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2023-24 PROJECTS

UPDATE GOALS - SS

FEEDBACK FORMS:

UPDATE WITH NEW SUBCOMMITTEES - SS

Amplifying the voices of identity-based organizations/clubs

IDENTITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Specific -- Ensure that every single student identity-based organization/club is aware that they can have their voices amplified by Berklee's SGA.

 

Measurable -- Meet with as many Identity-based clubs as possible this semester (in a round-table setting)

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Achievable -- Have at least one meeting this semester with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Office surrounding accountability for taking care of their students.

 

Relevant -- Marginalized students who may not feel they are represented on campus or have the resources to do so. 

 

Time-Bound -- Meeting with DEI Office before November 2021, SGA/ID Based Orgs. Round-Table Talk before finals week (around two weeks after midterms), Subcommittee Meeting w/ Leadership of Berklee ID Based Clubs at least once per month this semester

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Inclusive -- Reach out to, provide support (ie. financial), and give students AND faculty involved in every Identity Based Group/Org. a voice through Berklee’s SGA

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Equitable -- Ensure that our subcommittee can support student organizations by a scale based on need while all communities are represented equally.

Efforts Towards a Sustainable Campus

SUSTAINABILITY

Specific -- Further partnerships with sustainability groups and/or efforts on campus (i.e. Sustainability Coalition, Faculty Green Group, Berklee Climate Action, The Movement, BOCO Green) to demand financial transparency regarding Berklee’s investment of student tuition in and relationships with fossil fuel-related companies and funds (hereafter referred to as Divestment).

 

Measurable -- By the end of the Spring 2022 semester, have a campus-wide sustainability petition signed and sent to the Office of the President and Administration and Finance regarding Divestment and transparency.

 

Achievable -- Work with aforementioned campus partners and Indigenous traditional knowledge groups to educate students, staff, and faculty about Divestment, climate change, and the need for transparency. 

 

Relevant -- Berklee, as a private entity and registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has a duty to upload its fundamental value of “car[ing] for each other and for the well-being of our community,” especially when investing student tuition dollars.

 

Time-Bound -- Have three sustainability workshops by the end of the year (minimum), and have the aforementioned petition signed, sealed, and delivered by the end of the Spring 2022 semester.

 

Inclusive -- Make sustainability meetings accessible to all, regardless of student leadership status, graduation year, or ability status.


Equitable -- Lift the voices of Indigenous and Marginalized peoples, on and off campus, by working with local and global climate activists in these communities, specifically in occupied Indigenous land and the global South. Indigenous peoples started the environmentalist movement, yet are most affected by the impact of the climate crisis.

Keeping Berklee accountable in various facets

INSTITUTIONAL OVERSIGHT AND FINANCES

Specific -- Monitor the accuracy and efficiency of communication across campus, especially as it pertains to Financial Aid and Student Accounts. Continue to press for transparency from Administration, and utilize Berklee’s Core Values as reference for administrative accountability. 

 

Measurable -- Compile a document with student feedback concerning Aramark’s relationship with Berklee and quality by the end of the Fall 2021 semester, and create a document containing framework for divestment or other alternatives by the end of the Fall 2021 semester. 

 

Achievable -- Meet with the Financial Services & Student Accounts team at least once per semester, and with Mac Hisey at least once by March 2022. Meet with Aramark representatives and Berklee leadership involved with the Aramark contract twice semesterly.

 

Relevant -- Berklee finances and relations with outside organizations impacts every Berklee student; clear and timely financial information is of utmost importance, and ensuring that students’ values are represented by organizations Berklee affiliates itself with or contracts is of utmost importance.

 

Time-Bound -- Conduct profound investigation of Berklee’s contract with Aramark and engage in frequent dialogue with related parties by the end of Fall 2021. Any plans regarding divestment from Aramark should be fully designed and ready for launch by the end of Spring 2022.

 

Inclusive -- Frequently include student and faculty feedback through measurable surveys on topics concerning the Berklee community including Aramark relations and student scholarships.


Equitable -- Monitor and request statistics on the status of financial aid disbursements for students who identify as minority or of underrepresented communities. Extend this surveillance to both current and prospective students throughout the larger Berklee institution. As for food-service contracting, engage in dialogue with local food service providers to brainstorm and develop a self-operated food service structure.

Prioritizing student safety/health

STUDENT SAFETY

Specific -- To keep students healthy in every facet; mentally, physically, nutritionally, emotionally, spiritually, all accessibly. through campus resources such as public safety, health and wellness, and efficient and confidential exchanges with departments such as Diversity and Inclusion. To help understand that mental health is an access need. 

 

Measurable -- Have one 30-minute meeting once a week with team members to check in and discuss our goals and to prepare for any meetings with on-call counselors, public safety, nutritional team, Aramark, and DE&I.

 

Achievable -- Create a centralized document of all emergency and assistance numbers for situations such as mental health emergencies. Meet with the on-call counselor to begin the conversation of creating an emergency mental health team, as opposed to public safety intervening. Work towards allergy awareness (allergy labels on meal cards) and meeting with Berklee, Aramark, and nutritionists.

 

Relevant -- Students feeling supported and safe on campus with the consistent rise of the mental health pandemic. Better equipped teams for mental health crises. 

 

Time-Bound -- Create an informational post once a month, shared on Berklee SGA, H&W, Public Safety IG, updating students on our progress and resources. Releasing the centralized document by the second week of October. 

 

Inclusive -- Holding town halls where students (anonymously or not) can bring their grievances and concerns with public safety and all programs designed to help them. Use the Student Newsletter services to get information sent out in that way to all students once a month after meetings. 

 

Equitable -- Use information from our meetings to ensure transparency and efficiency with the student body regarding the allocation of resources and how they are served. Hold them accountable with monthly check-ins to ask them what steps they are taking to practice anti-racism and decentralizing their authority. Including all bodies and needs in our conversations in regards to accessibility, identity, and need. 

Efforts toward a more accessible campus for all students

ACCESSIBILIITY 

Specific -- Organize fundraising events that are designed to target donors who are involved in donating to Berklee, to accessibility and disability-related causes, and/or to music and the arts. These events should also be designed to reach out to potential donors, such as immediate and extended members of the Berklee community.

 

Measurable -- Standardize the “stickers” system of accessibility services through five consecutive phases, where each is conducted and monitored in a specific branch of the Berklee Institution:

  • First phase: Testing Center

  • Second phase: Caf and mailroom

  • Third phase: Across campus 

  • Fourth phase: Across BoCo

  • Fifth phase: Transition from physical sticker to electronic “sticker” associated with individual ID and OneCard
     

Achievable -- Standardize the Disabilities Club’s accessibility-related terminology document within SGA and the Berklee community, and share with various departments when necessary for communication. Receive and review the current discrimination standards documents Equity has, and create a finalized set of documents outlining disability-based discrimination and terminology.

 

Relevant -- Address and track work in response to current access barriers across campus, including (but not limited to):

  • Elevator traffic, repair time, effectiveness, and lack of said service in some buildings

  • Allergen-related concerns and accessible space at the Berklee Cafeteria

  • Masks, policy reinforcement, and spread of illness

  • Alt text across Berklee

  • Perfect pitch class sections

 

Time-Bound -- Meet with Dr. Lacretia Flash in the early Fall 2021 for guidance on enhancing Student Orientation in favor of Accessibility. Additionally, schedule an extra orientation day for students with access needs and ensure the orientation programming is accessible overall. The final design must be complete and ready for launch by the end of Fall 2021.

 

Inclusive -- Meet and engage actively with the Disabilities Club at Berklee, as well as related organizations and clubs across colleges and institutions. Extend outreach to student-rights and disability-rights organizations within Massachusetts and throughout the United States. Secure mutual support from and with disability and accessibility-focused communities via petitions and similar devices.

 

Equitable -- Engage with fellow SGA subcommittees, Berklee clubs, and diverse Berklee communities to address their concerns as they intersect with accessibility and disability-related issues.

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