USG discusses OIT-student partnerships, preparations for Class of 2019

The Undergraduate Student Government senate convenedon Sundayto discuss progress on preparations for Class of 2019 welcome events, updates on current diversity awareness initiatives and opportunities for students to get involved with the Office of Information Technology.

The senate noted that the 2015 Preview program will, like the 2014 Preview, be a one-day event. Overnight stays werecanceledfor last year’s Preview due to meningitis concerns.

USG public engagement co-chair Kristen Coke ’16 explained that the Princeton 2019 committee members have started a Facebook group for prospective students, while also working to make the Princeton2019 website more user-friendly by reorganizing important information such as deadlines and current student contacts. Princeton2019 is part of an ongoing effort to help connect students accepted into the Class of 2019 with current University students so that accepted students can find out more about life at the University.

Single-choice early action applications were due on Nov. 1, while regular decision applications are due onJan. 1.

USG president Shawon Jackson ’15 said that the Diversity and Equity Campaign, an undertaking dedicated to promoting awareness for students with disabilities, is starting to get more publicity. He also said that students should provide feedback for the PrincetonPerspective Project, a campus movement promoting diversity appreciation.

Sol Taubin ’16, chair of the Princeton Conversations Project, said that he looks forward to its launching. The Conversation Project is a summit series meant to ease student entry to identity-based programming on campus.

Serge Goldstein, associate chief information officer of OIT, said that OIT and the student body could create a technology council through which students could provide OIT with regular feedback. He noted that the goal of OIT is to design and build applications that meet the students’ demands, so the Office is always looking for evaluations and feedback from students.

“In the past, students were merely seen as users of our systems. However, we would like to develop a new relationship in which students help to design our applications,” Goldstein noted.

The Office is currently working to program a calendar application and expresses hopes for it to be jointly developedby OIT and the student body. Goldstein also noted that the process of redesigning SCORE involved significant student participation.

“We would like to be your customers, vendors and also partners. We realize how deep the talent is among the students here, and we are not regarding you as users,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein also noted that there is a new Blackboard in the making.

Jackson addressed the upcoming USG senate elections, saying that while current members of the USG senate are free to give endorsements for specific candidates, USG as a collective entity cannot.

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The IT Committee encouraged students to give feedback forTigerHub and noted considerable traffic on the Integrated Course Engine, calling for better transition strategies.

The meeting, which took place at Frist Campus Center, was called to order at7:30 PMand adjourned at8:24 PM.