University students and Student Council members engaged in a free-flowing discussion of topics ranging from diversity to transportation to housing last night, just as planners envisioned when developing Council's first annual Student Forum.
Around 100 students, including at least 30 members of Council, attended the forum in Old Cabell Hall, which was named I-N-vision.
The event, which was moderated by Council Chief of Staff Noah Sullivan, included multiple 10-minute blocks of time for students to tell Council members their views on first-year life, student groups, diversity, housing, transportation, academics and other concerns.
Last night's event did not feature any major confrontations over the diversity initiative that members of the University administration are developing. Some speakers said they thought students should withhold judgment on the initiative until it is completed, while others said they thought such an initiative was needed.
Council President Daisy Lundy did announce the formation of a new subcommittee within the Diversity Initiatives Committee to engage in discussion of the initiative.
"It's obvious that this issue is going to be divisive," Lundy said.
Speakers also addressed other issues relating to race and diversity, including racial disparities between Old Dorms and New Dorms residents and the formation of new departments and courses of study particular to certain racial or ethnic groups similar to Afro-American studies.
The "student groups" portion of the forum focused on creating more meeting space for CIOs and Council's appropriations process, with some speakers saying Council should evaluate groups on their merits when doling out money.
"I think it is the Student Council's job to make judgment calls," said Andrew Pratt, executive editor of The Declaration.
Others disagreed, saying Council could not deem some groups to be more important than others in any fair way.
Speakers also suggested putting computer labs in first-year dorms and developing more lenient dorm fire policies. Others said blue safety phones should be placed off-Grounds and that buses should return to last year's every-10-minutes schedule. Many suggested that the lease signing dates for off-Grounds housing are too early.
Though Council already has endorsed paying contracted University employees a "living wage," supporters said they hoped Council would not rest on its laurels.
"I challenge all the groups that signed on to the living wage, and especially Council, not to be a timid token of approval," said Dave McCollough, president of the student living wage campaign.
At the end of the event, Council held a drawing, offering monetary prizes to CIOs that were represented at the event.
U.Va. Dance Marathon, B.U.C.K.S and the Indian Students Association each won $50, while Black Voices and Mahogany won $100 apiece.
Afterward, Lundy said she thought the event had allowed students to express views to members of Council that might not otherwise have been heard and that a similar event would perhaps be held next semester.
College Council Rep. David Reid, who organized the event, said he thought more students will enter in Council's committee process because of the forum.
"For the first time we've ever done it, I was very pleased," Reid said.
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