Members: President Simmons, Provost Kertzer, Russell Carey, Mike Chapman, Marisa Quinn, Christopher Bull, David Cutts, Chi-Ming Hai, Marida Hollos, David Sheinberg, Elmo Terry-Morgan, Alison Cohen, Michael Glassman, Lauren Kolodny, Mark Ramadan, Clay Wertheimer, Christina Purpura, Carin Algava, Nancy Fjeldheim, Geoffrey Greene, Sarah Sharpe, David Bloom, Guy Sanchez, and Emma Simmons were in attendance.
Katherine Bergeron, John Cassese, Anthony Cokes, Stephen Foley, Michael Stein, Joseph Bush, Jeremy Boyd, David Margolius, Kathleen Rossi, Kisa Takesue, and Damon Rarick were unable to attend.
The minutes of the October 9, 2007 meeting were approved.
Walter Hunter, Vice President for Administration and Chief Risk Officer, began the presentation on the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) with an overview of Brown’s code of conduct for licensees and a description of the DSP. Brown’s licensee code of conduct covers standards in the area of legal compliance, environmental compliance, ethical principles, and employment standards. The DSP is designed to protect the rights of college apparel workers by providing incentives to factories for positive change and compliance with its code of contact. The DSP includes pre-approval of factories and fair pricing in its model to help ensure compliance. Sarah Adler-Milstein ′08 and Katie Panella ′07, both members of the Brown DSP working group, reviewed the differing views held by supporters and critics of the DSP on issues such as feasibility, enforceability, its impact on workers and its impact on pricing. The presentation concluded with an update on the status of the DSP and a discussion regarding whether Brown should officially join a working group of 38 universities that have expressed support for the plan. The DSP is currently under review by the Department of Justice with a decision expected in February 2008. President Simmons encouraged the Brown working group to be leaders in the national discussions about the DSP. Rather than await a decision from the Department of Justice, President Simmons encouraged the working group to draft a statement and recommendation on the merits of the Designated Suppliers Program in the next month.
Dick Spies, Executive Vice President for Planning and Senior Advisor to the President, gave an overview of the review of the Plan for Academic Enrichment. Mr. Spies explained the purpose, rationale, and guiding questions for the review. He also discussed the process and timeline. The review of the Plan is being undertaken as part of ongoing accountability measures and because the context (both internal and external) has changed since it was approved in 2004. The review will address whether the Plan is on target with the current priorities of the University and what, if any, changes should be made to it. Those involved in the review process include students, faculty, standing committees, and advisory boards and councils. The gathering of feedback began last spring and will continue through the fall. Findings from the review process will be presented to the Corporation and the broader University community in February 2008. Mr. Spies concluded his presentation by asking the community to review the Plan and provide feedback.
Sarah Clarke ’08.5 addressed the Council regarding her concerns about the potential destruction or relocation of the Urban Environmental Laboratory due to the University’s recent decision to build the new Mind Brain Behavior Building on its current site.
Due to time constraints, the presentation on the recommendations of the Transportation and Parking Task Force to be given by Mike McCormick was deferred.
The next meeting of the Brown University Community Council will be held on February 12, 2008 from
4:00 – 5:30 pm in Leung Gallery, Faunce House.
Respectfully submitted,
Catherine Pincince
Secretary of the Brown University Community Council