Task force charged with evaluating student-community relations yet to issue final report to public

At tonight’s General Assembly meeting, TSG members discussed upcoming events and the Community and Student Issues and Concerns Task Force.

Ugo Obilo, Temple Student Government vice president of services, said today, Feb. 13, that the Community and Student Issues and Concerns Task Force is waiting for Chair Stephanie Ives, Dean of Students, to confirm its next meeting. The task force’s last gathering was in December 2011.

The task force, created in September 2011 to address concerns regarding students’ off-campus living and conduct, as well as their interactions with neighbors, met six times in the fall and reported its findings on community relations to the president and community members.

“I think what happened is that they released a final task force report. And, after they did that, we read over it and we met with President Hart. Then she read through it and she really had a lot of feedback for us on what she thought about it,” Obilo said.

“I think what happened was that Dr. Ives wanted to go back to the drawing board on a few things, and…deliver it in a more clear manner, a few of the things that were in the task force report,” Obilo said.

Ives has postponed interview requests by The Temple News regarding the task force’s findings. Ives said she is awaiting instructions from Hart for next steps for the task force.

Obilo serves on the task force’s outreach subcommittee with Andrea Caporale Seiss, senior associate dean of students, and Beverly Coleman, assistant vice president for community relations and economic development.

“I know that there’s a big effort for finding out where students in the area live, so we can better cater to our students that do live in the area,” Obilo said.

Obilo said he was unaware of any planned task force meetings.

At today’s General Assembly Meeting, TSG members also discussed upcoming events.

Obilo said he will also serve on an organizational committee for Cherry and White Day in Harrisburg scheduled for March 27.

With other TSG officers and student volunteers, the Harrisburg committee will hopefully be formed by this week and will most likely meet on a biweekly basis, in preparation for meeting with legislators to lobby for higher education funding, TSG Student Body President Colin Saltry said.

“The reason we’re creating this, number one, is because last year we got 10,000 interactions with legislators, through [Temple Advocacy Leadership Outreach Network], through phone calls, emails, handwritten letter,” Saltry said. “We need to be more creative and more assertive in our communication…be a constant part of the conversation.”

TSG representatives and students plan to speak directly with state lawmakers in Harrisburg to follow-up on advocacy efforts for state funding for Temple and the other state-related universities.

TSG’s Campus Life and Diversity Committee will team up with Temple NAACP from April 9 to 12, for a Celebrate Temple week of diversity-focused events.

TSG Deputy Chief of Staff Brandon Rey Ramirez, standing in for committee director Vanessa Destime, said the week’s events will start at the Temple Performing Arts Center.

“We’re shooting for next week to have actually a resolution to go through the General Assembly, which would be a supporting a diversity week,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said TSG members are reaching out to other student organizations to incorporate more students into the week’s events.

Before Celebrate Temple, TSG will host a performance showcase at the Baptist Temple on March 30. Celebration of Globalization will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and will include dance numbers from students.

Amelia Brust can be reached at abrust@temple.edu.

[Updated Feb. 14, 9:02 p.m.]

[Correction: The Temple News incorrectly reported that the Community and Student Issues and Concerns Task Force was supposed to meet bi-annually. The task force met six times last semester and may meet for a followup meeting following Hart’s response.]