So many of us have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the dining program offered by the new Ashdown dorm, NW35, that we have taken its presence for granted. The diverse menu, pleasant atmosphere and the surprisingly low prices have been highly convenient and enjoyable, especially for graduate students such as myself.

June has arrived! As summer nears, so does hurricane season. The National Weather Service has predicted the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts from June to November, to be near-normal for 2009. According to forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center, there will be a 70 percent likelihood for the Atlantic to experience nine to 14 named storms, with four to seven of these becoming hurricanes.

A little more than a year ago, I sat down with Martin F. Holmes ’08 — my successor as Undergraduate Association President — and then-Graduate Student Council President Leeland B. Ekstrom PhD ’09 to pen a letter expressing our serious concerns regarding the lack of meaningful student involvement in Institute decision making and outlining our proposals for change. The issue of student input, which had begun to resurface as a concern during my term in office, came to a head last year after the Institute’s handling of the arrest of Star A. Simpson ‘10, the surprising announcement of Green Hall’s conversion to undergraduate housing, poor communication regarding the future of W1 and student dining, as well as a number of hacking incidents. After a series of negotiated edits and changes, this letter — which was eventually co-signed by Mr. Holmes, Mr. Ekstrom, Chancellor Phillip L. Clay PhD ’75, and Executive Vice President Kirk D. Kolenbrander — was published in the Faculty Newsletter and called for the establishment of a Task Force on Student Engagement.