On Tuesday, Oct. 9, ASMC is hosting an annual community meeting for all Mills staff and students at 5 p.m. in the Staff Faculty Lounge to discuss proposed changes in the way Mills communicates technologically.
Interim Dean of Students Kathleen Rice and ASMC President Rebecca Freeman will oversee the meeting.
Chief of Staff and Vice President of Operations Renee Jadushlever along with Information Technology Services staff will discuss the possibility of the Mills email system moving away from Microsoft Outlook and being hosted by Gmail as well as the college’s potential migration to “the cloud,” or network-based services.
“Now, when clubs, committees, faculty or groups want to share files or collaborate they must have a Google account,” said Miranda Felix, ASMC Public Relations Chair. “It’s not streamlined.”
“I love Google Drive,” said Jessica Kyo, ASMC Vice President, who uses the group-friendly Google service for personal use as a student. “It’s really efficient.”
Freeman and Rice will facilitate questions, concerns and comments regarding the shift to Google mail services and cloud services, as well as how Mills can use technology like live streaming to benefit international students.
“When we’re in the admissions process it can be difficult to reassure (an international student) that Mills is a good fit. They can’t visit campus, but a video chat would help them feel welcome,” Felix said.
Freeman and Rice will also lead an open forum welcoming student questions, feedback and concerns regarding any other issues.
In the past, community meetings have resulted in evident change for the college.
Kyo recalls her first attendance at a community meeting last year for the discussion of smoking concerns on campus.
“The Student Union was filled,” Kyo said. The meeting resulted in a smoke-reduced campus that only allows smoking within designated areas.
“I was in awe of there being an opportunity and a process for students to voice their concerns about something that would affect the entire college,” Kyo said.
According to the memorandum sent to Mills students by Freeman on Oct. 3, ASMC has decided to reach out to students who are unable to attend the meeting by requesting their questions beforehand via email to make sure their concerns are heard. Questions or concerns can be sent to
asmcpresident@mills.edu.
Members of the Mills community can also watch the meeting live online at thecampanil.com.
