes for the meeting of April 9, 2001, were approved in a voice vote with an exception to the last line of the President's report. It now reads "This is over and above the increase of two percentage points to the salary pool approved in October, and will provide increased wages to selected faculty and staff and allow Carleton to remain competitive in each market. The adjustment in the budget will be incorporated in the fall 2001 review by the Budget Committee."

President's Report

President Lewis reported that the Admissions Office has had a successful year with 530 students enrolled for the Class of 2005 as of this date. This new class has set diversity records by yielding a high number of multicultural students and by including the highest number of African-American students in 25 years. President Lewis also reported that on May 18, 2001, during the Trustees' Weekend, there were ceremonies to celebrate the grand openings of the new student Townhouses and the Language and Dining Center. The Founders Court was also rededicated at this time.

Sexual Harassment and Assault Policy Revisions

The following revisions to the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Policies were all passed in a voice vote without dissent. The Council approved the formation of a Sexual Misconduct Review Board (SMRB) that would hear the appeals of sexual misconduct in which students are the defendants in the case. The SMRB will affirm or modify the decision of or the sanctions imposed by the Dean of Students, and the decisions made by the SMRB are only subject to review by the Board of Trustees of the College. The SMRB will be composed of one student, one faculty member, and one staff member. These members will be specially trained and have a longer tenure so that there is less turnover in membership.

The Council approved minor changes in the language of the Policy Against Sexual Assault and the Policy Against Sexual Harassment. These changes resulted from the creation of the SMRB and its integration into the policies and from the replacement of the term "advisor" with "consultant" in all policies.

The Council voted to add a third category of sexual misconduct: Sexually Inappropriate Conduct. This new section addresses offenses that do not rise to the level of sexual assault or sexual harassment, but are still severe enough to merit sanction. This addition to the policy will provide more protection to students and give more credence to the deans when assigning sanctions.

The Council voted to create a comprehensive policy, entitled Policies Against Sexual Misconduct, that would encompass all three individual policies: the Policy Against Sexual Assault, the Policy Against Sexual Harassment, and the Policy Against Sexually Inappropriate Conduct. With all these changes, the SHARE committee is hoping to create understandable "user friendly" policies with more streamlined processes.

The SHARE Committee is still working on an additional aspect of the policy that would articulate the College's intolerance of consensual sexual relationships between faculty and students or staff supervisors and their student employees.

The Approval of the Alcohol Policy

The revised Alcohol Policy introduced by Associate Dean Bruce Colwell was passed in a voice vote without dissent. Although the updated policy does not contain many substantive changes, it does emphasize the importance of student responsibility over student choice. Furthermore, the policy addresses and clarifies the distinction between public and private areas, the responsibilities of students on off-campus programs, and open-container violations. Dean Mark Govoni stated that even though enforcement is always problematic, the first step is to make the rules clearer and the boundaries more explicit. Alyssa Thomas commented that this revised policy would also be helpful to Resident Advisors, because it will provide a firmer ground to challenge risky student behavior. Next, the Alcohol Policy will be taken to the Executive Committee so that it can be included into the Student Handbook during the summer, and the Board of Trustees will review the policy in the fall.

The Environmental Statement of Principles Update

Dean Steve Kelly reported that on May 18, 2001, the Board of Trustees Building and Grounds Committee endorsed the Environmental Statement of Principles written by the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC). The EAC has been meeting since the fall term, and they have had many thoughtful discussions. This statement will serve as a reminder and as a guide for the college in their goal towards achieving environmental awareness. The Environmental Statement of Principles will be posted on various websites including the ENTS and EAC webpages.