Senate backs proposal to improve campus communication
University-wide efforts to both improve campus communication and reduce
the volume of flyers being pasted to sidewalks and plazas took a significant
step forward Nov. 26 with a University Senate vote to recommend a proposal
from the Senate's Campus Life Committee.
The proposal calls for the creation of a Communication Office to advise
and guide campus organizations and departments in the best use of multiple
communication methods according to their specific needs; serve as the most
knowledgeable authority on communication issues; and keep informed on the
latest communication technology and practices adopted on other campuses.
The
proposal also recommends establishing an advisory group charged with creating
guidelines for the Communication Office to follow in its work. The guidelines
will be consistent with all Emory policies on freedom of speech and privacy.
In addition, the proposal calls for the Senate to:
* Acknowledge and support the work of the existing Task Force on Litter
and the planned task force regarding bulletin boards, both created by Vice
President and Dean for Campus Life Frances Lucas-Tauchar;
* Support the creation of an umbrella task force that will investigate and
document all means of communication currently in use on campus and their
potential effectiveness. The task force, which will include all those currently
working on such issues, also will serve as an informational and factual
resource for all efforts to improve existing campus communication methods;
and
* Provide continuity and follow-up to the proposal's resolutions by charging
the Senate Campus Life Committee with communicating the work of the advisory
group and the appropriate task forces to the Senate so that the entire campus
can remain informed on issues of campus communication.
When asked where the Communication Office would be located, Campus Life
Committee Chair Judy Raggi Moore said the proposal makes no recommendation
in that regard because the office would encompass activities and responsibilities
on a much broader scale than those traditionally carried out by Campus Life.
Also present at the Senate meeting was Jeremy Berry, president of the Student
Government Association (SGA). Berry announced that on Nov. 25, the day before
the Senate action, the SGA passed a resolution stating its position on campus
flyers. The resolution: calls for a reduction in the use of flyers as a
form of event advertising; supports the work of the Senate Campus Life Committee
and others in creating alternative methods of campus communication (including
kiosks and bulletin boards and creating a Communication Office) and improving
communication in general; and allows the continued use of flyers as a form
advertising until another adequate form of advertising is found, but with
the admonition that student groups "must be conscious of the impact
that it has on the beauty of the campus and must be responsible for the
removal of the flyers."
In response to the reading of the SGA resolution at the Senate meeting,
President
Bill Chace asked Berry how student groups would be held responsible for
cleaning up their flyers. Berry said that most groups are cleaning up their
flyers within 48 hours after the event advertised. He added that Facilities
Management is continuing to clean up flyers left for a longer period and
to charge the student groups responsible.
Berry said the SGA is in full support of the Campus Life Committee's proposal,
which will be forwarded to President Chace for his consideration.
--Dan Treadaway
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