Meeting Notes (2022-09-15)

much chaos regarding guest lists and food

meeting begin

Alan: Hi everyone! Let’s get started. Welcome to the first dormcon meeting of 2022 and the first dormcon meeting at BC.

*applause*

Zawad: Thanks BC for hosting and for the food. First we’ll tell you what dormcon is and then we’ll go through the exec of dormcon and then we’ll go through all the dorms and get updates and introductions.

Alan: Dormcon is the governing body of the eleven dormitories at MIT. This means we meet and represent dorms to HRS in particular and DSL more broadly. We try to represent the interest of all dorm presidents.

Zawad: Importantly, we talk to admin more directly. So come to us if you have problems and stuff. We also have money for events, so come to us if you want money for events.

Exec Intros

Michelle: she/her pronouns, secretary, random co-president

Bookbinder: He/they pronouns, treasurer, random co-president

Mitali: they/them pronouns, dining chair, EC

Rebecca: she/her pronouns, dining chair

Arthur: he/him pronouns Housing chair, Next Prez

Fatima: she/her CPW/REX chair and housing chair

Jordan: Judcomm chair, Simmons president, He/him

Mateo: i3/RAC chair

Cameron: tech chair

Sarah: Judcomm Chair, BC president

Zawad: Prez, He/they/she

Alan: VP, they/them

Presidents

Madison: Baker Prez

Emma: Maseeh She/her

Tina: NV she/her

Shelby: McC

Ninu: McC

Margaret:McC

Hanna: EC

Logan: MacG

Updates/Intros to exec

Secretary: Schedules meetings, sends emails, gives meeting minutes

Treasurer: gives dorm money for REX and for large events and makes the budget

Dining chairs: work on anything related to dining eg. dining halls, food security in cook for yourself dorms. Talk to them if something comes up related to food

Housing: Do things related to housing eg. getting people into rooms and dorm-side of housing. Meet directly with Rich Hilton. Housing head honcho. And David Friedrich who is more on the student side of issues. If you have an issue with housing in your dorm, come to them

CPW/REX chair:

Judcomm: final say on constitutional issues, run elections, do whatever P/VP tell them to do

Tech Chair: Manages the website, did the REX booklet and website

i3/RAC: one half is the i3 side: sends out emails to all the dorms about i3 videos and interfaces with admin who uploads the videos. RAC side: gets RACs to communicate with each other and bring up issues to dormcon/higher powers

P/VP: Runs dormcon and exec has wisdom to go do things. Meet with Suzy Nelson every 2 week to talk about whatever issues come their way.

Budget Requests

[Budget Spreadsheet]

Bookbinder: Two events currently seeking dormcon funding

1. Fredfest

   1. Description: Concert where showcase local boston bands hosted by EC, open to the community
   2. An event dormcon has historically funding, normally $1000 dollars, but may be some reasons we may want to give the more money
      1. events can get funding from variety places eg. Dormcon LEF
   3. Dormcon requested to provide $3500, a significant increase
   4. EC’s last Fredfest in a while
   5. Renovations mean it won’t happen for a while and last few have been underwhelming
   6. not unprecedented given that Next haunt got $3500 last fall

   Jordan: Where do we stand financially?

Bookbinder: Right now we have 27000 bucks but haven’t fully reimbursed dorms for REX, expect 5000-6000 for that. Dorm Tax has not gone to dormcon yet, so we can expect a little more.

Q: How much is dorm tax?

A: $5 per resident

Q: What are you going to do with the extra money?

A: Lots. Catering, grilling, cooler talent

A: Budget Breakdown

7. motion to fund Fredfest for $3500 dollars (Bookbinder)
   1. Unanimously approved
8. ABC

   1. Description: Historical cultural staple of Burton 3rd Bombers. It’s a party. Theme is anything but clothes. Fosters creativity, fashion and design. Really fun. Historical - has been happening for 33 years. Excited to be back in BC to do it again. Need funding to repurchase some lights, speakers, DJ, decorations, water, and food

   2. Total event budget: $1500

   3. Budget request: $750

   4. Decorations and party favours will pretty much go entirely to decorations

   5. Asking Dormcon to fund decorations, food, and water
      Q: Is it open to the community?

      A: Open to all MIT students

      Q: When is it?

      A: Oct 22

   6. Motion to give $750 to BC for ABC

      1. unanimously approved

Prez Updates

Next: lost AD and House director over the summer, looking for new ones. REX happened, went pretty well, had some issues with getting rosters after fyre sorted out. Pretty big issue, would like to look at what happened there.

Zawad: Did other dorms have problems?

Hanna: Had some issues where people got fyred out and unfyred out

Alan: had multiple people who were simultaneously on Next and some other roster.

Random: Our house manager got reassigned, but we got Joeg as temporary house manager and he’s great. Trunk room cleanout is happening RIP summer storage. AD was talking about a workaround with “free standing” storage. Apple picking

Jordan: Didn’t HRS used to organize this?

McC prez: I think our AD used to organize it for all the dorms but then got too busy

Zawad: talk to your ADs

Bookbinder: Our AD said that if there is pressure from both the AD side and the dorm govt side, it’s more likely to happen an HRS funded thing

Baker: Our dorm website was hacked, site is up and running but still has problems. Trying to get webmaster to make new site through MIT, but he doesn’t want to

New House: Issues with Frosh squatting during REX. One of our numbered houses became a cultural house (Juniper). Many fewer first years in numbered houses so people are reluctant to move, because there aren’t that many options for people.

Maseeh: Issues with some food being labelled v/vg when it’s not. Making budget. Want to do a boat cruise heard from AD that admin isn’t going to let student groups do boat cruises. Apparently some issues with alcohol. Bookbinder hasn’t heard any issues from ASA side. P/VP will ask Judy/Suzy about it.

New Vassar: No updates

Simmons: Trying to gauge interest in top optionality in Simmons and set off alarms with HOH and AD. Would like advice from top-optional dorms. They’re “worried” about it.

Alan: Next ran a poll about it last year without incident

McC: Finally got the new weight room. It’s great and in working condition.

McG: Having problems with HRS over entire move-in period. Early temping of athletes without telling RACs leading to single-gender suite rooming conflicts. Having problems with opt-in moving. Lots of people opt out, stay in their room and then move later. Alg prioritizes people that just happen to

Christina: Tried to sent out an email with language discouraging opt out unless experiencing undue stress, but AD said DSL is trying to move away from the language of undue stress

Arthur: Judy sent out that big email that was like do whatever the fuq you want. But this is incorrect and doesn’t reflect the policy or what was determined in the past at all. You need to tell students that there is an opt out option, and they can talk to houseteam. Sent Judy an email being like “that was really bad, you fucked up a bunch of dorms in-house move processes” and judy was like “well that happened”. Send us an email with complaints about how this affect your move process

Logan: What is the phrasing?

Arthur: Stress the “you can opt out, but frequently the solution isn’t opting out but addressing the reasons why they want to opt out”, but if people are really stressed or otherwise imperative that they want to opt out then they can opt out

Logan: can you make them not opt out after the rooming is done?

Arthur: yes, but you need to write up a whole rooming process and get it approved by HRS before your RACs can implement it

Zawad: policy used to be much looser until 2019 when Admin got more involved and there were lots of student-admin meetings to make the current policy.

EC: REX happened. May have an item to bring up at another GBM about housing. Top-optionality responses have come in, will implement soon, just need to go through admin things. New top-optional community using new policy for. Much fewer opt-outs in rooming this time, due to how EC organized the opt-out process eg. having a set time for opt-outs after which. No AD RIP alexandria. Interim AD - Cat Howell who is on leave. Temporary interim AD - Becky from Maseeh. Some internal govt turnover. Elections coming up this semester. Continuing renovations conversations.

Zawad: on that note, Dormcon’s advisor is gone, current recommended advisors are Kevin and Lucy from HRS

Hanna: meeting with Lucy and Rich Hilton about housing waitlists tomorrow and on the institute committee for student life, so if you want me to bring anything up there

Burton Conner: Have a dorm now. Re-opening party that HRS gave them $19000 dollars for (Jordan: That’s where all the apple picking money went.). EC closing party uwu? 150 alumni showed up. Amherst alley closed up. Testimonial “Best event we’ve ever been to” -alumnus. Slowly but surely getting equipment and stuff they’ve been promised (eg. gym equipment, maker spaces) installed. REX/floor exploration went fairly well. Only 6 opt-outs. Judy email didn’t throw things super out of wack. Working on drafting a survey on what freshmen thought of rooming process. Make a nice budget and have a nice proposal, then HRS likes that. Got so much random expensive versions of stuff. Some issues with elevators and plumbing, but relatively minor

Person: Advice to EC: HRS paid to stock all kitchens with equipment (eg. Rice cookers, blenders, etc., like $26000 worth of stuff

Q: Are the ovens and stuff still broken?

A: Bigger suites had their ovens installed before classes, smaller suites will get their ovens installed soon. Some weird technicality about environmental friendliness. Got free toaster ovens and air fryers for inconvenience