On Thursday, January 13th, 2022 the Lawrence Committee held its regularly scheduled committee meeting. The following are the minutes of that meeting.
TL;DR
- We have a new channel on the GSG slack to help with misdelivered or missing packages
- We’re planning three events for the semester: a bonfire at the end of January, a Chinese New Year lantern festival in mid-February, and a bike safety event during Grad Student Appreciation Week. Stay tuned for updates!
- Washing machine repairs have been delayed due to supply chain issues, but Facilities is monitoring the current machines to ensure they stay in working order.
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Minutes
- The committee confirmed dog poop bag dispensers were refilled
- The Committee discussed a year-end summary of the Lawrence Garden — problems and solutions for 2022. The committee:
- Noted the amount of unplotted space in the garden (> ⅓ of garden space) and discussed using some of this extra space to carve out a walking/hangout space.
- Discussed excessive weed encroachment. Many volunteers helped out at the beginning of the 2021 gardening season, but as the year went on, volunteers dropped out.
- Thought about ways to make the garden more welcoming to the broader community
- Possibly send an email out as people move into Lawrence in the spring
- Have a sign for the garden
- Move the lock from the garden front gate to the toolshed
- Discussed opening up the garden space to the Karin Court community. Jessica will email the university administration about this.
- Decided a sign for the Garden would come out of the Lawrence Committee annual budget.
- Liz will look into the university printing services and keep Facilities in the loop, ensuring facilities can later post the sign for the committee.
- Liz will share the quote with Deepen before making the order. It should be between $30 and $80.
- Looking into getting building services involved in maintaining the garden. Liz will discuss obtaining a lawnmower with Kevin and contact building services.The university may say no to a gas-powered mower.
- Setting up a greenhouse. Liz will look into this and share it with the committee.
- The committee has created a new channel (#lawrence-mis-missing-deliveries) on the GSG slack to help with misdelivered or missing packages. If you’ve lost a package, remember to report it to the carrier first.
- Shovels for winter
- The committee has asked for 20 shovels and will monitor the rate of loss. These shovels should be put out within a couple of weeks.
- Label the shovels and put a sign next to them (in each building lobby)
- Hassan will add info to the website on shovels, if/when they are acquired.
- Laundry signage
- Josh will send out a draft of the signage to the committee soon
- Continued frustration about broken washing machines (bldgs 10, 14)
- Supply chain issue with some replacement parts for broken machines
- The company that maintains the machines will now come weekly to make sure the existing machines are still working. Area coordinators are in buildings daily.
- Replacing laundry markers
- Josh will replace laundry markers two at a time (instead of putting them all out at once). Cost was four for $5.
- Constitution rewriting
- The committee is working on a major revamp of the constitution. Please email the committee if you have any suggestions or comments related to the current constitution.
- Website revamp
- The committee is working on redesigning the Lawrence website.
- The UX is tentatively finalized. Hassan will try to get the basic structure down by the start of the semester (the 24th).
- Please email the committee for any comments or suggestions regarding the website. This would be tremendously helpful.
- The committee is working on getting clearer wayfinding signs for Lawrence buildings.
- Michelle formally shared the info from the committee’s auxiliary meeting, but no response yet.
- Golf balls
- Jessica created a new poster and new reporting link and will share it with the committee for more feedback.
- Hassan will receive links from Jessica and post it to a relevant place.
- There will be a bonfire event towards the end of January
- There will be some live music but otherwise remain covid safe.
- Kristin is currently working on the logistics of getting the fire permit etc.
- Possible dates are Jan 28 with Jan 29 as the rain date. We will notify the community with more details once the dates are finalized.
- The committee is also planning a lantern festival to celebrate Chinese New Year on February 13.
- Food + drinks have been approved
- International spouses are also invited; the event received a funding of $350 from Access, Diversity and Inclusion Office.
- The committee is also exploring the options for a bike safety event during grad student appreciation week
- Safety talk followed by free light sets handed out
- Bike maintenance
- Fun ride (easy route)
- The committee has secured a Google Workspace.
In attendance
- Michelle
- Hassan
- Liz
- Kevin
- Deepen
- Josh
- Shree
- Jessica
- Kristin
- Anastasia