January 10, 2000
Meeting with President McCardell
January 10, 2000
Geonomics Seminar Room
Chair: Nan Jenks-Jay
In Attendance: Nan Jenks-Jay, Amy Seif, Krista Siringo, Kathy Morse, Charlie Sargent, Oren Frey, Linda Pitkin, George McPhail, Brian Harding, John McCardell.
Absent: Dan Bedford, Tom Kelly, Jess Pasko, Margaret Aleks, Mike Snow, Jamie McBride, Tyson Schoelzel.
1. Welcome to President McCardell and Introductions of Council members.
2. Sub-Committee Reports
A. Audit Implementation :
Krista reported that the Council has decided to use a small grants program to encourage work on audit recommendations.
B. Audit Planning :
Kathy reported that, in order to make preparation of the audit more effective, the group is preparing a calendar and trying to organize the method of data collection.
C. Transportation :
Linda and Oren reported that a survey had been done and that the Council had hosted several speakers on the transportation issue.
D. Outreach :
Charlie reported that a trail clean-up was being planned.
E. Events:
Amy reported about the Environmental Fair and events being planned for Earth Week.
3. Major Issues
A. Small Grants Program :
Funding for next year and the following years was discussed. President McCardell suggested looking into the endowment fund for Environmental Studies, gifts to the Bicentennial Campaign, and the financial returns from energy conservation. President McCardell committed $25,000 to the small grants program for fiscal year 2000-2001.
B. Focus on One Issue each Year :
President McCardell described the big issues of the next few years for the Administration to be facilities growth and construction, diversity, and the Minerva project. He suggested that the Council focus on one issue but to study that issue recurrently so that each issue is examined every few years. On a tangent to this subject, the group discussed the importance of working more with the town of Middlebury.
C. Parking and Transportation :
Regarding the document written by George Whitney addressing parking at the College, President McCardell noted a need for more preparation by the college community. He asked the Environmental Council to be a sounding board for ideas to come from the community. A survey will be done, but a survey may not accurately reflect true uses. Old Chapel Road may at some point be closed and parking may be on the periphery of campus, as reflected in the Master Plan. President McCardell approved the idea of bringing an electric bus to campus for a trial run, and he mentioned the need for a shuttle to the Snow Bowl and interest in using vans for shuttles to the airport, Snow Bowl, and for night transportation around campus.
4. The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Amy Seif on January 12, 2000.
