Posted: 02/28/07

R-E-S-P-E-C-T brought back to St. Michael's College
"Respectful Conduct Committee" in the works

Scottie Greenan | contributing writer
sgreenan@smcvt.edu

On Feb. 14, Arly Scully, president of the Student Association (S.A.), sent out a mass e-mail in response to the student protest and forum held on Feb. 9. With the help of the S.A., she is planning to create a committee to help further address and alleviate some of the problematic issues that were brought up during the open forum.

In the e-mail, Scully wrote, “The working title for this group is the ‘Respectful Conduct Committee.’ Our vision is that this group will work to address and resolve issues concerning respect—or lack thereof—on campus.”

Protest inspires action

Scully says the inspiration for forming the committee came from many of the points brought up at the open forum including a statement made by senior Kelsey Stavseth, a co-coordinator for the protest.

“I didn’t want the forum to dissolve and have nothing to show for it,” he says.

Stavseth says the protest and the forum was an amazing achievement with over 100 students attending. However, he says the forum “was more educational than amending, but I thought it was a great gesture and a representation of what St. Mike's is really about.”

Still, Stavseth says he is pleased with the result of the forum and the beginning of the committee.

“This is a great outcome and I do plan on being part of the committee to help facilitate peaceful discussion and help other students continue the committee in the years to come,” he says.  “I hope that it might be a permanent committee that addresses issues between faculty and staff and could be a mediator or something to help settle disputes, or at least a body students can come to if they have problems.”

One issue that students such as Stavseth brought up was the right to not have their town houses and dorm rooms searched. In addition, students protested the apparent increase of police activity on campus. Dean of students Michael Samara says that even at a teacher student level, there are some periodic instances of disrespect.

Stavseth says that is hopeful that the committee is a step in the right direction, he says. However, there is still a fear that some of the concerns brought up by the protest will go unchanged, he says.

“I believe that some issues can be solved and amendments can be made and perhaps a middle ground can be found,” Stavseth says. “I do hope that something will come of it, and if nothing else I hope the faculty will know that we are passionate about active education as well as diplomacy.”

The committee and the S.A.

Scully fears that the S.A. has been seen as a “bureaucracy” thus far, she says.

“There is a mentality that some student leaders aren’t accessible,” she says. “We want to change that.”

The committee will become a more approachable section created by the S.A. composed of both students and faculty alike and open for the voices of the St. Michael’s community, Scully says. However, she says the idea of the committee is still needs of student input.

The idea of the committee is very exciting, Scully says. However, its formation will take time to ensure that it is carried on in future years. 

Samara was one of six speakers at the open forum after the protest.

“I truly respect student privacy," he says. "It’s an important part of developmental growth.”

However, the St. Michael’s community can not become negligent, by turning its back to the underage (or excessive) drinking that may occur on campus, Samara says. He says a certain level of fidelty must be shown towards the policies that St. Michael's suscribes to.

Whether it is between students and teachers, staff, or even the police, respect must be given by both parties, Samara says.

"When something goes wrong, I want to hear about it,” he says.

Samara says that he believes that this is what the committee will do and he is interested in assisting the committee and becoming a resource to support them in their future efforts.  

Director of campus security Peter Soons, although previously unaware of the proposed committee, says that “respect is a two way street.”

Student voices

Many students on campus still feel uninformed about the committee. Junior Mike Ricciardi says he is both hopeful and critical about the S.A. response to students' concerns.

“The idea of a committee sounds good on paper but unless it has some serious volume to it, it won’t do much,” he says.

First-year student Tom Dunn says that he believes the school addresses the needs of students well.  

“St. Mike's is not a big university with 30,000 students and the administration at this school wants every student to have a voice," he says. "In my opinion, a committee would be respected by the school's administration and at least get the attention that there are some issues on this campus.” 

Scully says she hopes that the formation of this committee will inspire change.

“Your voice does matter,” Scully says. “You just need to bring it up to the proper channels that have the resources to make change possible. If it stays in the dorms, nothing is going to change.”