The March 16 USG General Body Meeting was introduced to Resolution No. 2021-2022 #003, which would increase the minimum wage of full-time employees to $15 an hour. USG President Zachary Olson, Isobel Bowker, and the Student Affairs Committee introduced the resolution to the rest of the student government and the attending public. The resolution is in response to University Senate Proposal 50-19, which calls for providing all non-student Michigan Tech employees a living wage. 

Proposal 50-19 urges the Board of Trustees to follow current institutions like the University of Virginia and Stanford in raising minimum wage for non-student staff to $15 an hour. It justifies the increase as such: “This wage would be in line with the midpoint range of suggested living wages for employees with and without dependents in Houghton, Mich.” The resolution adds that “1843 of all 4005 Michigan Tech employees currently earn less than $15/hour” as of March 2022. It addresses how significant the issue is for several families relying on wages from Michigan Tech to sustain themselves.

Inflation plays a major factor in the demand for higher wages. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that in the last quarter of 2021, the price of goods and services in the US increased by 7.1%. Prices for food and basic items have also increased in local stores like Walmart. 

Resolution 2021-2022 #003 also includes numerical justification for increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. It was determined that “the current minimum wage at Michigan Tech, $9.87 per hour, allows for a budget of $473 per month to spend on rent, assuming a forty hour work week and an allocation of 30% of income before taxes to be spent on rent.” It’s emphasized how this budget falls well below the standard rent in Houghton. On rental site Zumper.com, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Houghton is $600 per month. According to the resolution, “A minimum wage of $15 per hour would allow for a budget of $720 per month to spend on rent, which is comparable to the average rent for an apartment in Houghton.” 

Another consideration at the March 16 meeting was including student employees with the minimum wage raise. Earlier this year, the Dining Services Town Hall addressed the lack of employees in their current staffing, resulting in closing Douglass Houghton Hall’s dining room until after Spring Break. At the meeting, some students recommended that the wage for dining employees be raised to match other competitive food service jobs, like at McDonalds or Taco Bell. Associate Vice President for Administration Theresa Coleman-Kaiser stated this would require additional, university-wide discussions. 

Additional questions on Resolution 2021-2022 #003 can be emailed to usg.mtu.edu, usg-president@mtu.edu. The resolution itself will appear …in the official minutes of the first Undergraduate Student Government General Body Meeting after its adoption.” It will be circulated to Tech’s students, “… via publication on the USG website and USG social media accounts by the USG Public Relations Committee,” as recorded in the official documentation. 

This week we asked the Dean of Students his preferred item for being stranded on an island. We also wanted to hear what other Huskies at Tech had to say. We went around the library and asked students, “What is one item you would want to have on a stranded island, and why?” Here’s what they had to say:

“I would bring a bag full of food and water so that I wouldn’t starve.”

—Kristen Kautz, second-year Chemical Engineering student

“I would bring my camera so I can document all the things I see and take videos!”

—Savannah Pasella, fourth-year Exercise Science student

“My cat and cat food for 10 years.”

—Sidney Monyer, fifth-year Biomedical Engineering student

“A kendama: it’s a lot of fun to play with and could keep me occupied for a while. You might even be able to use it to hunt.”

—Ben Jewell, Mechanical Engineering graduate student

The Graduate Student Government held their bi-monthly meeting on March 22 in EERC 103. 

USG Resolution No. 2021-2022 #002 was passed with 100% approval across GSG. The resolution calls for a Fall Mental Break for students, where they would have a few days to catch up on work and relax from their studies.

Vice President Ranit Karmakar, who also serves as The Lode’s media manager, discussed the progress and issues he’s noticed in his office. He reported the DOW elevator is in need of complete replacement. Karmakar doesn’t have to wait long – a new elevator in DOW is coming, estimated to be about $2.1 million and expected to be operating by Summer 2023. He also mentioned a surplus of new staff to the university’s plowing services, affecting current efficiency. However, staff capacity is currently back to pre-COVID levels and ready for next season.

The session saw the election of three new positions for 2022-2023: Lisa Eggart as Vice President, Jacob Knott as Secretary, and Karlee Westrem as Treasurer. The chair elections will occur during another session in April.

President Nathan Ford presented his report, stating the treasurer position is currently vacant. Separately, all current pending grants are approved, and Ford reassured the body that the backlog of vouchers will be processed. He also discussed how residential services acknowledged the flexibility needed for housing, so a block of apartments in Upper Daniell Heights will soon be available for month-to-month releases. They look to be available for tenants in June or July 2022.

Secretary Divya Pandya reported elections coming for chair positions in the Social Committee, Professional Development Committee, Research Committee, and Public Relations Committee. 

Election nominations can include department GSG representatives, E-board members, and other graduate students. For the GSG Meet and Greet event on March 4, Pandya reported how attendees had issues with current campus shuttling. Attendees expressed interest in opening shuttles to Hancock for students, faculty, and staff.

Additional information on the GSG, including events and policies, can be found at gsg.mtu.edu.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that presidential elections were happening in April. The elections that were happening are chair elections, not presidential elections. 

The ongoing COVID-19 Town Hall series held its 25th session on Feb. 24. It focused on how community members can care for their physical and mental health during COVID-19 and the health regulations.

The Town Hall series is presented by UP Health System – Portage and organized by Michigan Tech’s Health Research Institute. Panelists consisted of a mix of faculty and grad students addressing how the pandemic has affected socializing and overall health conditions.

Crystal McLeod, MA, LLP, Interim Director of the Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being, spoke up on the anxiety socializing may bring for some as restrictions are lifted. She stated how, “…one of [the ways to improve your comfort is] to go at your own pace. You certainly don’t need to say yes to everything right away….” She also recommended constructing a hierarchy of situations and to “start with those situations that may provoke some anxiety,” to help overcome that initial fear, instead of those that cause intense panic and discomfort 

Each session occurs on the last Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. EST, airing on the Zoom Webinar, UP Covid-19 Community Town Hall Facebook page, and on 97.7 The Wolf (WOLV-FM) and 107.7 Q107 (WMQT-FM). Additionally, the sessions are broadcasted on ABC 10 the following Sunday at 12:00 p.m. EST. 

Questions can be emailed ahead of time at townhall2020@mtu.edu. 

USG and Inter-Residential Housing Council held a dining services town hall on Feb. 22. Associate Vice President for Administration Teresa Coleman-Kaiser and Director of Dining Services Daryl Matthews presented the reasoning for closing Douglass Houghton Hall (DHH) Dining so far this semester. The issue lies in staffing shortages brought on by the pandemic. Both the Dining Manager and a food service helper left in December. Additionally, workers needed days off to deal with illness and weather conditions. The closure is meant to “avoid an unpredictable cycle of being open and closed,” as Coleman-Kaiser explained it. 

She announced that an enhanced continental breakfast is returning to DHH after March 14. This will run Mondays through Fridays from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. Coleman-Kaiser also stated “…we are still being asked by leadership at the university about how we might offer a more comprehensive lunch, whether it would be something that you could take out or serve in the dining hall.” 

After Coleman-Kaiser’s presentation, the board was opened to attending students to ask questions and pose feedback. One student commented on how DHH students have to go to other dining spots on campus to purchase meals. However, these students only received $100 in dining dollars. The student proposed, “…offering DHH residents a refund. I know [another student] was talking about how we are rationing dining dollars to have a better meal, say just grabbing a sub at the Library Cafe.” This comment wasn’t expanded on further.

Another student discussed the importance of DHH’s breakfast for community bonding in response to the suggestion that students cook their own meals as an alternative to the continental breakfast and the closure. She said, “…the number one way I got to meet people was during the DHH breakfast, and I think [with] Wads being so big it’s losing that community aspect cause you really just go with your friends and a lot of people get kind of cast aside.” Coleman-Kaiser added to this idea of community through the dining halls when discussing possibly reducing meal plan blocks for reducing costs: “There is a student-life component that is really important to living in the residence halls and meeting in the dining halls to build community…”

Students also brought up food quality issues at Wadsworth Dining, since the closing was meant to consolidate staff to strengthen service and quality at other dining halls. Concerns included steel wool strands reported in pizza slices, hairs in numerous home-cooked dishes, and undercooked chicken. Matthews responded by urging students to report these as soon as possible: “The more info I get, the more I can change…[There are] QR codes in residence halls to take pictures. Please be very specific because ‘food sucks’’ doesn’t tell me what it means.” Concerns and feedback can be filled out at https://www.mtu.-edu/dinig/about/food-dude/.

Correction: The former version of this article incorrectly identified Teresa Coleman-Kaiser’s last name as Coleman-Heister and her job title as Associate Vice President for Administration instead of Vice President of Administration. This has since been corrected. 

USG and Inter-Residential Housing Council held a dining services town hall on Feb. 22. Vice President of Administration Teresa Coleman-Heister and Director of Dining Services Daryl Matthews presented the reasoning for closing Douglass Houghton Hall (DHH) Dining so far this semester. The issue lies in staffing shortages brought on by the pandemic. Both the Dining Manager and a food service helper left in December. Additionally, workers needed days off to deal with illness and weather conditions. The closure is meant to “avoid an unpredictable cycle of being open and closed,” as Coleman-Heister explained it. 

She announced that an enhanced continental breakfast is returning to DHH after March 14. This will run Mondays through Fridays from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. Coleman-Heister also stated “…we are still being asked by leadership at the university about how we might offer a more comprehensive lunch, whether it would be something that you could take out or serve in the dining hall.” 

After Coleman-Heister’s presentation, the board was opened to attending students to ask questions and pose feedback. One student commented on how DHH students have to go to other dining spots on campus to purchase meals. However, these students only received $100 in dining dollars. The student proposed, “…offering DHH residents a refund. I know [another student] was talking about how we are rationing dining dollars to have a better meal, say just grabbing a sub at the Library Cafe.” This comment wasn’t expanded on further.

Another student discussed the importance of DHH’s breakfast for community bonding in response to the suggestion that students cook their own meals as an alternative to the continental breakfast and the closure. She said, “…the number one way I got to meet people was during the DHH breakfast, and I think [with] Wads being so big it’s losing that community aspect cause you really just go with your friends and a lot of people get kind of cast aside.” Coleman-Heister added to this idea of community through the dining halls when discussing possibly reducing meal plan blocks for reducing costs: “There is a student-life component that is really important to living in the residence halls and meeting in the dining halls to build community…”

Students also brought up food quality issues at Wadsworth Dining, since the closing was meant to consolidate staff to strengthen service and quality at other dining halls. Concerns included steel wool strands reported in pizza slices, hairs in numerous home-cooked dishes, and undercooked chicken. Matthews responded by urging students to report these as soon as possible: “The more info I get, the more I can change…[There are] QR codes in residence halls to take pictures. Please be very specific because ‘food sucks’’ doesn’t tell me what it means.” Concerns and feedback can be filled out at https://www.mtu.-edu/dinig/about/food-dude/.

Edited Feb. 2, 2022

President Koubek’s email from Feb. 16 about Tech’s changing safety levels was a major topic of discussion during the public comments at the senate meeting the same day. Senators quickly brought up how Winter Carnival’s 14-day incubation period for possible COVID-19 cases won’t be up by Feb. 25. John Lehman of the Flex Team was present at the senate meeting and commented on this decision. He discussed the Flex Team’s roles on campus, but, as was pointed out by a university senator, he didn’t directly include protecting the health of students and staff as one of its roles. Lehman also stated, “The masks became more about a personal decision to protect ourselves. We understand there are additive benefits to other people around you when you have a mask on.” Senator Paniz Khanmohammad Hazaveh discussed with him how the word “additive” doesn’t reflect the primary role masks play in COVID-19 precautions.

Dr. Timothy Scarlett of Social Sciences presented findings from the Mont Ripley ravine excavation site. Mont Ripley was damaged heavily during the 2018 Father’s Day Flood. Before repair work to the slopes could occur, the Archeological Department needed to conduct a survey for possible historical significance. Scarlett stated that “The flood destroyed a lot, but it also exposed a lot. The team investigated uncovered depressions and analyzed the soil samples. While no artifacts were found in the investigation, there were pockets of 5,000 year old soil amongst the older layers.” He implied these were the result of prehistoric copper mining from natives living below on the shores. Scarlett added, “The Ripley ravine has within it 5,000 years of landscape modification.”

He questioned the public about whether Michigan Tech is fully analyzing the land they own. He urged for further discussion with communities on what to do with these sites. Scarlett admitted, “I don’t have conclusions. I don’t know what to do. But that’s why I wanted to come out and talk.” Scarlett emphasized the need for the university to engage with local communities on major resource finds like these. He added that there are “unparalleled opportunities to open up conversations, especially with the nearby native populations.” He ended his presentation by reassuring the public that these sites of ancient copper mining will be fine so long as people don’t mess with them.

Dr. Wallace Southerland III, Dean of Students, presented a brief overview of his academic administrative experience and the importance of Student Affairs in the senate. He discussed his involvement at campus events and within student spaces like the dining halls and broomball courts. He stated how “a lot of Tech students are caring, socially-conscious, and mindful” when discussing his interactions.

“I would like to see the Senate rethink its perceptions of Student Affairs and see us much more than ‘the fun people who keep students busy.’” Southerland expressed his desire for Student Affairs to receive the dignity and respect from the Senate that affairs provides to other departments.

Five new proposals were brought up towards the meeting’s end: Proposal 21-22 introduces a new degree in Business Analytics, Proposal 22-22 introduces a Pre-Pharmacy Concentration in the chemistry program, Proposal 28-22 shelves the M.S. degree in Applied Science Education,
Proposal 29-22 proposes a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy, introduced by Social Sciences, and Proposal 32-22 proposes an amendment to Senate policy procedures on curriculum proposal requirements. These proposals will be voted on at the next senate meeting on March 2 in DOW 642 at 5:30 p.m.

Correction: The former version of this article incorrectly claimed that John Lehman stated masks were for individual safety instead of community safety. This was changed out with the actual quote from senate recordings and the addressing senator’s argument more accurately portrayed.

In years past, Winter Carnival wasn’t as reliably run as it is today. The original Ice Carnival ran until 1930, when the Depression made the festival financially implausible. In 1936, Michigan Tech’s Blue Key Honor Society Chapter revived Carnival for students, faculty, and communities in nearby Houghton and the Copper Country. 

President Ian Lawrie of Blue Key emphasized the increased inclusivity Blue Key strives for this weekend. “We listen to the feedback, and we try to be as inclusive as we can.”

 Last year saw the addition of the “free-agent option” to the snow sculpting contest. According to Lawrie, it allows for more participation from students who might not be able to work with a hall or organization. 

Vice President Rachel May added how the royalty competition includes more genders for more contestants. She stated their objective is “…offering Winter Carnival to every single person on campus.” May added that more snow sport and entertainment events were added this year, as “more people wanted to do events, and we really tried to promote that.” Lawrie added that Blue Key and Film Board are offering free showings of The Greatest Showman in Fisher 135. This includes free admission and free popcorn for everyone who comes, including non-students and faculty. 

Lawrie sees Winter Carnival as “almost a service project. We help out the Tech community, the student community, and we bring people from all over here.” He admitted, “Even though I enjoyed participating in [Carnival], I enjoy planning these events more.” Lawrie finds “calm in the chaos” watching students participate in events he planned.

Before joining Blue Key, May enjoyed Winter Carnival as a break from classes and celebration of winter. As Vice President, she understands “…all the hard work and dedication people put into this celebration.” Like Lawrie, she enjoys seeing Carnival come together for students. However, the low numbers have kept the chapter’s scope of events limited.

Lawrie stated, “We’re always looking [for new members]. If anyone wants to help organize, Blue Key is looking for those members, anyone dedicated to planning these events.” He invites those interested to send a message directly: “Our emails are always being looked at by me.”

For additional information, those interested in joining can send an email to bluekey@mtu.edu. 

On Feb. 2, the University Senate welcomed Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Administration Susan Kerry to their meeting. She presented the university’s financial standings based on last year’s data. Kerry began the presentation by stating, “We’re in a place more stable financially,” comparing it to 2020. 

Kerry presented the University Dashboard initiative as a developing project under Administration. Their goal is to create transparency in data for clearer decision making. These dashboards are accessible at www.mtu.edu/institutional-research/university-dashboards/, ultimately “open to all the university community and the board of trustees,” according to Kerry. It would provide in-depth financial ratings, enrollment statistics, expected university revenue, and other potentially-beneficial information for everyone to access.

Kerry brought up the Campus Master plan and presented last week’s draft. She discussed that there has been “all kinds of opportunities for engagement in this work,” referring to the drafting and revisions. She showed the senate the renders for the downtown gateway, where first and second-year housing will replace the Alumni House, along with a parking structure over parking Lot 11. Additionally, East Gateway housing will house between 500 to 600 beds with waterfront views. When questioned why construction was highlighted in the Campus Master plan over renovations, Kerry reaffirmed that renovations in current spaces were the top priority before constructing new housing.

She presented the Fiscal Year 2021 evaluations, where the university was evaluated on their financial strengths and weaknesses. She noted that strengths included favorable fundraising on a per-student basis, as well as good revenue diversification for university funds. However, she stated that “We have not invested in facilities as we should.” Additional issues noted included a highly-competitive student market and higher cost business model associated with STEM focus that constrain budget flexibility for unexpected costs/challenges.

Kerry brought up Moody’s credit opinion, which rated the university at A1, or stable. However, she reaffirmed that declined enrollment and net tuition revenue could downgrade credit rating. She presented enrollment numbers to show Michigan Tech’s growth within the past year. In 2021, 7,006 students were enrolled, up from 6,875 in 2020. It was one of only two institutions in the state of Michigan that saw a positive increase in student enrollment (University of Michigan was the other). Kerry affirmed that this showed a turnaround for the university and opportunity to progress forward.

She also brought up improvements to university faculty benefits, such as tuition reimbursement for employee dependents, larger life insurance coverage, and other employee benefits. She states their goal is to “sustain a healthy, inclusive and engaging work environment.” 

As for unfinished business from the last meeting, Proposal 25-22 was presented and approved. It would create an ad-hoc committee to update senate bylaws and requirements. No new proposals were presented afterwards.Recordings, agendas, and minutes for all senate meetings can be found at https://www.mtu.edu/senate/meetings/.

Last week on Jan. 27, the Sustainability and Resilience Council held two, 75-minute forums over Zoom from 4 – 7 p.m. At the 5:30 forum, Alan Turnquist, director of Sustainability and Resilience, broke down the Sustainability Action Plan draft into a “basic framework” of the action plans. He stated that the original draft had  “27 categories instead of eight” and was “completely indigestible.” These sessions would help with refining.

The draft consisted of three parts: stewardship, academics, and integration. Stewardship looks into reducing the carbon footprint, waste production, and harmful university investments. Academics seek to educate Michigan Tech students, staff, and the community about sustainability and its significance today. Integration plans to utilize these two areas into all aspects of the university and community through a “Living Lab” environment. 

Discussions of these parts were held between attendants. One attendant, Kristine Bradof, is a current member of the City of Houghton Planning Commission and formerly part of Center for Science and Environmental Outreach when she worked at Michigan Tech. Bradof brought up the issue she observed of facilities paying for campus utilities, rather than by department. Thus, there wasn’t much concern from individual departments to conserve. She considered it a barrier in prioritizing energy saving measures.

Kendra Lachcik, a Sustainability Demonstration House tenant and member of Climate Reality Campus Corps, recommended that every major dedicate a course to sustainability. She stated, “it’s fundamental for everything you’re working on.” She argued that sustainability was “easier to achieve for an overall mindset. In every class, it should be mentioned. Professors should make an effort to talk with students…It should be discussed when you’re talking about cars, or circuits, or pretty much anything.” 

Gabriel Ahrendt, a Graduate Student Government Representative for Environment and Sustainability, added onto Lachcik’s dialogue by reaffirming the need for mandatory sustainability courses within general education. He added on how research projects should be measured for sustainability and not damaging to the environment. Ahrendt recommended Michigan Tech should “…phase out research that’s ultimately damaging to the climate.”

Arlethia Bell, an Environmental Engineering Student, noted the current issue of food waste in dining halls. She recommended bringing back the “to-go” boxes from the 2020-2021 school year. She reasoned that this system is helpful “because you could just take it and leave.” Bell suggested incorporating the current HuskyLid project into creating the to-go boxes to make them reusable. 

Brian Goldberg, a member of Green Campus Enterprise, proposed a universal, sustainability educational program, emphasizing the importance of all majors being included. He stated that “If you’re not an environmental engineer, you might not know how important sustainability is.” He also recommended including faculty with learning about sustainability, as they have “as high a priority as students.”

Sushree Dash, a PhD Student in Philosophy, suggested a ban on sustainable practices, noting that “There are multiple sustainable options people don’t look at.”

Viewers were given the draft to look over and discuss each part amongst themselves in breakout rooms. Then, everyone was brought back and asked their questions or shared their ideas with Turnquist. 

At the evening’s end, Turnquist stated, “I’m here and I’m all ears, and I want to engage…I want to keep the conversation going.” He invited students and the community to continue discussions like these.

To get emails about upcoming planning events and projects, people can contact Turnquist at aturnquist@mtu.edu or fill out this form.