SMC students support Revue
By COLLEEN McCARTHY
Associate News Editor
Responding to results of a survey gauging the opinion of the Saint Mary's student body regarding whether the Keenan Revue should be held on the College's campus, the Board of Govern-ance voted unanimously to make a statement acknowledging the support of Saint Mary's students for keeping the Revue on campus.
The survey was included on the ballot for student government elections last Monday. Results of the survey indicated of those who responded to the question, 67 percent said they had seen the Revue and did not want it moved from the Saint Mary's campus while 2 percent said they had seen the Revue and did not want it held on the College's campus. The other students had not seen the Revue.
Student body president Crissie Renner suggested the Board take action on the issue rather than leaving it for the next administration.
"This is an issue [student body vice president] Michelle [Nagle] and I wanted to address so this wouldn't have to be continually addressed by each new administration," said Renner.
Reactions to the Revue from Board members who had attended varied.
"I thought it was hilarious," said Callie Kuhen, programming commissioner. "And there were tons of people over here. If we're trying to build relationships between Saint Mary's and Notre Dame and if that's what is getting people over here, then why get rid of [the Revue]?"
Senior class president Autumn Palacz also supported keeping the Revue on campus in order to better the relationship between Saint Mary's and Notre Dame.
"It makes us look bitchy and like we think we are better than them [Notre Dame students] if we vote the Revue off campus, especially since we have been trying to work to better the relationship between the two schools," said Palacz.
Student representative to the Boar d of Trustees Molly Kahn agreed the Revue should not be voted off campus in a "spirit of goodwill."
"In an effort to maintain the spirit of goodwill, and to continue to build on relationships and not burn bridges, we should not vote for the Keenan Revue to be held somewhere else," said Kahn.
Student body vice president Michelle Nagle raised the issue of the challenges the Revue creates for Saint Mary's women,
"[T]hese people don't know us as Saint Mary's women, but as the stereotypes portrayed in the Revue, because unlike Notre Dame women who these men see everyday and know, the stereotypes are not true because they interact with them, there isn't that opportunity for Saint Mary's women," said Nagle. "But I don't know how to address that issue."
Saint Mary's representative to the Notre Dame Senate Veronica Kessenich said the Board should endorse the Revue because that is what the majority of the student body favor, but under certain provisions.
"Because it is 67 percent of those who responded want to keep the Revue on campus, then we should endorse the Keenan Revue but under certain conditions," said Kessenich. "Those conditions should be that if we respect the men of Keenan than they should respect us and show us that they are men and not boys, then we can let the Revue stay on campus."
The statement agreed on by the Board and voted for unanimously reads, "We the 2000-2001 Board of Governance acknowledge student opinion in continuing the production of the Keenan Revue in O'Laughlin Auditorium. Additionally, we support he continuation of Student Government Association members sitting on the Keenan Revue Censory Board."
In Other BOG News:
u Student Activities Board Coordinator Allison Webb provided an update regarding the planning of the new student center.
"A lot of things that were talked about at the planning meeting were structural things," said Webb. "I was particularly impressed with what they called the `Student Government Suite' which had offices and storage space for class boards."
The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase will involve renovation of the Dining Hall. The second phase will involve the completion of a large social space for dances, a TV lounge with data hookups and an off-campus kitchen area. The committee is still working on dates and funding for the project.
u Elections for class boards are approaching. Informational meetings will be held in the Chameleon Room in Haggar College Center on Feb. 14 and 15. Platforms will be due on Feb. 20 by 5 p.m. Campaigning begins Feb. 21 and ends on Feb. 25 with elections on Feb. 26. Meet the Candidates night will tentatively be held in Carroll Auditorium on Feb. 22.
u The Student Diversity Board is sponsoring a forum in Haggar at noon on Friday as a way to open up discussion on campus. The title of the forum will be "What is diversity and how do we talk about it?"
u An informational meeting for the 2001-2002 BOG will be held at 8 p.m., Thursday in 303 Haggar. Applications will be available beginning Thursday and are due March 2.
All News Stories for Tuesday, February 13, 2001
