Discussed Items
- Bicycles: A resident has raised the concern that there are many abandoned bikes in the shed near Lawrence Building 1. Olivia has notified Chris Warkala, who is looking into where the bike removal situation stands.
- Trash and Composting: A resident has informed the committee that current labeling of the recycling and trash bins is confusing; there are multiple signs on the same recycling bin, some saying, “bottles only” and others saying, “single stream recycling.” To remedy this situation, Olivia has spoken with Chris Warkala. Chris has gotten back to the committee and informed us that facilities will soon scrape off all old labels and replace these with new, clear labels. Compost bins are not currently in use because it is too cold outside. The composting process can only work when it is warm enough for bacteria to grow in the decomposing organic waste.
- Smoking inside and outside within Lawrence Apartments
- Outside smoking: A resident has suggested that the Lawrence Committee discuss whether it would be favorable to instate a rule banning smokers from smoking outside (as well as inside) by Lawrence Apartments. The committee believes that this sort of action is too extreme, and that this rule is so strict that people would most likely break it. Thus, we do not think that banning outside smoking is appropriate. Instead, the committee agrees that it is reasonable to enforce the rule that smokers must not smoke closer than 20-25 feet away from a door or window. The committee also agrees that smokers should not smoke near the children’s play areas.
- Inside smoking: Some committee members suggested that one way to prevent indoor smoking from upsetting neighbors would be to seal the gaps between the apartment doors and the floor. No official action regarding this suggestion is being taken now. The Housing committee did not have time to discuss indoor smoking at its most recent meeting, but it plans to discuss this issue at the next meeting.
- Seating outside Lawrence Apartments: A student has raised the point that it would be nice to have a bench outside of Lawrence Building 1 in the back of the building that enters on the 1st floor. This student has indicated that it is depressing to sit outside the building and face the cars in the front of the building. Olivia has been in contact with someone about putting a bench in the back of the building, but this request is a difficult one to fulfill, and might not happen.
- Hooks for shovels: Hooks have been installed inside of the trash shelters to hang shovels. These hooks are already being used, and residents are encouraged to keep using them.
- Piano Tune up in Lawrence 14 Common Room: A student has asked to have the piano in Lawrence 14 tuned. Olivia has made a note of this request and is going to look into tuning it.
- Past Oscars Social Event:
- Cable TV in Lawrence 14: In order to have the Oscars event in Lawrence 14, the committee had Cable installed in this building. Since then, the TV in the common area in Lawrence 14 now has Cable.
- Attendance: The event was relatively well attended. In addition to the committee, 11 residents came, and 7 individuals submitted votes to guess the Oscar winners. The winner who guessed the most correct Oscar winners received a movie-themed prize, consisting of a mug with movie quotes on it filled with movie candy and popcorn.
- Future Social Events, including the Spring BBQ:
- Possible non-alcoholic mixer: The committee has discussed the idea of having a non-alcoholic mixer for couples, families, and singles to mingle, enjoy some non-alcoholic mixed drinks, and share some appetizers. We do not know when it would be appropriate to have such an event, but we might consider it as the weather gets warmer.
- Spring Outdoor BBQ: This yearly, well-attended event will be planned for the end of the Spring semester. The event will be a traditional barbecue, including a menu of burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. All residents will be invited to attend. To have the event, the committee will need to rent grills, charcoal, tubs of ice, and trash cans from facilities. The entire committee will help with planning, staffing, and advertising the event. A date, and a rain date that all committee members can attend will be discussed at our April meeting. The first and current step towards planning this event include checking our committee budget, and requesting information regarding how much the event cost last year
- Reimbursements: All reimbursements should be submitted for approval to Lily Secora through Concur.
- Flyers: The committee is allowed to flyer to advertise social events. We plan to advertise future events with flyers at the bus stop and Laundry rooms 1 week before the event.
- Ping Pong Table request: At the Housing committee meeting, someone requested a ping pong table for Lawrence. This request will be addressed at the end of the year, if there is room in the committee budget. Ping pong tables tend to be expensive, and they break often at the GC and in Butler. If there is money in the budget towards the end of the year, the committee might consider a foosball table, but only if the budget allows at the end.
- Garden: A.J., our garden coordinator, will send out an e-mail to plan out our garden use within the next few weeks. If weather allows, the garden may be able to open by April. First, the ice in the garden must melt, water must dry, and then the ground can be tilled. The committee will contact Butler residents who might want to use the Lawrence garden, since there are often empty plots. Olivia will also be looking into switching the locks to a keypad with a code, so that composters and non-residents who have permission to use garden plots can access the garden.
- Facebook Page: The Lawrence Community has its own Facebook page that residents should feel free to join, and to use to share items, sell or give away furniture, request help, or join together to make donations or give gifts as a community. The committee will publicize this page again, and will begin posting to initiate an online community amongst Lawrence residents.
Attendance
Lauren Anllo
Firdevs Ulus (on behalf of Sema)
Dmitriy Gorenshteyn
Allison Chaney
Olivia Martel
AJ Riggs
Xiaoyu Tang