Last night Student Council held its final meeting of the 2007 executive board and representatives.
Ryan McElveen, outgoing Council chief of staff, began the final meeting by voicing his desire to abolish the Committee on Internationalization, which will become outdated after the establishment of a joint faculty commission on internationalization.
McElveen maintained that the recent movement that works to bring more international courses to the University will be better handled by the new commission.
Other changes discussed last night included the issue of amending the bylaws of Council's constitution, an issue which has been on Council's plate for months.
Council members spent time hashing out issues they had with the bylaws in preparation for voting. Since Council will not meet next week, it decided to hold the final vote on the bylaws after the transition ceremony, which will be held at the Colonnade Club next Tuesday night.
"I'm happy with how the [bylaws amendment] process turned out," Graduate College Rep. Tom Bryan said. "It was a lot of work but I think the next group of officers and representatives will be better off as a result."
Outgoing President Lauren Tilton also had words of encouragement for incoming Council members as she advised them to adopt a few specific issues that they consider important to the student community to concentrate on for the next year.
"The role of the president is to have a few projects that mean a lot and ensure that they are continued from year to year," she said. "If projects were new every year, Council would never get anything done."
Tilton gave her advice at the end of her president's report, an annual speech given by the outgoing president that summarizes what Council accomplished during its yearlong term.
"I want to congratulate you on a great year," Tilton said during her speech to the Council. "I hope that everyone thinks it's been a success."
Tilton's report highlighted a number of Council accomplishments, including working with University Parking and Transportation, pioneering efforts to create needed crosswalks around Grounds, working to end the "not gay" chant at University football games, creating a student memorial for students who died during their time at the University and amending Council's constitution and bylaws.
Along with Tilton's report, other outgoing Council members reflected on the past year before the meeting adjourned.
Outgoing Graduate College Rep. Clara Sherley-Appel discussed how her experience with Council changed the way she thought about student government. She said when she was an undergraduate student she thought Student Council was something that people did to put on their résumé; after a year on Council, however, she said she has changed her mind.
"I've been able to get involved with something that is definitely not fluff," Sherley-Appel said, "It's been amazing to see what Council can accomplish."
With the transition ceremony coming up next week, the terms of the new officers and representatives are about to begin.
"I'm really looking forward to it and we have a great group of people coming into Council," incoming Council President Matt Schrimper said. "This upcoming ceremony will be the start of something great that will continue throughout the next year"
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