SPEC to discuss minority involvement

Discussing a proposal submitted last year by the United Minorities Council, the Social Planning and Events Committee will meet tonight to debate the role of minority involvement in planning this year's social events. The UMC proposed last year that a UMC representative be given permanent voting position on the SPEC executive board. During its first two semesters of operation last year, SPEC's executive committee included non-voting, ex-officio members of the UMC, Student Activities Council and the Nominations and Elections Committee. But these positions on the executive committee will be abolished at the end of the semester. Tonight's meeting between SPEC's 35-member steering committee and the group's executive board will also include debate over whether to establish permanent positions for SAC and the NEC on the committee. UMC Chairperson Nalini Samuel said last night that the UMC wants a permanent place on SPEC as a "check" to protect minority concerns because members of the social planning committee are not elected. "The sole purpose of the UMC member would be to make sure that SPEC would have events that would encompass the whole University," Samuel said. SPEC chairperson Varsha Rao said that tonight's meeting will focus on how to increase minority involvement in planning events and increasing minority attendance at University-wide functions. Rao said that the group will discuss several options including intensifying minority recruitment for SPEC. Rao said she hopes to attract between 500 and 1000 freshman to work for SPEC this year. She said she wants the organization to plan events that will attract the entire undergraduate community. Tonight's meeting's agenda also allots time for budget discussion and debate about the group's by-laws.

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