3. LETTER FROM SLATE | PAGE 1
A letter from Connect
the 2012-2013 Executive Slate
It has truly been a pleasure to serve the student body throughout the 2012-2013
academic year. The University of Chicago is a special place, so it was an honor to
be elected to serve its 15,000 students in a number of capacities. Connect Slate
entered the year with the goal of making our campus feel more united. Composed
of one graduate student and two undergraduates, we tried to not only bring dif-
ferent groups of students together, but we also wanted to connect those students
with the administration that serves them.
Throughout the year, we focused a lot of our attention on generating conversa-
tions between the administration and the student body that you will see reflected
in this report. Our hope is that as the years go on, these conversations continue to
take place, and that they will leave students in the best position possible to advo-
cate for the changes they would like to see at our University.
The 2012-2013 academic year was one that presented a number of challenges for
Student Government. From student arrests to political concerns and unrest of
the student body, we have done our best to lead Student Government in a way
that would not only account for these things, but leave Student Government in a
position to do an even better job going forward. We are grateful for all of the new
campus partners we have built relationships with and we look forward to seeing
future Student Governments build on those relationships as the years pass.
Our hope is that this report is not just an opportunity to look back, but also a
chance to look around. We are so proud of the work that Student Government
has done this year, but we know there is more to do. We hope that in sharing ac-
complishments and lessons from this year, our entire campus will be able to see
where Student Government is today and where it can be tomorrow.
Renard Miller
President
Douglas Everson
Vice President for Administration
Yusef Al-Jarani
Vice President for Student Affairs
4. PAGE 2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS
Stinnett and Troyer
Undergraduate council officers, 1932.
University of Chicago Archives
3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A short recap of this year’s activities
4 WHO WE ARE
List of SG representatives on organization chart
6 LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS
When we brought senior administrators to students
8 STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE
How the $1.8 million was spent
12 ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET
A look at SG’s 2012-2013 finances
14 GRAD & COLLEGE COUNCILS
How we reached out to the 15,000 student body
16 TRUSTEE & GOV’T LIAISONS
Impacting campus at the highest level
18 RESOLUTION
What SG did following protests & a student arrest
19 RSOS & ELECTIONS
What CORSO & E&R were up to
20 ONLINE IDENTITY
Updates to our website and social media
21 PARTNERING WITH UCPD
How we worked to improve safety on campus
22 REFERENDUM
A short recap of this year’s events
22 DINING & DISCOUNTS
Improving dining options for students
23 CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS
A short recap of this year’s events
23 TRANSPORTATION
170 Buses, NightRide, and downtown shuttle
24 SOCIAL EVENTS
BBQ, Dance Competition, and Logan party
Cover Photo: Harper Memorial Library
From University of Chicago Archives
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
sg.uchicago.edu • uofc.sg@gmail.com
5. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | PAGE 3
• Held 9 forums, an increased from
the 5 held last year
• Increased attendance at forums
from an average of 30 to 70+
• Brought in 15 senior administra-
tion, an increase from 4 last year
• Brought VP of Civic Engagement
and CFO to talk with students
LEADERSHIP
CONVERSATIONS
» page 6
STUDENT
ACTIVITIES FEE
» page 8
COUNCIL & LIASIONS
» page 14
SG RESOLUTION
» page 18
ONLINE IDENTITY
» page 20
UCPD
PARTNERSHIP
» page 21
CAMPUS
CONNECTION
» page 22
• Created new auditing procedure
to increase RSO accountability
• Added further structure to major
funding bodies PCC and CAT
• Allocated $95,000 specifically for
student travel for next year
• Funded 24 projects through the
Uncommon Fund
• Increased study break opportuni-
ties for College classes
• More funding going to graduate
student groups through GC
• Partnered with RSOs to increase
community service opportunities
• Held3trusteeluncheonswith100+
students attending between them
• Passed resolution following inci-
dents at UCMC
• Held forum with Dean Kenneth
Polonsky with 400+ attendance
• Formed SG blog with regular
posts from SG members
• Began archive of previous min-
utes from meetings
• Increased Facebook reach by over
500 percent
• Updated website and social media
sites with new, consistent branding
• Helped register bicycles and lap-
tops during O-Week
• Held Safety Day with members
of the UCPD
• Launched Pathlight application
for smartphone
• Received Community Service
Award for these efforts
• Increased number of student dis-
count at local restaurants
• Developed Café Careers program
bringing together 100 students
• Surveyed 900+ students about
Roosevelt downtown shuttle
• Held a dance competition featur-
ing 100+ student performers
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
6. Renard Miller
President
Douglas Everson
VP for Administration
Yusef Al-Jarani
VP for Student Affairs
Michelle Mbekeani
Chair of Graduate Council
Vidal Anguiano
Chair of College Council
Kathryn Hagerman
Graduate Liaison to the
Board of Trustees
Rohan Manthani
Undergraduate Liaison to
the Board of Trustees
Grace Park
Community and
Government Liaison
Raymond Dong
Chief of Staff
• Graduate Council •
Biological Sciences
Erin McAuley • Jeff Steimle
Divinity
John Good
Booth
Tiffany Choong • Joshua Johnston
Alan Kleinerman
Humanities
Kevin Blankinship • Sheela Kumar
Law
Brian Tennenbaum • Mengyuan Hou
Medicine
Jimin Kim • Joshua Eassa
Physical Sciences Division
Noumaan Shamsi • Anthony Martinez
Public Policy
Catherine Xiao
Social Service Administration
Grace A. Thornton
Social Sciences
Maria Sandova • Jamie Huang
• College Council •
First Year
Christina Dong • Timi Koyejo
Holly Rapp • Mike Viola
Second Year
Ezgi Cubukcu • Yusuf Janahi
Esteban Valencia • Steven Wendeborn
Third Year
Ben Hammer • Steph Mui
Krishna Ravella • Mark Reid
Fourth Year
John Anton • Jenn Cohen
Sarah Iqbal • Chenab Navalkha
• EXECUTIVE CABINET •
• 2012-2013 STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSEMBLY •
PAGE 4 | THE ASSEMBLY
• SG ADVISORS •
Brian Bock: Sports Club Fund
Jimmy Brown: College Council & Program Coordinating Council
Crystal Coats: Community Service Fund
Sarah Cunningham: Elections and Rules, Cabinet, & Slate
Charles Fitzpatrick: Annual Allocations, SGFC, & Summer Fund
Jen Kennedy: Graduate Council
Brandon Kurzweg: Uncommon Fund
Arthur Lundberg: Coalition of Academic Teams
Ravi Randhava: Committee on RSOs
7. ORGANIZATION CHART | PAGE 5
SLATE
PRESIDENT
Renard Miller
VP ADMINISTRATION
Douglas Everson
VP STUDENT AFFAIRS
Yusef Al-Jarani
FUNDING BODIES
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chair: Jordan Sokoloski
ANNUAL ALLOCATIONS
Chair: Jordan Sokoloski
SUMMER FUND
Done by Slate
PROGRAM COORDINATING COUNCIL
Chair: VP for Student Affairs
COALITION OF ACADEMIC TEAMS
Chair: Thomas Chapman
COMMUNITY SERVICE FUND
Chair: Lexi Greenwald
SPORTS CLUB FUND
Advised by Brian Bock
UNCOMMON FUND
Chair: Janet Xu
ADDITIONAL SG COMMITTEES
FUNDING ADVISORY BOARD
Chair: VP for Administration
ELECTIONS AND RULES
Chair: Lester Ang
COMMITTEE ON RSOS
Chair: Aseal Tineh
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION
CAMPUS AND STUDENT LIFE ADVISORY BOARD
Members: Allen Linton, Ben Hammer
CAMPUS DIALOGUE FUND
Member: Rohan Manthani
CAMPUS DINING ADVISORY BOARD
SG Members: Ezgi Cubukcu, Steven Wendeborn, Mike Viola
COMMITTEE ON CRIME PREVENTION AND SAFETY
Members: Francis Sandoval, Esteban Valencia, Olivia Woollam
INDEPENDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR UCPD
Members: Douglas Everson, Sara Beth Hoffman, Cesar Favila
IT ADVISORY BOARD
Members: Douglas Everson, Vidal Anguiano, Jasmine Huang
INTER-HOUSE COUNCIL
Member: Mike Viola
LOGAN ART CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Member: Mike Viola
OMSA ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Member: Ben Hammer
TRANSPORTATION AND SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD
Members: Holly Rapp, Jasmine Fryer
CABINET
GRAD BoT
Kathryn Hagerman
UNDER BoT
Rohan Manthani
COMMUNITY & GOVT
Grace Park
CHIEF OF STAFF
Raymond Dong
GC CHAIR
Michelle Mbekeani
GRADUATE COUNCIL
18 members
CC CHAIR
Vidal Anguiano
COLLEGE COUNCIL
16 members
• 2012-2013 ORGANIZATION CHART •
8. • LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS •
This year, Student Government endeavored to bring to-
gether our campus community in a way that had not been
done before. Dialogue is a critical element of life at the
University of Chicago, so bringing “Leadership Conversa-
tions” to campus fits into the culture of our University.
Through a series of conversations on a broad range of
topics, we were able to give students access to administra-
tors that do not often receive student feedback and input.
These new channels of communication are critical to the
role Student Government will play going forward, and will
hopefully give students the type of influence into Univer-
sity processes that they are often seeking.
PAGE 6 | LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS
• FALL QUARTER •
Coffee and Donuts with President Zimmer
November 7, 2012
Robert Zimmer, President of the University, and Karen
Warren Coleman, VP for Campus Life and Student Ser-
vices, spent an hour answering an assortment of students’
questions to a room of 70+ students. The first question
was on investments and the Kalven Report’s exception
clause. The President discussed how the University has to
prioritize its interests and shared his thoughts on the Uni-
versity using the endowment as a political tool. Another
major topic was financial aid including discussion on the
Chicago Promise, the cost of tuition, and financial aid for
international students. Other topics included the closure of
Pierce, the red line closure, child care for graduate students,
53rd street development, and community engagement.
• WINTER QUARTER •
The Job Market
And what the University does to
help you successfully navigate it
February 7, 2013
Meredith Daw, Assistant
Vice President and Ex-
ecutive Director of Career
Advancement, shared in-
sight to both graduate and
undergraduate students
about the all the resources
Career Advancement has
to offer to those looking
to land their dream job.
Tour of 53rd Street
February 19, 2013
Jim Hennessy, Associ-
ate VP for Commercial
Real Estate Operations,
gave a guided tour
of 53rd street talking
about what has been
done and the direction
the project is heading.
The second half was
an open question and
answer session.
Safety Day with the UCPD
October 24, 2012
For a description of this event, please see page 21.
President Zimmer at former Coffee and Donuts forum.
9. LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS | PAGE 7
• WINTER QUARTER (CONTINUED)•
A Leadership Conversation with President Zimmer
on Globalization
March 5, 2013
President Zimmer; John Boyer, Dean of the College; and
Dali Yang, the founding Faculty Director of the Universi-
ty of Chicago center in Beijing, discussed the University’s
increasing global identity with over 75 students.
The discussion that touched on the ideas of new study
abroad opportunities, the new center in Beijing, and how
these topics relate back to issues on campus such as dis-
course following the incident that occurred at the UCMC
and the Office of Sustainability.
A Leadership Conversation, Finance and Higher
Education
with members of the division of finance and administration
April 2, 2013
• SPRING QUARTER (CONTINUED) •
NimChinniah,ExecutiveVicePresidentandChief Financial
Officer, David L. Murphy, Associate Provost and University
Budget Director, and John Kroll, Associate Vice President
for Finance, discussed how they make decisions about the
University’s two-billion dollar budget. The conversation in-
cluded facts such as: 70% of the University’s finances come
from places other than tuition, the University’s fundraising
strategy, the University’s 6.6 billion dollar endowment, and
other key challenges they face. Other notable topics included
the inclusion of local, minority owned businesses in new de-
velopment projects, the UCPD, and financial aid.
A Leadership Conver-
sation, University Com-
munity Engagement
April 24, 2013
Derek Douglas, VP
of the Office of Civic
Engagement, Stacy
Lindau, Director of the
South Side Health and
Vitality studies; and
Shayne Evans, Managing
• SPRING QUARTER •
Director of the Urban Education Institute, discussed the
University’s increasing community engagement efforts.
The panel discussed how the University is strengthen-
ing community relations through programs such as the
Neighborhood Schools Program, developing the best
strategies for civic engagement through research, 53rd
Street Development, decreasing inadequacies of health
care on the South Side, and bettering South Side educa-
tion through its charter schools.
UChicago’s Medicine’s Community Commitment:
A Dialogue on Health Issues and Trauma Care
May 28, 2013
For a description of this event, please see page 18.
Tour of 53rd Street
October 24, 2012
A repeat of the February 19, 2013, event.
President Zimmer answer students’ questions at Globalization forum.
Nim Chinniah discusses University finances with a packed house.
Derek Douglas at forum.
10. • STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE •
This year, the VP for Administration looked at the Student
Activities Fee (SAF) on other college campuses to see what
models can be applied here to increase the effect of the
SAF on campus. Additionally, time was spent looking at
consistency across funding bodies such as groups access to
travel. Through this work, it was decided to create a new
travel fund through SGFC to support the desire of many
students to travel as a part of an RSO and for graduate stu-
dents to present their research. In addition to discussions
about travel, SG also spent time looking at ways to improve
accountability for groups funded. This led to creating new
structure in both the Program Coordinating Council and
Coalition of Academic Teams as well as a change in the
auditing procedure for SGFC. The Student Activities Fee
increased by $153,000 for the 2013-2014 academic year
due mostly to a large increase in the number of students.
• PROGRAM COORDINATING COUNCIL •
PAGE 8 | STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE
STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE BREAKDOWN
Committee 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
Annual Allocations, Summer Fund, and Finance Committee $ 587,000 $ 657,000 $ 717,000
Program Coordinating Council $ 490,000 $ 509,850 $ 500,000
Coalition of Academic Teams $ 171,000 $ 180,000 $ 190,000
Sports Fund $ 69,000 $ 74,000 $ 115,000
Temporary Sports Club Support (Now combined with Sports Fund) $ 36,000 $ 36,000 $ 0
Uncommon Fund $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000
Community Service Fund $ 60,000 $ 60,000 $ 75,000
Community Service RSO Administrative Budget $ 10,000 $ 10,000 $ 12,000
College Council $ 0 $ 4,000 $ 5,000
Graduate Council $ 43,000 $ 43,000 $ 45,000
Graduate Student Mixers $ 35,000 $ 40,000 $ 50,000
Graduate Student Travel Fund $ 0 $ 0 $ 20,000
Student Organization Support $ 120,000 $ 120,000 $ 120,000
Temporary Student Organization Support $ 30,000 $ 0 $ 0
Student Government Administrative Budget $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 40,000
Student Government Van $ 5,000 $ 12,000 $ 0
New York Times Readership Program $ 18,000 $ 28,000 $ 33,000
Bleed Maroon Committee $ 0 $ 0 $ 30,000
Student Fee Research $ 0 $ 150 $ 0
TOTAL $ 1,749,000 $ 1,849,000 $ 2,002,000
Chair: VP for Student Affairs (Yusef Al-Jarani)
This year, the Program Coordinating Council (PCC)
paid for a major capital improvement for DocFilms, a
new projector, which meant most groups received large
financial cuts even though the allocation pool for PCC
was increased by $20,000. Even though groups had to
significantly cut back their budgets, groups were mostly
still able to keep the level of programming they have had
in past years.
The overall funding available to members of PCC
from the Student Activities Fee this year was $520,000.
The breakdown of how this funding was allocated is
roughly as follows: Council on University Programming
($125,000), DocFilms ($90,000), Fire Escape Films
($29,000), Major Activities Board ($186,000), WHPK
Radio ($50,000), and University Theatre ($39,000).
Due to the Major Activities Board (MAB) decrease of
$15,000 in their allocation, they unfortunately decided
11. • COALITION OF ACADEMIC TEAMS •
Chair: Thomas Chapman
The Coalition of Academics Teams (CAT) had a very
successful year with both Quiz Bowl and Chicago De-
bate Society finishing in sixth place in the nation, Mock
Trial’s three of four teams sent to regionals being offered
a place at nationals and a member being selected as one
of twenty All-American attorney award, members of the
Chess Team beating higher rated opponents, and Model
UN placing third in the world. In addition to a high level
of competitiveness the Coalition of Academic Teams
possessed, all teams experienced a large growth in partici-
pation with most teams seeing a fifty-percent or higher
interested class than previous years. Lastly, many teams
also worked to increase their fundraising efforts which is
a trend many hope to continue for the future.
The overall funding available to members of CAT from
the Student Activities Fee this year was $180,000. The
breakdown of how this funding was allocated is as fol-
lows: Chess Team ($6,200), College Bowl ($27,600), De-
bate ($55,884.27), Mock Trial ($32,500), and Model UN
($57,815.73).
There were two new components added this year to
CAT. Firstly, CAT met as a group before the allocation
meeting – a first in recent memory. In addition to discus-
sion about how the year was going so far, this meeting
also created a new opportunity for CAT to submit pro-
posals to SG on what they believe their funding should
be in the upcoming year. After reviewing the proposals,
SG decided there was a need for more fundraising on
behalf of CAT members and questioned whether there
may be opportunities for members to pay membership
dues to be a part of CAT organizations. However, SG
ultimately decided to still give an increase of $10,000 for
CAT for the 2013-2014 academic year considering the
increase in membership in CAT this year. Looking into
the future, it seems that it would be advisable for mem-
bers of CAT to meet on a quarterly basis to increase
unity among CAT and be able to create stronger propos-
als to SG for their funding.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE | PAGE 9
• UNCOMMON FUND •to cancel the usual Winter Comedy Show. However, this
event is planned to come back next quarter along with
their Fall and Spring concerts which this year featured
Sleigh Bells and Nelly. DocFilms also had a very notable
year with an increase in the size of ticket sales this year
after purchasing their new projector. University Theatre
also had significant changes this year with their move to
the new space in the Logan Center for the Arts.
PCC made a few structural changes this year which led
to a stress-free allocation meeting. The first of these is
that PCC met twice (once during Fall and once during
Spring) before the allocation meeting which has not hap-
pened in recent memory. During this time, SG was able
to explain their expectations to the groups about what
they need to do to receive their desired allocation. This
led to each member of PCC submitting proposals about
what they would like to see funded for the 2012-2013
academic year which was the second change. After see-
ing an increased level of fundraising and serious efforts
to decrease costs, SG decided to allocate enough fund-
ing to PCC where all groups were able to be funded in
full. With continued effort to increase expectations from
SG to PCC and with regular communication between
PCC groups outside of the yearly allocation meeting, it
is hoped that PCC will continue to thrive on campus.
Chair: Janet Xu
With the generous continued support from the Dean’s
Fund for Student Life, the Uncommon Fund had up to
$85,000 to allocate this year — $50,000 from the Student
Activities Fee, $25,000 from the Dean’s Fund, and $10,000
from rollover from previous years.
This year, 51 projects applied for funding during the first
round of applications and 40 projects passed through.
Of those 40 projects, only 33 submitted applications for
the second round. Some of the projects who were passed
through but did not apply for the second round withdrew
for personal reasons, but a few were advised not to apply
due to feasibility such as the Rooftop Garden on the Reyn-
old’s Club which would not have been feasible due to safety
and liability policies. Ultimately, 24 projects were funded.
Some of the notable projects that were funded this year
include a Seminary Co-Op documentary project; dinner in
the White City; dinner on campus for 1,000 students; Dean
Boyer Appreciation Day; UniSquare, QR codes around
campus; and many conferences including BEN Chicago
and Financial Thinking.
12. • ANNUAL ALLOCATIONS, SUMMER FUND, & FINANCE COMMITTEE •
2012 Chair: Douglas Everson
2013 Chair: Jordan Sokoloski
In 2012, Annual Allocations allocated about $425,000 to
213 RSOs which represented an increase in 12% of fund-
ing to the extra 30 groups that applied for funding. The
committee allocated funds as has been done in the past,
but significant thought was put into how things can be
improved moving forward which paved the way to dis-
cussions held in SGFC.
In many ways Annual Allocations took on the changes
made throughout the year by SGFC, in order to fund
some of the most significant regular-occurring on-cam-
pus programs. This year AnnAll incorporated procedures
used in SGFC to allow RSO with significant funding re-
quests to present to the committee, which for the first
time allows for RSOs to have their voice heard as part
of the application procedure. The AnnAll committee fol-
lowed a tripartite procedure. The first part of the funding
request consisted of deliberating requests that did not re-
quire either advisor or RSO representative presence. The
second part allowed for RSO representatives to present
their next year’s programming. And the third and last part
allowed committee members to ask questions to RSO
advisors. Following this procedure almost of the Annual
Allocations was allocated to undergraduate and graduate
RSOs on campus for their yearly programming. Despite
the expansion of RSO voice in the AnnAll funding pro-
cess, the committee has been able to keep deliberation
time, similar to previous years, under 30 hours.
• STUDENT GOVERNMENT FINANCE COMMITTEE (SGFC) •
Chair: Jordan Sokoloski
As the weekly-meeting funding body, the Student Govern-
ment Finance Committee has funded around 240 funding
requests throughout the year. Some of the most significant
events that the committee was able to contribute to were the
TedXUChicago Conference and an academic conference on
the future of Psychoanalysis organized by PsychoAnnals.
In addition, the committee is happy to have enabled several
RSOs, in particular organizations contributing to Greek life
at the university and other cultural organizations, to attend
their regular conferences with the hope that these students
will return to campus and share their experiences with their
membership and the larger campus community.
• ANNUAL ALLOCATIONS •
By the numbers for 2012:
• 213 groups applied, up 15%
• 1030 events applied for, up 12%
• $ 1.16 million requested, up 12%
• $ 433,000 available, up 12%
• 36% funded, up 2%
• $ 96,570 funded to grads, up 42%
• $ 4,455.70 rolled over
The academic year of 2012-2013 can be characterized by
significant changes for both – the Student Government
(SGFC) and Annual Allocations Committees, in addi-
tion to contributing to campus life by funding several
large and small scale events and programs. Between the
three committees of Annual Allocations, SGFC, and the
Summer Fund; SG gave about $650,000 to over 250 stu-
dent organizations on campus.
• 2012 Allocation by RSO type •
PAGE 10 | STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE
13. Asthecommitteehascontinuedtofundthroughouttheyear,
two procedural changes are worth noting. First, the commit-
tee has instituted an online voting procedure for events that
out of experience do not need to present during a funding
meeting. When the committee receives funding requests the
Chair sorts these requests, and composes an online docu-
ment, so that the committee can decide which funding re-
quest do not need to present. After this initial screening, that
includes composing questions for those funding requests
that do not need to present, the chair emails out questions to
the RSO leaders responsible for the funding requests. After
an email response to the Committee’s questions, committee
members vote on the requests using an online document.
Thesecondchangeinvolvesthatthecommitteehasreinstituted
tightened accountability of the RSO that have been funded in
the form of allocation audits. The committee no longer limits
itself to auditing events that are funded above a certain thresh-
old. It reserves the right to conduct an audit of any program
or event that it feels would benefit from further collaboration
with the Vice-Chair, who is responsible for audits, and other
members of the committee. This has resulted in several au-
dits, one of which has meant that the applying RSO had been
temporarily suspended from funding due to non-compliance
with the audit procedure. The newly instituted audit procedure
includes a visit of SGFC members to the audited event, with
the purpose to determine if the RSO has adhered to the fund-
ing proposal received by the Committee, and a post-allocation
conversation with the RSO to determine why changes to the
program were made after the funding request was approved.
Overall, SGFC this year was very successful in guiding the
way to move forward. The committee has experienced a high
level of moral and motivation to fulfill its ultimate mission to
support a vast amount of programming on campus. At the
same time committee members have invested themselves into
changing procedures that make the committee and as well as
RSO funding more efficient, while at the same time finding
better ways to hold RSOs accountable to their requests.
• TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES •
Given the recent increase in the number of students wishing
to travel for competitions, conferences, and to present their re-
search, SG decided to allocate $95,000 to two new travel funds
for next year. The first, totaling $75,000, will be allocated to
RSOs through SGFC. The latter, targeted at graduate students
being able to present their research, totals $20,000 and will be
given out by Graduate Council. With these funds, we hope to
lessen the burden of the sometimes expensive travel costs.
• COMMUNITY SERVICE FUND •
Chair: Lexi Greenwald
This year’s Community Service Fund (CSF) had $60,000 to
allocate to events and projects where over fifty percent of
the participants were community members. During Annual
Allocations in the Spring of 2012, CSF chose to not allocate
events during Spring Quarter due to the increase in number
of applications for events throughout the year. The events
during Spring along with other events not funded in Annual
Allocations were then told to come back to quarterly allo-
cations for CSF. Overall, the committee allocated $33,000
of the $60,000 available during Annual Allocations. They al-
located roughly another $17,000 during the academic year
through the bi-quarterly meetings.
With the increase in applications from last year’s Annual Al-
locations, SG decided to increase CSF’s allocation from the
Student Activities by $15,000.
• SPORTS CLUB •
The Sports Club Fund had $110,000 to allocate for this
academic year. During Annual Allocations in Spring
2012, they allocated $93,500 to 26 sports groups on cam-
pus. The most received by one group was Crew which
received a little over $17,000 with other groups receiving
between $400 to $7,500. SG decided to allocate an addi-
tional $5,000 to the Sports Club Fund for next year.
• BLEED MAROON •
With the increase in allocation for the Student Activities
Fee for next year, SG decided to create a new fund Bleed
Maroon. Unlike many of the allocation bodies, this fund
will be spent by a committee of students coming from
across campus to put on large student-wide events to in-
crease campus spirit and unity. With $30,000, the hope is
that the committee will be able to hold two events — one
in Fall Quarter and one in Winter Quarter — and find
ways to advertise sporting events throughout the year.
• SG VAN •
Last year, SG decided to lease a new van for student
groups to use. After discussing the van with various de-
partments, it was realized there was not a plan in place
for how to use it. Thus, SG decided to break the lease
and allocate the $12,000 to other areas for next year.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE | PAGE 11
14. PAGE 12 | ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET
• 2012-2013 ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET •
TOTAL FUNDS
SG Rollover Debt ($ 3,482.54)
New York Times Annual Allocation $ 28,000.00
SG Administrative Budget Annual Allocations $ 25,000.00
Student Fee Research Annual Allocations $ 150.00
Fall Airport Shuttle SGFC Allocation $ 3,474.75
Winter Airport Shuttle SGFC Allocation $ 2,881.50
Uncommon Fund Rollover* $ 9,867.40
SG Van Account closure** $ 4,000.00
New York Times Reimbursement $ 946.00
Bill Michel Dance Competition $ 1,000.00
TOTAL $ 71,837.11
Historically, SG has carried a balance at the end of
the year for unexpected costs and spending on capital
improvements. Two years ago, this amount was depleted
and, further, SG went into debt. This year, the Vice
President for Administration made it a priority to remove
all historic debt through decreasing costs. The proved
possible through decreasing expenses on committees,
cutting tech staff expenses by over 70%, partnering with
departments such as Logan and Alumni to throw large
events where SG only paid a small percentage of the
costs, and decreasing the costs of the quarterly airport
shuttles by over 25%. We also were able to utilize funds
rolled over from the Uncommon Fund and the SG Van
to end with a healthy closing balance.
TOTAL EXPENSES
Some expenses are not finalized as indicated on the following page.
Committees $ 4,784.81
SG Meetings, Staff, and other expenses $ 8,761.37
New York Times $ 32,606.60
Forums, Socials, and other events $ 11,973.94
Airport Shuttles $ 10,146.05
TOTAL $ 68,272.77
ACCOUNTING TOTALS
Total funds $ 71,837.11
Total expenses $ 68,272.77
CLOSING BALANCE $ 3,564.34
* The Uncommon Fund had rollover this year which was chosen to allocate towards increasing the New York
Times readership program for the year, allocating funds towards the Spring Airport shuttles, and additional
social events in Spring Quarter. This money is not expected for future years.
** The Assembly decided to sell-back the van which left the account with these funds. This money is not
expected for future years. The amount given here is approximate and will be finalized during the 2013 Summer.
15. ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET | PAGE 13
FORUMS, SOCIALS, AND OTHER EVENTS
Forums and Leadership Conversations † $ 1,953.45
BBQs $ 1,002.40
Party at Logan in partnership with Logan $ 1,500.00
Sheryl Stolberg talk $ 946.00
Homecoming $ 1,000.00
Dance Competition † $ 4,722.09
TOTAL $ 11,973.94
COMMITTEES
Financial meetings (SGFC, Annual Allocations, and Funding Board) † $ 2,006.35
CORSO Food $ 277.31
CORSO Winter RSO Fair † $ 850.00
CORSO RSO Awards $ 800.00
Elections and Rules Food $ 351.15
Elections and Rules reimbursements † $ 500.00
TOTAL $ 4,784.81
SG MEETINGS, STAFF, AND OTHER EXPENSES
Cabinet $ 143.64
Assembly † $ 3,214.63
Staff (Secretaries and tech-staff) † $ 3,519.67
Printing † $ 1,305.73
Office Supplies † $ 577.70
TOTAL $ 8,761.37
NEW YORK TIMES
Fall Quarter $ 10,961.40
Winter Quarter $ 10,982.40
Spring Quarter † $ 10,662.80
TOTAL $ 32,606.60
AIRPORT SHUTTLES
Fall Quarter $ 3,557.25
Winter Quarter $ 3,088.80
Spring Quarter † $ 3,500.00
TOTAL $ 10,146.05
• 2012-2013 BUDGET BREAKDOWN •
† These expenditures were not finalized at the time of this creation; and thus, are approximated.
16. • COLLEGE COUNCIL (CC) •
College Council’s greatest responsibility is to engage
its representative sand students in the issues that affect
student life on campus. With four representatives for
each class, our greatest responsibility requires us to be
creative in the ways that we reach out to the student
body and become informed of the issues on campus.
Our goal this year was to engage the student body in
identifying these issues and to work alongside them in
solving them. This goal didn’t come without its chal-
lenges.
In aiming to find ways to create better lines of commu-
nication between College Council representatives and
the greater college student body, several things were
done to increase communication. One such example
was the study breaks that were held by the Class of
2016, held in Logan with various performances from
student groups, the Class of 2015, held in McCor-
mick Tribune Lounge serving Sugar Bliss cupcakes,
the Class of 2014, held in Hutch Commons serving
breakfast. These study breaks were held in the hopes
of inviting students to meet representatives and to cre-
ate opportunities for communication between students
and class representatives regarding issues and concerns
with campus resources. While we were able to attract
students to these events, finding ways to effectively in-
volve students in conversation is a challenge to address
in the future.
A second initiative started
this year in the effort of
improving communication
was the setting up of Stu-
dent Government Office
Hours. This year, Class of
2016 and Class of 2014
representatives piloted of-
fice hours on several oc-
casions. Office hours
provides students the op-
portunity to approach their
representatives to bring up
concerns. In the future, we
hope to advertise these of-
fice hours extensively and
make them an integral part
of the way students com-
municate with representa-
tives. Having this become
a well known line of communication will hopefully
increase interactions between the student body and
College Council and aid in the awareness of campus
issues. .
For the first time, College Council was allocated fund-
ing for programming and events. The main uses of
these funds this year were to host study breaks. A total
of $1,273.12 was spent out of an initial allocation of
$4,000. In the future, we hope to find new ways of us-
ing this funding that will further the goals of College
Council and create new and creative ways of engaging
the student body.
We recognize that there are many things concerning
students on our campus. We do ask, however, that stu-
dents work with us to identify these issues. We hope to
increase accessibility to representatives and to make it
easier for students to reach out to College Council rep-
resentatives and to let them know how they can get in-
volved in addressing issues that affect them and other
students. We ask the student body to realize that while
we are College Council, we are indeed only sixteen
students and that a partnership with students to both
identify and address campus issues is highly necessary
for the success of our Student Government. We look
forward to work College Council will do to address
these challenges in the coming year.
Members of Student Government come together at Class of 2015 Study Break
Left to Right (Top): Douglas Everson, Krishna Ravella, Mark Reid, Ben Hammer, John Anton, Vidal An-
guiano, Raymond Dong, Esteban Valencia, Yusuf Janahi, Steven Wendeborn, Timi Koyejo, (Bottom):
Christina Dong, Steph Mui, Ezgi Cubukcu, Holly Rapp, Sarah Iqbal
PAGE 14 | COLLEGE COUNCIL
17. • COMMUNITY & GOVERNMENT LIAISON •
In this role, I have been able to keep in contact and share
testimonials with people of Hyde Park our community,
various ethnic communities, aldermen, and high school
students in Chicagoland.
Starting my C&G role during an election year, I began by
helping students on campus get registered to vote through
TurboVote. Since I was already actively involved with sev-
eral Asian and Asian-American-specific ministries and or-
ganizations through ESL and citizenship testing at Pui
Tak Center, church and InterVarsity involvement, I was
also able to get specific community engagement in poli-
tics. A lot of my involvements through SG really gave me
insight to share with RSOs and students on campus!
I have been delighted to help facilitate campus dialogue
about diversity, health disparity issues, community en-
gagement, and what it means to truly live and love by mis-
sion. I see that it is necessity for students on campus to
engage in the ongoing disparities of South Side, Chicago.
Open discourse is definitely a step closer to solutions, but
for next year, I hope to see more policy-style implementa-
tions to various issues that students care about.
I’ve had the pleasure to reach out to leaders on UChicago
Grace Park with the directors of UChicago Dining.
GRADUATE COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY & GOVERNMENT LIAISON | PAGE 15
• GRADUATE COUNCIL (GC) •
Graduate Council is charged with representing the inter-
ests of over 10,000 graduate students here at the Univer-
sity. The importance of this role is magnified by the fact
that many of these students are often fully consumed
by the academic and social environments of their own
schools. This year, Graduate Council was more active
than ever in funding graduate needs and supporting the
students that make up our graduate population. By de-
voting more resources than ever, GC helped ensure Stu-
dent Government’s commitment to graduate students
continues to be met. GC used innovative events like
their public speaking workshop with ‘The Second City’
to bring together diverse groups of graduate students
and maintain a high level of engagement throughout the
year. To this same end, GC hosted its 3rd Annual “Party
in the Sky” in Chicago’s Willis Tower. These events and
several others throughout the year serve as a reminder
of the vital role our graduate representatives play in Stu-
dent Government, but GC was not solely focused on
social events this year. GC also served as a critical player
in the discussions that led to the Resolution SG passed
in response to the UCMC incident this year. By remain-
ing in touch with the various graduate units and profes-
sional schools, GC has done a valuable service for our
campus and University.
18. • BOARD OF TRUSTEE LIAISONS •
• KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS •
This year, the elected undergraduate and graduate liaisons
to the Board of Trustees have worked hard to improve the
communication between the Trustees and the student body:
1. The liaisons have represented student interests on the
Campus and Student Life committee of the Board of
Trustees and found the committee to be thoughtful
and well-informed in its oversight of student-oriented
business.
2. Through Student–Trustee luncheons, the liaisons
have aimed to increase the exposure of students to
trustees, to make students more aware of the role and
responsibilities of the trustees, as well as to increase
trustees’ awareness of student issues.
3. The liaisons have made an effort to translate collec-
tive trustee decisions and opinions on long term issues
into a form more actionable by student government
as a whole
• PRESENCE AT BOARD MEETINGS •
As part of our mission to keep the Board of Trustees aware
of current needs of the Student Association and its long-
term interests, we attended the quarterly meetings of the
Board of Trustees, where we sit on its Committee on Cam-
pus and Student Life as non-voting student representatives.
With the support of the Vice President for Campus and
Student Life, Karen Warren-Coleman, and the Committee’s
Chair, we participate fully in each meeting and provide can-
did and balanced feedback on the issues being discussed.
Our preparation for the meetings with the Board of Trust-
ees has been ongoing throughout the academic year, and
includes closely following events on campus by attending
student meetings held by constituents, soliciting student
opinions through email, social media and on the Student
Government website, reading student publications, and
making an effort to attend all meetings of the Executive
Cabinet, Assembly, and the Councils representing our
respective constituencies. We also meet with individuals
and groups of students upon their request or when we
felt it necessary to collect more information about a par-
ticular issue.
Before and after each Board of Trustees meeting, we met
with administrators to discuss student concerns and work
on strategies to respond to them.
4. The liaisons have also taken on a broader role within
the student government cabinet, taking on initiatives
from transportation to dialogue on diversity.
and other campuses about addressing social justice issues.
I’ve gotten to meet up with UChicago’s dining directors
to see if our campus can have an economically sustain-
able program to provide extra food to our communities.
During the spring, I was able to collaborate with students
to host a dinner and discussion of 170 students, homeless
people, and various community members. The next day,
50 or so people from the dinner came share a meal and
conversations throughout Chicago. Through my role in
this process, I’ve gotten to be involved with The Protest,
a social justice publication. One of my issues of interest,
homelessness, got made into a documentary highlighting
university students’ urgencies in reaching out to serve the
homeless community near campuses.
To future Community and Government Liaisons:
1. Get updated through Maroon and Hyde Park news.
2. Keep in regular contact with UCSC staff.
3. Focus on a few achievable goals and partner with Col-
lege Council to spread them to the rest of campus.
4. Motivate students on campus to make community ser-
vice an ongoing function.
5. Collaborate with great organizations on campus like:
Institutes of Politics, OMSA, ORCSA, and the gradu-
ate schools and divisions.
6. Connect with people of various areas of community
development.
7. Be creative. This position offers a lot of flexibility, so
don’t be afraid to try something new.
PAGE 16 | BOARD OF TRUSTEE LIAISONS
Kathryn Hagerman and Rohan Manthani
19. With the support of administrators
– Matthew Waller, Chief of Staff for
Campus and Student Life, and the of-
fice of the secretary for the university,
we organized quarterly luncheons for
students with individual members of
the Board of Trustees. The invitations
for these luncheons went out to all
members of the Student Association
and, although space was limited in
order to facilitate an intimate conver-
sation, we made sure each year in the
College and every graduate school and
division was represented.
In our invitations, we solicited ques-
tions and comments from all inter-
ested students, and we used the data
to provide broad feedback to the Stu-
dent Government Executive Com-
mittee, administrators and the Board
of Trustees. This information, along
with feedback collected throughout the
year, played a significant role in Student
Government’s work to organize the
new Leadership Conversations series
dealing with issues of particular inter-
est to students across campus.
In preparing for each successive lun-
cheon, we took note of students who
responded in the past and gave them
special priority when possible. We also
made sure to share information on
Student Government programming
throughout the year with students who
expressed interest in these events.
The luncheons with Sekhar Bahadur
in the Fall, Thomas Cole in the early
Spring and Dennis Keller in the late
Spring, began with the Trustee ad-
dressing issues we thought would be
relevant to the students in the room,
followed by questions from the stu-
dents present. Students from across
campus, with a variety of interests and
concerns, were able to speak directly
with the Trustees and a great deal was
learned on all sides – the trustee, the
students, and the administration.
The trustee luncheons were off the
record in order to facilitate a candid
and informative conversation. In part,
we reasoned that the trustee at the
luncheon would simply represent his
or her own opinions, and would not
speak for the board of trustees as a
whole. The trustee’s opinion would
therefore need to be off the record
- free from possible public misinter-
pretation. However, the diversity of
the opinions and backgrounds of the
students at the luncheon ensured that
we reached out to a broad audience.
• TRUSTEE LUNCHEONS •
• TOPICS DISCUSSED AT LUNCHEONS •
Andrew Alpher, Chair of the Board, talks to students at former luncheon.
TRUSTEE LUNCHEONS | PAGE 17
20. •SG RESOLUTION FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATIONS DURING WINTER QUESTION •
On January 27, 2013, community members and students
protested the lack of a level one adult trauma center on
the South Side of Chicago at the new Center for Care and
Discovery; at which, a student was arrested. Additionally,
on February 23, 2013, community members and students
once again came together this time to vocalize their dis-
agreement with the arrest made at the previous incident.
Student Government responded to student concerns regard-
ing these incidents by immediately acting to initiate dialogues
with between administrators, police, and student stakeholders
to address the policy questions that arose from the incidents.
We supported the University’s voluntary undertaking of an
external review of the incidents. At the same time, we were
working hard to create opportunities for students to engage
with decision-makers about healthcare on the South Side.
Toward this goal, we worked with concerned students in
their effort to bring a resolution to the Assembly call-
ing for accountability, transparency, and dialogue to draft
a proactive and effective document that would have the
support of both College Council and Graduate Council.
We formed an ad hoc committee that included four SG
representatives; Douglas Everson, Kathryn Hagerman,
Michelle Mbekeani, Chenab Navalkha; College student
Olivia Woollam, and graduate student Toussaint Losier
worked together to balance student concerns with effective
and positive steps. In focusing our goals, the committee
and the Cabinet consulted with University of Chicago As-
sociate Direction for Student Activities and Co-Curricular
Advising Sarah Cunningham, Assistant Vice President for
Student Life Eleanor Daugherty, and Medical Center Ex-
• Excerpt from the Resolution •
Requests that the findings of the reviews to be shared
with the student body; and
Requests that there be an open and transparent account-
ing of what occurred on January 27th [...]; and
Requests a meeting be convened with senior administra-
tion at the University of Chicago Medical Center [...]
and representatives from student groups [and commu-
nity members] to discuss ways to decrease disparities in
health care on the South and Southeast Sides of Chi-
cago, including, but not limited to, improving access to
adult level-one trauma care.
ecutive Director of Community Affairs Leif Elsmo.
The resolution, which can be found on our website,
called for a high-level dialogue on South Side healthcare
issues, supported the external review of police actions
during the demonstrations, and asked for clarification of
policies regarding the same. It passed both councils with
broad support on the week of March 11, 2013 and was
delivered to President Robert Zimmer, who responded
personally and promptly, praising the resolution and em-
phasizing his commitment to work with Student Govern-
ment to address the concerns laid out in the resolution.
The external review report was delivered to the entire Stu-
dent Association on May 20, 2013, along with a commit-
ment to ensure the protection and expression of Universi-
ty values. Following the passage of the resolution, Student
Government worked directly with Medical Center admin-
istrators to create an opportunity for dialogue with Dean
Kenneth Polonsky and concerned students and commu-
nity members. This began with a private meeting between
Student Government representatives and Dean Polonsky
which led to the decision to hold a broader conversation.
On May 29, 2013, Dean Kenneth Polonsky and Doriane
Miller, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of
the Center for Community Health and Vitality, met with
over 400 people from the University and the surrounding
community to discuss the current University’s strategy on
improving health care on the South Side and ways it can
improve it. At the forum, there was agreement from ad-
ministrators, students, and community members that the
conversation needs to continue.
Dean Kenneth Polonsky talks to a house of over 400.
PAGE 18 | SG RESOLUTION
21. • COMMITTEE ON RECOGNIZED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS (CORSO) •
Chair: Aseal Tineh
The main purpose of CORSO is to serve and aid the over
300 Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) on campus
as the main advisory board to the Office of the Reynolds
Club and Student Activities (ORCSA). Both ORCSA and
CORSO do outreach to student groups and addresses
their needs and concerns. CORSO is also responsible for
reviewing applications from groups attempting to become
an RSO and for putting on events that inform and respond
to the needs of all student groups.
This year, CORSO reviewed numerous applications for pro-
spectiveRSOs.TheyrangedfromtheUChicagoSportsAnalyt-
ics Group to Tea Time and Sex Chats, an RSO that addresses
the need for comprehensive peer education on sexuality and
aims to transform conversation around sexual assault. In ad-
dition to reviewing applications, the committee organized the
annual Winter RSO Fair, providing music, food, and a space
for current and new RSOs to reach to the student body. In the
Spring, CORSO reviewed applications for the annual RSO
Awards process, in which students groups are nominated for
various awards by students and faculty. This year’s RSO of the
Year award was granted to the Organization of Black Students.
To help improve upon CORSO’s work to better campus and
student life, the committee makes the following suggestions.
CORSOshouldcontinuetogiveprioritytonewRSOsatevents
like the Winter RSO Fair. It should make a concerted effort to
reach out to graduate students to increase their participation in
the RSO application process due to a historical lack of graduate
studentinterestorawarenessof theresourcesavailabletothem.
The committee also recommends a change in the by-laws to
include a specific set of guidelines so that committee members
and students are aware of the criteria with which prospective
RSOs are reviewed and granted or denied RSO status. This will
address past issues with distinguishing between hobbies that
only benefit a few students and organizations that will benefit
the student body at large, whether by filling a niche on campus
or hosting popular events. The committee needs to be aware
that as the number of approved RSOs increases, the resource
pool all RSOs draw from becomes increasingly saturated. We
have seen increased interest among students in starting new
RSOs over the past few years, and future committees must be
aware of the long-run impact on student life.
• 2012-2013 RSO Awards •
William J. Michel RSO of the Year
Organization of Black Students
Outstanding New RSO
Tea Time and Sex Chats
Best Event
Latin America(n) Matters
UChicago Muslim Student Association
Most Collaborative
Black Law Student Association
Unsung RSO
Students for Justice in Palestine
Environmental Responsibility
Chicago Policy Review
• ELECTIONS & RULES (E&R) •
Chair: Lester Ang
This year, Student Government’s Elections and Rules
Committee faced an unprecedented number of chal-
lenges. E&R dealt with a large volume of communi-
cations, unforeseen violations, and some of the most
hotly contested races in recent memory. In order to en-
sure the fairest election possible, we developed an ap-
peals process where there had not been one, and after
a postponement of the election, we were able to get
the election back on course. There are ongoing efforts
to ensure that E&R is in as strong of a position as pos-
sible going forward. The hope is that we will be able to
gather as much student input as possible with regard
how to improve the process. The major issues to be ad-
dressed in election reform efforts will be the following:
• Concrete Appeals Process
• Confidentiality/Anonymity in Complaints
• Committee Communications
• Committee Composition
• Committee Oversight
Hopefully, these goals working together will make sure
Student Government is always able to have the fairest
elections possible and give us the leaders we deserve.
ELECTIONS & RULES AND COMMITTEE ON RSOS | PAGE 19
22. • FACEBOOK LIKES •
• SG ONLINE IDENTITY •
We decided that, moving forward, SG needed a better
online identity. We set out to do this with creating a
more comprehensive website and rebranding ourselves
on both Twitter and Facebook. Through these initia-
tives, we saw a huge spike in use of all three forms with
users now regularly commenting on articles written out
the website, increasing presence on Facebook by over
500%, and new followers on Twitter. All three updates
gave us the opportunity to better connect with those
were are serving and created chances for us to update
students on our meeting times, through a new calendar;
minutes from our meetings, with an archive of minutes;
and letting students know what is happening in the vari-
ous committees students serve on. This also gave us an
opportunity to create a cohesive brand for SG across all
of these platforms.
• WEBSITE •
With the new website, we were able to
make substantial updates. Some of these
include:
• Separating the news and blog sec-
tions so College and Graduate Coun-
cil members can post regular updates
about their projects
• Creating individual SG member pages
allowing students to see who is really
working on their behalf
• Creating a feature photo section and
adding a calendar of meetings and
events on the front page
• Listing who serves on each committee
SG has representatives on so students
know who to turn to with questions
• Updating the funding tab of the web-
site with more complete information
about all of SG’s funding bodies
• TWITTER •• FACEBOOK •
648 952
October 1, 2012 June 1, 2013
1000 -
750 -
500 -
250 -
Oct1-
Dec1-
Feb1-
Apr1-
Jun1-
• FACEBOOK REACH •
SG revamped our Facebook page to
keep consistent with the new branding
of our website. We also dramatically in-
creased our reach with some posts reach-
ing over 2,000 people and some weeks
hitting over 6,000 between all posts.
@ StudentGovt
In addition to Facebook and the website,
we also updated our Twitter with a new
theme to match. We increased our num-
ber of followers by 28.
PAGE 20 | ONLINE IDENTITY
23. • PARTNERSHIP WITH UCPD •
This year, Student Government was able to partner with
the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) in a
number of ways. We began working with them during Ori-
entation Week where we helped students register their bi-
cycles and laptops. We also launched a beta of the Pathlight
software on campus. From these efforts, the SG Executive
Cabinet was awarded the Community Service Award from
the Department of Safety and Security.
• O-WEEK & SAFETY DAY •
During Orientation Week, SG worked with the UCPD to
register bicycles and laptops. The most reported crimes on
campus is theft, and SG looks for ways to decrease how of-
ten this happen. One of the ways to decrease theft is to add
deterrents to bicycles and laptops which is a project the
UCPD continues to work on. Through the tabling efforts
during Orientation week, the UCPD was able to register
hundreds of bicycles and many laptops.
Also in Fall Quarter, SG again worked with the UCPD to
hold a safety day where members of the UCPD shared
valuable resources to students in Reynolds throughout the
day. The day concluded with an open forum style meeting.
• PATHLIGHT APPLICATION •
Student Government worked with the UCPD to launch
Pathlight this Spring. With many students registering for the
beta launch of the software, it looks like the UCPD will
continue to keep the software.
Pathlight™ is a smartphone application for Apple® and
Android® devices allowing students to opt in to GPS track-
ing services for their phones (e.g., while walking alone). Af-
PARTNERSHIP WITH UCPD | PAGE 21
Yusef Al-Jarani and Douglas Everson accept the Community Service
Award on behalf of Cabinet from Marlon Lynch, the Chief of Police.
ter the user selects their
destination and the ex-
pected travel time, they
can have their phone be-
gin transmitting location
information to the UCPD.
If more time is needed,
students can easily up-
date their expected arrival
times. If a student feels in
immediate danger at any
time, a Help button imme-
diately notifies dispatchers
of the student’s location
and need for immediate
assistance.
Commander Booker works with a student to register his bicycle
during Orientation Week.
Members of Cabinet pose with Marlon Lynch, the Chief of Police,
during Safety Day.
24. Project Leads: Christina Dong, Holly Rapp, & Mike Viola
This year, significant headway was made in gaining Hyde
Park restaurant discounts for University of Chicago stu-
dents. During winter quarter, SG spoke with the manage-
ment of various 53rd Street restaurants and were well-
received. Among the newly participating restaurants are
Harold’s Chicken, Chant, Pockets, Hyde Park Gyros, and
Pepe’s Mexican Express, augmenting an already signifi-
cant number of participants. Benefits of this program
include improved affordability for students and a greater
incentive for students to explore various off-campus din-
ing options. Additionally, local businesses also benefit
from a greater number of patrons. A full list of discounts
can be found on the SG website and will be updated as
more restaurants agree to participate.
• DINING •
SG representatives: Ezgi Cubukcu, Steven Wendeborn, &
Mike Viola
The Campus Dining Advisory Board (CDAB) consists of
students that work directly with Richard Mason, the Execu-
tive Director of UChicago Dining, to represent students in
making important decisions and explaining the needs of the
student body to administrators about campus dining. CDAB
met several times to discuss plans for renovating Bart Mart
and how to better the Meal Exchange Program. In addition
to discussing these topics, they also voiced student concerns
about the cleanliness and health safety issues arising at the
Cathey and Bartlett Dining Commons.
A primary focus of this year’s committee was next year’s
changes to Bart Mart. They were able to hear about the
process for the changes coming to Bart Mart next year, and
were able to get a better understanding of the process for
choosing what concept to be put in place. This ended up
being Wendy’s. Even though this might not have been stu-
dents’ number one choice, some transparency and explana-
tions were given for the reasoning behind this choice.
In addition to CDAB meetings, SG hosted a College Coun-
cil meeting with Richard Mason to discuss the cleanliness
and health safety issues arising in the dining halls which were
topics that would have ideally been discussed more during
the CDAB meetings. This also created an opportunity to add
more people to the discussion.
• CAMPUS DINING ADVISORY BOARD • • RESTAURANT DISCOUNTS •
Food from Harold’s Chicken which now offers a 10% student dis-
count as part of SG’s restaurant discounts.
• DIVESTMENT REFERENDUM •
In the Spring 2011 elections, students voted on a nonbind-
ing referendum about the creation of a socially responsible
investment committee. Since then, students have consis-
tently taken an interest in discussing the University’s invest-
ment strategies and question why the University does not
take a political stance on issues through its investments.
This spring, students posed a new question in relation
to the University’s investment policy on divestment. The
Assembly drafted and voted upon the question: “Should
the University shift its investment strategy to account for
the environmental impact of oil, gas, and coal used by the
companies it invests in?”
About seventy-five percent of students who voted on the
referendum responded yes to this question. With such a high
level of support, students hope to use this information to
pressure the University to divest from these companies.
NO
24.6%
YES
75.4%
PAGE 22 | REFERENDUM & DINING
25. Project Leads: Raymond Dong & Rohan Manthani
A survey was conducted which reached about 900 stu-
dents. The breakdown of the results were as follows:
1. Our breakdown of respondents was approximately
33% graduate and 67% undergraduates
2. The most popular times for Roosevelt Shuttle opera-
tion was 6PM – 1AM on Friday and Saturday
3. The most popular locations for drop off and pick up
were behind the Art Institute and the south loop
After meeting with Theresa Brown, Director of Transporta-
tion, and discussing the presentation of the survey data, she
said it is very feasible for the current shuttle to be moved to
the new time of 6PM – 1AM. Further, we are working to
add another potential stop behind the Art Institute in addi-
tion to the current stop on Roosevelt Road and State Street.
Many students mentioned stops farther north, but due to the
limited resources and shuttles, it will be harder to make those
changes happen. This is because if stops were far north (like
Lincoln Park) the shuttles would be very infrequent.
The new route and time will likely be rolled out in Fall
Quarter along with the updates to the NightRide program.
• TRANSPORTATION •
SG representative: Holly Rapp
The two major areas of focus of this year’s Transportation
and Security Advisory Board (TSAB) meetings were the new
NightRide Pilot Program, which replaced Safe Ride and the
Night Ride shuttles, and the 170, 171, and 172 buses. Other
topics that were discussed include: Transloc, Red Line clo-
sure, and best ways to reach students through surveys.
The new NightRide Pilot Program launched in Fall which
expanded the shuttle program due to the removal of Safe
Ride. After the initial roll out phase in Fall and Winter Quar-
ter, the transportation office worked with TSAB on a sur-
vey which was passed out to students during the first half
of Spring Quarter. The overall responses were positive; and
thus, the pilot program will be moving out its pilot phase in
Fall Quarter with a few minor changes.
Since the University’s contract with the Chicago Transit Au-
thority had an end date of August 2013 for the 170, 171,
and 172 routes; the University went through the process of
deciding which provider would provide this service. After
going through the applications from a number of transpor-
tation service providers, the University decided to stay with
the CTA and keep the routes.
• ADVISORY BOARD • • DOWNTOWN SHUTTLE •
• CAREER ADVANCEMENT •
This year, SG was able to work with Career Advancement
on a few projects. In addition to the forum with Meredith
Daw, the Executive Director, (discussed on page 6), we
were able to help advertise the opening of the alumni
directory to current students.
In addition to these efforts, we also worked on a new pro-
gram called Café Careers. Café Careers is an informal ca-
reer mentorship program that pairs undergraduates with
graduate students who have worked in their area of career
interest. The program gives undergraduates and graduate
students a rare chance to get together in an informal set-
ting and talk about life after Hyde Park. This program is
exactly what you make of it, whether you want to keep
the conversation about career advancement or transition
to a friendly chat about. This year’s program featured 50
graduate and undergraduate pairs which met up over cof-
fee during Spring Quarter.
• INSTITUTE OF POLITICS •
This year, SG partnered with the Institute of Politics for 2
initiatives during Fall Quarter. Throughout O-Week, we en-
couraged students to register to vote through TurboVote.
Additionally, during the 2012 Presidential Campaign Season,
we held a Debate Watch event where students could come
together to watch one of the Presidential Debates.
CAREERS, INSTITUTE OF POLITICS, & TRANSPORTATION | PAGE 23
26. • WHERE FUN COMES TO DANCE •
Many of the over 100 participants come together for a photo at the conclusion of the event.
1st Place: UChicago Bhangra 2nd Place: Chicago RAAS 3rd Place: PhiNix Dance Crew
SG joined with Dance Council once again to hold our sec-
ond annual joint dance showcase competition held in the
Logan Center for the Arts. This year’s competition had
eleven dance groups from all over campus. This event was
founded to give the University’s dance teams an opportunity
to showcase both their tremendous dancing prowess and the
hard work they have put in throughout the academic year.
From ballet to bhangra, contemporary to classical, tango to
South Asian styles, this competition spotlights the vibrant
and growing dance community that exists at the University.
• O-WEEK BBQ & LOGAN PARTY •
SG once again held a BBQ during O-Week kicking off
the year and the Fall elections. There were over 400 peo-
ple in attendance, including many graduate students.
We also held an event with Logan during the second week
of Fall Quarter to welcome new and returning students to
campus with live music and lots of food.
• NEW YORK TIMES •
As for the last two years, SG continued to support the
existence of a New York Times Readership Program.
This year, there were 400 copies of the New York Times
delivered each weekday during the academic year. A new
feature of the program included was online access to
the New York Times for anyone with a University of
Chicago e-mail address. The service provides a free 24
hour access pass which can be renewed as often as de-
sired.
In addition to having the copies and online access avail-
able to the University community, SG also worked with
the New York Times to bring Sheryl Stolberg, a Washing-
ton Correspondent for the New York Times, to campus
for the day. She used the time to talk about her history in
journalism and share stories she had experienced while
working in Washington.
PAGE 24 | NEW YORK TIMES & SOCIALS
Some of the 400+ students served at the BBQ.
