City of NYU: Town Hall
Outstanding Advocacy Initiative Award New York University, Town Hall NACURH 2016 University of Delaware
Table of Contents Item
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Brief History
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The Pit: Goals
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City Planners: Implementation
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Enjoyment and Fun: Effect on Campus
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Pinky Promise Delivered: Conclusion
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Letters of Endorsement
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Correspondents Lunch: Appendix
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Citations
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Brief History New York University is an expansive university that resides within New York City and inhabits two separate campuses in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village and Brooklyn’s MetroTech Center. Additionally, NYU hosts two other degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, and maintains 11 international centers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. NYU’s academic body encompasses over 50,000 students who hail from every state in the union and from over 133 foreign nations. New York University manages 23 residence halls that houses approximately 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students during the academic year. Overall, NYU endeavors to sustain the highest quality of international scholarship, teaching, and research within its institution. New York University’s Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC) is the umbrella organization that oversees the operations of all hall councils and student organizations within each residence hall. The existence of IRHC has provided students with the opportunity to partake in leadership roles through developmental trainings and hall council positions. The IRHC is committed to promoting fellowship, service, and advocacy for all of its residents and the overarching NYU community. Additionally, IRHC endeavors to improve the quality of life for all of its students by providing a voice for its residents to the administration. Within IRHC, the Advocacy Committee serves the NYU community by protecting the rights of its residents and by working to enhance their residential experience. The Advocacy Committee communicates the concerns of its residents to the administration and collaborates on their potential improvements. Thus, the Advocacy Committee continuously works to strengthen the communication between IRHC and the students it represents. IRHC’s Town Hall is a forum led by the Advocacy Committee where members of NYU community gather to discuss their concerns regarding residential life. Town Hall occurs twice a year and provides students with the opportunity to address their concerns directly towards administrators and faculty. Throughout these past two semesters, the panel has consisted of representatives from Housing, Dining, Sustainability, ITS, Transportation, Public Safety, Student Affairs, and Resident Assistants Council. This year, the VPs of Advocacy decided to utilize social media to advertise the program and to gather questions submitted online by students. These new technological platforms allowed Town Hall panelists to provide direct and immediate answers, and breaking news, to the audience members. Therefore, the program educated students on the policies regarding their residential experience and the ongoing reforms within the administration. IRHC’s Vice Presidents of Advocacy, Nate Faust and Spencer Bacon, have taken it upon themselves to implement a variety of changes to the structure of Town Hall such that the takeaways and impact after the event have been increased exponentially. The subsequent Residential Life improvements resulting from Town Hall were far greater in quantity and quality than in any year in NYU’s history.
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“I fell in the pit, you fell in the pit, we all fell in the pit” (Goals) It was determined that there was a lack of communication between residents/IRHC GA representatives and administration. This became evident when residents began to feel increasingly dissatisfied with certain aspects of residential life at NYU. There existed no effective forum for students to relegate their concerns in a manner that produced reforms. Town Hall evolved as a means to successfully create the opportunity for the administration to directly hear student issues or address complaints.
The goals for Town Hall align with the missions of the VPs of Residential Advocacy. Town Hall provides an open forum setting for discussing and collaborating to achieve the following goals: • Create an updated and in-depth smoking policy in order to provide a safe, healthy, and welcoming campus for all students. • Create an open and accepting community for all students in our residential hall community through reevaluation of housing policies. • Install up to date technology such as printing facilities in all residence halls to promote a connected residential community. • Partner with various administrators and student groups such as Eco-Reps to create positive and tangible change to better the quality of living for our university. • Provide a safe, accessible setting for residents to express themselves to administrators regarding life on campus. The IRHC Vice Presidents of Residential Advocacy begin to coordinate who sits on the panel two weeks before the Town Hall events which are held at the end of each semester. Leading up to Town Hall, and following it, the VPs meet with the eight administrators from Dining Services, Housing Services, Residential Life, Public Safety, Transportation, Sustainability, Information Technology, and Student Affairs. Furthermore, throughout the semester, the VPs would sit in on meetings with the Dining Advisory Board, Internationalizing Washington Square Board, Housing Advisory Board, and Public Safety Staff. The overall goals of Town Hall
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were established when the VPs of ResAd were elected into their roles, at the end of the academic year. Furthermore, the VPs of ResAd work with their committee, the IRHC General Assembly, and current RHA President/former VP of ResAd Walker Chabbott to brainstorm discussion topics and questions for the panelists. While Town Hall provided the opportunity for the issues to be heard, the subsequent follow-up was crucial to creating solutions. After the forum, the administrators often approach certain students who expressed particularly dire complaints, and share their business cards/contact info to the wheels of reform in motion. Furthermore, the VPs of ResAd will continue to write proposals and memos throughout the remainder of the semester, and the following semester, to resolve issues that arise at Town Hall. The only goals that have not yet been achieved are still in motion (such as the First Year Gender Neutral Housing option), and are expected to be fulfilled in the near future (Fall 2016 semester).
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Implementation
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If you want something done you call [Nate, Spencer, or Walker] because
they're city planners. They’re kind of like fixers- they fix things
"
For the Spring 2015 Town Hall, $500 was spent on catering, and in Fall 2015 $400 were spent on catering. Administration, IRHC Advisors, VPs of ResAd, and IRHC GA members were involved in preparation for the day. IRHC’s Advocacy efforts meet the needs of the student population by fulfilling the promise of collaborating with administration to make tangible improvements to student life at NYU.
3/24/15 VPs of ResAd reach out to admin, begin Town Hall planning process
4/15 Free printing services are established in all halls but one
4/7/15 Summer 2015 Town Hall Began process of getting printers in every Hall
9/2/15 Smoking boundary implemented, Library & Weinstein Hall
11/20/15 VPs of ResAd collaborates with Senior Director of Housing Services RE: Printing at Clarke Hall, Brooklyn
11/3/15 12/1/15 Communication Town Hall with Senior Director of ResLife RE: FYRE Gender Neutral Housing begins
1/16 Diversity Training for Public Safety Officers commences
12/17/15 VPs of ResAd reach out to admin, begin Town Hall planning process
1/16 FYRE GNH is passed to Senior VP of Student Affairs for final approval
1/16 Communication continues RE: establishing printing services in Clarke Hall
Fall 2016 FYRE GNH option to be made available to incoming first year students
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Effect on Campus
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Would you say that you are enjoying yourself and having fun?
�
At the Spring 2015 Town Hall, about 80 students attended and 8 administrators served as panelists. At the Fall 2015 Town Hall, about 60 students and 8 panelists were in attendance. Town Hall provides an outlet for students to be heard where usually that opportunity is not provided, and the panelists are more than happy to accept feedback and suggestions. It created a culture of welcomed feedback, constructive criticism, and open communication. The positive effects of this program go on and on, but the most tangible benefit would be that issues addressed at Town Hall have already been implemented around campus. Having that tangible result builds a sense of trust between students and administration that allows for a positive relationship between the two bodies, and fosters a positive living environment for our students in housing on campus. A lasting effect of Town Hall is that students will always know "It was a really great opportunity to have a that they have a say in how things are face to face interaction with administrators done around campus, or that their from multiple sectors of NYU. It really voices will be heard. Making sure that demonstrated their willingness to not only students know that their requests can pass along information first hand, but also be taken seriously encourages listen to our questions and answer them in students to raise their voice to make a the best way possible. " difference on campus. –Sharon Migdal, IRHC & NRHH
This semester's Town Hall held in April was a huge success, providing multiple new additions to the Town Hall panel as well as the panel providing fast and immediate responses in the real world. One student asked a question about adding more vegan options in one of the dining halls, and the next week it was there! Another student asked about the possibility of an airport shuttle service being provided by NYU, and it is now being initiated by the VP's of Residential Advocacy for the coming year. They are currently collecting data to present to Transportation. Since the former Town Hall, the smoking boundaries have also been successfully implemented outside residential and academic buildings. The program went smoothly and the diverse panel provided insightful answers, so the program all in all was a complete success! An evaluation of the program is conducted by the VPs of ResAd within their committee, who provides suggestions for the next Town Hall.
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Pinky Promise Delivered (Conclusion) A pinky promise normally entails that a commitment, or a task, has been properly fulfilled. In this case, both Vice Presidents of Advocacy were able to successfully reach out to the student body and have the panel of attendees receive issues during the event. The execution of Town Hall could be improved by including other student groups on campus in the planning process. The more students exposed to this forum, greater is the potential for change. IRHC has already reached out to our NRHH Chapter for the next Town Hall and making it count as a meeting requirement for members. IRHC hopes to include the Inter-Greek Council, and Student Senator’s Council/University Committee on Student Life in the future. IRHC learned that in this instance, there is much improvement to be made in the area of communicating about Town Hall to the rest of the student body. We also learned that students had many complaints that they did not actively express in any other setting outside of Town Hall. Town Hall is adaptable to any campus since any representatives from a school’s RHA could reach out to administrators in similar areas of student life, and coordinate a panel. The budget designation for food is also optional; RHA could potentially reach out to dining services to have food donated or discounted for the event. The idea is entirely replicable because the concept of creating a foundation on which to build regular collaboration with administrators is generally well received by all. The only requirement in attaining similar success is someone to follow up on the issues addressed throughout the semester.
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Dear NEACURH, I am pleased to submit my letter of support for New York University (NYU) Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC)’s Town Hall for the Outstanding Advocacy Initiative (OAI) Award. Town Hall is an innovative program that allows residents to interact directly with NYU housing administration, demonstrating the engagement initiative and enthusiastic enterprise represented in NEACURH. Taking place mid-semester, Town Hall drew in large crowds of residents concerned with a varied range of issues - from sustainability initiatives and the new safe ride app to campus shuttle buses and phone jacks within halls. Both IRHC Vice Presidents of Advocacy kept constant check-ups on NYU’s administration to ensure a high level of diversity on the panel that was to be represented. Initially I was cautious: how could so many questions be addressed by administrators? There were often lags in communication between higher-ups and grassroots residents, and it seemed impossible to incorporate a successful liaison between the two groups who too often lived in separate bubbles. Little did I know how wrong I was. As the panel of eight NYU administrators spoke, I began to hear immense support for the new initiatives taking place in back-end meetings at the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services (ORLHS). For the first time, residents swelled in large numbers and heard of the transition procedures for the sports center closing, the Brooklyn campus transportation and the change in location for the service event Relay for Life. Town Hall had finally opened the floodgates for residents’ input and made a space for administrative action. It wasn’t a simple question-and-answer, however. The active insistence by administrators in their genuine concern for helping residents in their daily lives provided a welcoming backdrop for critiques and improvement suggestions. A student broached the subject of the NYU wifi crash and immediately peaked the interest of the tech-based administrator. Commenting that NYU had finally become a large enough target school for the subject of wifi hacking, the administrator revealed new projects to avoid another major crash for the upcoming semester, even requesting that software students join the project. In the simple act of disclosing information, residents were able to immediately launch a student-based group for a residential life venture. Town Hall at its core is a simple program bringing together constituents of ORLHS and IRHC. But, throughout the course of the program, the drive of residents from Town Hall urged a new phase in NYU’s housing where residents and administrators can advocate equally for their concerns. I sincerely hope NEACURH will consider NYU’s Town Hall for the OAI Award from its intensive collaborative effort between groups and the ground-level engagement of residents. Warm regards, Melinda Chen Melinda Chen Vice President of Business Administration
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Correspondents Luncheon (Appendix)
A | IRHC Mission Statement: We, the student leaders and members of the IRHC, share a common goal: to improve the quality of life for all students living in NYU residence halls. We hope to strengthen communication between the IRHC and the residents whom we represent. We provide a voice for all residents to the administration and the greater NYU community.
B | Questions asked by students at Town Hall: 1. Understandably, dining halls must be closed for a certain period of time to give workers a chance to rest as well as restock the kitchen and change the food that is being offered depending on the hour [breakfast, lunch, or dinner]. However, why must the dining halls on the square be closed at the same hour? Hayden, Downstein, and the favored parts of Kimmel {pasta station, etc.} all close down at the same time. Is there a way to stagger these closings so as to not make the students’ lunches as limited? 2. Campus wide incidences of sexual assaults involving fraternities are growing in my residence hall. I know of at least three girls who have debated filing a complaint against a Greek life student in the first semester alone. How do you intend to prevent this in the future? Is there anything you advise we tell our residents to keep them safer when interacting at fraternity parties or other social gatherings? 3. The options for students who are gluten free are often limiting. What has been done recently to expand those options, and do you see any further development of that in the future?
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4. The federal government gives each student an allotment of money to help with financial aid through work-study. However, even if students work the maximum amount of hours that they’re allowed per week, they can’t earn all the money that they’re entitled to, and the extra goes straight to NYU. Why is that? 5. There have been issues with public safety officers and diversity/inclusivity in the past. How is this being addressed by the department and what initiatives are new this year? 6. What is being done to improve the broken/slow turnstiles and gates in the residence halls? 7. What further initiatives are going to be taken to ensure equitable housing for each and every NYU student? 8. Would it be possible to ensure that there is at least one vegan soup available every single day in each dining hall? 9. When will the temporary gym open to replace Coles, and what other services will be offered while Coles is under construction? 10. Would there be a shuttle from main campus halls to/from Poly in Brooklyn? I feel like there should be a bus running next year for Poly students since a lot of them are living at main campus. It would allow the students to easily get to classes without the hassle of commuting via MTA.
C | Of the Month Award (1): REGIONAL WINNER: Nomination ID: Educational Program. Program Title: IRHC Town Hall Number of Coordinators: 2 Time Needed to Organize: 3 weeks Date of Program: 12/1/15 Organization: IRHC Number of Attendance: ~60 Cost of Program: ~$500.00 Origin of the program: The origin of the Inter-Residence Hall Council's (IRHC's) Town Hall was that members noticed a lack of efficient communication between students and administrators in areas regarding housing and residential life. By creating this program, which occurs twice a year, it provides students the opportunity to voice their concerns or ask questions directly to the administrators responsible for fixing those issues. Description of the program: IRHC's Town Hall program occurs twice a year, once per semester, and it provides students from all around campus to ask questions directly to a panel of administrators to let their voices be heard about concerns they have about life at NYU. This semester the panel consisted of representatives from campus dining, student affairs, housing and residential life, sustainability, ITS, Public Safety, and transportation. IRHC's Vice Presidents of Advocacy Nate Faust and Spencer Bacon organized the event by inviting the panelists, and organizing questions submitted via online form to ask the panelists during the event. This year Nate and Spencer utilized their standing committee in IRHC to ask the questions to get students involved, and they even asked questions asked from the audience via social media with the help of Philip Shin, the Vice President of Communications for IRHC. This program provides students with a unique
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opportunity to speak to administrators who usually would only be emailed these questions, and the results of this program have led to new focus groups on campus committees, increased safe ride vehicles, and even next day changes to dining halls, all because students were given the chance through this program. Goals of the program: The goals of the program are simple in that the organizers and IRHC want to give students the chance to speak about issues they've noticed on campus or things they think are most relevant to fix on campus. The panelists at this event are higher ups in NYU's administrative chain and they truly take seriously what students have to ask them. This promotes not just transparency in the relationship between the university and its students but also a positive relationship between these administrators and students. Positive and lasting effects of the program: The positive effects of Town Hall include a multitude of changes and suggestions around campus such as more variety in the dining halls for vegan options, a possible new committee involving students in the Department of Public Safety, and an overall increased positive relationship between students and administrators. This program provides an outlet for students to be heard where usually that opportunity is not provided, and the panelists are more than happy to accept feedback and suggestions. Short evaluation of the program: Town Hall continuously provides a great arena for discussion and constructive feedback for our school and the development of new ventures at NYU and this semester's was no exception. It allows students to have some agency in making their school a better place for them and for future students to come all by allowing a discussion. This semester's Town Hall provided a great discussion that benefitted students and administrators alike, and it set the stage for Nate and Spencer, IRHC's Vice Presidents of Advocacy, to begin initiating these changes next semester as soon as possible.
D | Of the Month Award (2) (Short Version): CAMPUS WINNER Nomination ID: Educational Program Program Title: IRHC's Town Hall Number of Coordinators: 2 Time Needed to Organize: 2 Weeks Date of Program: 04/07/2015 Organization: IRHC Number of Attendance: ~80 Cost of Program: ~$275.00 Description of the program: Town Hall is a welcoming forum where students from across Residential Life can gather to voice their opinions, concerns, or potential ideas directly to administration representing departments across campus. The departments represented on this semester's Town Hall panel were Housing, Dining, Transportation, Public Safety, IT, Student Affairs, and Resident Assistants (RA's). Questions were submitted to the two Vice Presidents of Advocacy for IRHC, Nate Faust and Walker Chabbott, before the event, and they gathered the questions and consolidated the list to present to the panel members. Students on the IRHC Residential Advocacy committee asked the questions to the panelists, incorporating student involvement rather than just the two student leaders running the whole program. After the selected questions were asked and
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subsequently answered, the program turned to an Open Forum where students in attendance were asked to ask any questions to the panel directly, where multiple students stood up and asked a wide variety of questions that prompted the panel to answer on the spot, providing the most up to date responses.
E | Press Release: IRHC Town Hall addresses housing http://www.nyunews.com/2015/04/07/irhc-town-hall-addresses-housing/ The Inter-Residence Hall Council addressed students’ concerns regarding housing priority, transportation and other elements of campus living in a meeting open to students on Tuesday. The panel included administrators involved in student affairs, housing services, public safety, information technology, dining, transportation and resident advising, all of whom fielded questions from the organizers and attendees. Vice President of Global Student Affairs Marc Wais answered questions regarding contingency plans for events normally held in the to-be-redeveloped Coles Sports Center. NYU plans to relocate such events to nearby venues until the new sports facility is complete. Senior Director of Residential Life Kate Baier mainly addressed concerns related to prioritization in housing assignments. Asked about the feasibility of basing prioritization on GPA, Baier responded that the operation would be too difficult. “The logistics of that would be kind of burdensome, to match GPAs within a system that serves 12,000 students,” Baier said. “It’s an interesting proposal, but not one we’re considering.” On the issue of public safety, Assistant Vice President of Campus Security James Pisaniello defended the policy that has students sign out visitors each time they leave their dorm, noting that while some visitors are friends or family, many are not. “The policy is really put in place as a safety issue for students,” Pisaniello said. “Sometimes you think you know somebody and it winds up you really don’t.”
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Director of Dining Services Ann Marie Powell took questions on inaccuracies in dining descriptions; vegan and vegetarian dining options; and the potential for expanding the Dining Dollar system. When a student related an anecdote about dining workers mixing recycling and normal trash, Powell affirmed that such actions contravened the NYU Dining Services’ sustainability policy, emphasizing that NYU is trying to move toward zero waste. Director of Academic Technology Services Peggy McCready conveyed new information about the installation of printers in the dorms. McCready said six dorms now have printers, with further plans to bring printers to every dorm. Transportation Manager Gregory Rivas responded to questions regarding inconsistencies in the bus schedule and bus loading policy, as well as the possibility of an airport shuttle for students who travel frequently. In response to this last question, Rivas responded that NYU is seeking a relationship with SuperShuttle for discounted rides to JFK and LaGuardia airports. CAS sophomore Murielle Hsieh said the panel left some issues unresolved. “The main ones were [discussed], though there are still small ones that weren’t addressed,” Hsieh said. “There are certain issues that can’t be solved. I wish they can, but I understand that they have limited resources.” Event organizer Nate Faust, a Gallatin sophomore, praised the panelists’ candor and their eagerness to allay student concerns. “They really are here to serve our best interests, they want to help,” Faust said. “They don’t have to come to this, and they really do like hearing from students.” A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, April 8 print edition. Email Ned Harrell at news@nyunews.com.
F | Policy Update Announcement: FYRE Gender Neutral Housing 2015-2016
IRHC Residential Advocacy Nathan Faust Spencer Bacon Currently only upperclass students have the opportunity to live in true gender neutral housing, whereas the first year students must request to live in gender
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accepting housing. This does not satisfy the need for a truly inclusive and diverse environment that NYU fosters throughout its campus. Adding an opt in gender neutral option to first years, as well as a space to identify one’s gender identity, allows first year students to express themselves and to live in a comfortable and safe residential environment. SPECIFICATIONS The proposed change in the housing policy would allow for first year students to have access to a safe space to live, as well as the opportunity to express themselves in their own way in regards to gender identity. NYU has been dedicated to creating a safe and open space on our campus, and by creating this opportunity it would continue on a path for equal opportunity for all students. This option would be just that, an option. Now all students would be able to opt into the gender neutral system, so those who do not wish to participate do not have to, but it allows those who want to partake the chance to do so freely. A concern for this proposal would be that it would complicate, or limit, the current first year housing process, however this is not the case. By opening a gender neutral options for first years, it actually expands the pool for geographic diversity in the system for first years, and it does not alter anything in the system as far algorithms in the room assignment process. Housing officials in the Residential Life and Housing Service office have agreed that this option would not make the process more challenging but in fact create a more diverse housing experience for the students who select this option. The selected roommate and geographic diversity initiative would be preserved and actually enriched by this change, allowing students to live in a truly diverse environment. The portal would operate on the same system for upperclass students where students would select Gender Neutral (G) for their preferred gender identity, and they would only be matched up with other students who selected Gender Neutral (G). An extra addition would allow students to state their gender identity on the housing portal to be added to their profile, so that if they do choose gender neutral, their roommate would be able to see how they identify themselves to foster a more welcoming environment upon roommate assignment. This opportunity, if made available for first year students, would make it possible for NYU to continue its dedication to diversity and openness on our campus, and become one of the first and largest institutions to provide this opportunity for not just our first year students, but for all of our students.
“This new housing policy allows those who identify outside of the strict gender binary to feel comfortable and confident in the housing process.” – Kyle Tieman-Strauss, Student
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Citations Parks and Rec Public Forum Image, Top [Title Page]: Parks and Recreation (http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/parksandrecreation/images/c/ce/Are_You_ Better_Off.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130519170115) Parks and Rec Public Forum Image, Bottom [Title Page]: Parks and Recreation (https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MDUrw7j0UA4/maxresdefault.jpg) Leslie Knope in the Pit [Page 4]: Parks and Recreation (https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/201507/13/13/enhanced/webdr12/enhanced-11206-1436807120-1.jpg) Leslie Knope Surveys Child [Page 7]: Parks and Recreation (http://www.hulu.com/watch/67259) Pinky Promise Delivered [Page 8]: Parks and Recreation (http://media.glamour.com/photos/5695c21316d0dc3747ede590/master/w_743, c_limit/entertainment-2014-01-leslie-ann-park-main.jpg) Correspondents Luncheon [Page 13]: Parks and Recreation (http://i.onionstatic.com/avclub/4239/17/16x9/960.jpg) Gender Neutral Housing Symbol [Page 18] (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad =rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjb19uo_pHNAhWGWx4KHTLnC28QjRwIBw&url=http% 3A%2F%2Fnyulocal.com%2Fon-campus%2F2013%2F09%2F26%2Fgender-neutralhousing-a-positive-step-forward%2F&psig=AFQjCNHVzciNhzevE6hBbWm41jcoaLjmQ&ust=1465253910835349)
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