At their meeting Thursday, members of Campus Council reflected on accomplishments of the past year and looked to the future.
The Facilities and Services Committee presented projects to come under new leadership. The committee works with the dean of Residence Life and Housing Services to improve the quality of housing for students on campus.
“We have a lot of money to spend on very tangible things,” said Facilities and Services Chair, Douglas Hanna, a freshman and member of The Chronicle staff. “My vision is continuing to seek feedback and make ideas happen.”
In its presentation, the committee highlighted projects like Edens Quadrangle bridge access, which will allow students better access to all floors. A card swipe will be installed on doors that can provides access to higher floors from the outside, said Campus Council Vice President John Pryor, a junior. Pryor added that the doors will help connect Edens buildings and foster a better sense of community.
The stairwell doors are only the first of proposed improvements, as the long talked about 24-hour eatery in Edens might soon become a reality, said Campus Council President Stephen Temple, a junior.
“After Mill Village, Edens is supposed to be one of the next priorities,” Temple said.
Campus Council also plans to install ice machines, which will cost up to $50,000 for six machines including installation costs, Pryor said.
Reverse vending machines, which recycle cans in front of the user and may provide a monetary incentive for those who use the machines, are also coming to campus. The first machine will be located in Wannamaker Quadrangle, and the council is still finalizing the incentives it will offer.
A photo printing machine will be added to McClendon Tower next year. Most of the money generated will go back to RLHS, but how students will pay for the printed pictures is yet to be determined, Pryor said.
Campus Council also discussed a new mission for public relations. The group currently has just one public relations director, but voted Thursday to form a temporary committee to work under him.
“A lot of the big groups on campus that you constantly hear about like [The Panhellenic Association, Duke University Union,] etc., it’s not just one person, it’s a committee,” said former public relations director Christine Hall, a junior. “We want to expand PR so we can have communication and dialogue with students.”
Campus Council Treasurer Leslie Andreani, a sophomore, presented a breakdown of the council’s budget and spending this past year. This year, Campus Council had a $146,482.55 budget, with $37,000 rolled over from last year’s unused quad council funding. Ten percent of the budget was spent on programming first semester, and 39 percent was spent on second semester events. The finance committee used 27 percent of the budget to fund other groups and events, 22 percent was allocated for Last Day of Classes celebrations and the remaining two percent went to miscellaneous purchases.
In other business:
Programming Chair Betsy Klein, a sophomore, announced two upcoming events. Grand Central, the grand opening celebration for Mill Village, will occur from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Friday on Central Campus. The event marks the official opening of Mill Village and the new Devil’s Bistro restaurant. The event cost Campus Council about $3,000.
“It’s going to be really great,” Klein said. “We have a henna artist, a photo booth, performances with Edie Wellman and the jazz band, as well as giveaways and President [Richard] Brodhead giving a toast.”
The council’s second big event is Old Duke, which takes place April 16 in Keohane Amphitheater. The event is a $4,100 project that offers free food and T-shirts, and features artists including Mat Kearney, Howie Day, Brendan James and Wellman, a junior who is taking the semester off to pursue music.
Residential groups also have the opportunity to receive funding for benches lost to the men’s basketball NCAA Championship victory celebration.
The Finance Committee announced that it is helping 21 different groups, including six residence halls on East Campus, replace their benches. The benches must be built before LDOC. Campus Council gave these groups $300 each, half of what it costs to replace a bench. RLHS will also provide $300 to groups that apply, Temple said.
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