University advocates against bottled water distribution on campus cleared one more obstacle Wednesday night, obtaining the most support a nonacademic matter needs to receive from the University Senate.
University Senate President Nathan Tublitz, a biology professor,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=tublitz@@ wrote a letter Wednesday night on behalf of the Senate’s executive committee — made up of senators who hold specific roles on the body: president, vice president, treasurer, etc. — which formally encourages University administrators to pass the proposal through.
“The Senate Executive Committee urges the administration to support this proposal,” Tublitz wrote. “And to quickly initiate the process for this proposal to become official University policy.”
The proposal originally comes from Take Back the Tap, one of the Climate Justice League’s three current campaigns and the one that showed the earliest signs of success. Proponents argued in their report and presentation that the amount of bottled water consumed on campus is startling and recommended that a policy which disallowed the sale, purchase or distribution of one-use plastic water bottles anywhere on campus.
Tublitz’s recommendation is merely the most recent of positive developments for the group. Members received approval first from the University Environmental Issues Committee, an influential campus body which “was enthusiastic in its support for this effort.”
This sent the proposal along to a presentation and discussion with administrators in Vice President of Finance and Administration Frances Dyke’s office. Though supportive, meeting attendees wanted to ensure the entire Senate had a voice if this was an issue that warranted it. This became an issue for supporters of the proposal, because the Senate’s meeting agenda has become booked for all the meetings it holds until October, as the body does not meet during the summer. @@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=frances+dyke@@
However, as this policy would not be affecting academics at the University, it does not need to appear before all senators.
Now Dyke, Provost Jim Bean and President Richard Lariviere have the proposal in front of them with the full support of the key members of the University Senate. When they make a decision, it returns to the executive committee for any final updates and implementation has the possibility to begin this summer.
University Senate officers send bottle ban to administration
Daily Emerald
April 30, 2011
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