IFC Minutes for August 30, 2005
In attendance: Jeff Lidke, Chair, Provost Tom Dasher, Steve Bell, Anne Lewinson, David McKenzie, Emmie Newton, Judy Thompson, Jim Watkins, Harvey Hill, Zac Greene, Brent Simoneaux, Michael Bailey
1. Opening reflections/contemplations/prayer
Stephen Bell and David McKenzie opened the meeting with a reflection and a prayer, respectively.
2. Introduction of new IFC members.
At Lidke’s invitation, the new members (Bailey, Watkins, Thompson, and Newton) introduced themselves to the IFC.
3. Discussion of IFC mission.
Lidke read the IFC mission and the Council briefly discussed it. Watkins recapped what he believed to be of the two-fold mission of the IFC. The Council reaffirmed the mission.
4. Election of 2005-2006 IFC Chair
Lidke was unanimously reelected to serve as the IFC Chair.
5. Discussion of programming and other sub-committees.
Conversation focused on whether the IFC should program events through a programming subcommittee or whether through the Council itself. Newton said she believed it was important that all parts of community have a voice. Bell urged that, regardless of the Council’s decision on this question, it was important for the council to draft a campus-wide survey for students to convey their desires and opinions for the IFC. He also said that the task would not be too burdensome for the committee since most of the planning for fall takes place in the summer. Discussion turned to whether Dean Heida planned to allow the IFC to use the newly proposed Culture House. Bell proposed, and the council concurred, that Dean Heida be invited to speak to the IFC about her plans for Culture House.
6. Discussion of Kathleen Addy’s proposal to offer a meditation class at the Interfaith Center.
Lidke outlined his reasons for advancing the proposal: first, so the IFC could reach out to the broader community in the spirit of friendship (in this regard he pointed out that one of the principles of the Interfaith movement is to connect both within and across communities); and second, to give students an opportunity to pursue Zen meditation techniques taught by seasoned instructors. Thompson asked for the reasons the group wished to make use of the campus, to which Lidke responded that they needed a new location to continue their practice. Bailey thanked Lidke for his role in leading meditation classes last year and suggested he would be less likely to attend a class led by persons outside the Berry Community. Discussion quickly focused on the propriety, given Berry’s rules, of allowing external groups using the facilities free of charge. Dasher urged the Council to think in terms of precedent; inviting this group to campus on an ongoing basis means that other groups would have to be permitted as well. Lewinson proposed that the Council invite the group once to assess student turnout. Bell said that Berry’s rules require charging external groups who use Berry’s facilities, a point which Dasher reaffirmed. Watkins urged Lidke to consult Chaplain McConkey about restrictions on the use of the Interfaith Center, and Bell suggested that for their first few visits they could be come as guests sponsored by the IFC. Dasher thought that perhaps the IFC could offer an ongoing series on various forms of meditation. Everyone agreed that Lidke should consult McConkey on the proper use of the IFC Center.
7. Programming for fall and spring.
Lidke walked the Council through the fall program. After an extensive conversation about the Samhain program, the Council agreed (in large measure) on the following points:
- The program may not be without controversy (though members disagreed on the likely extent of the controversy).
- It is essential that the IFC not be dissuaded from putting on programs merely because a given religion or religious practice is unpopular with some members of the campus.
- A central part of the mission of the IFC is to provide Berry community members, in all their spiritual diversity, the opportunity to practice their various faiths as well as to educate the Berry community about their faiths in a safe and welcoming space.
- If we categorically deny the opportunity for persons practicing the Wiccan religion to make use of the IFC Center, the IFC mission will be unfulfilled.
- The language of the Samhain proposal should be reworded to drop the last sentence and add the words “explanatory ritual” in the third sentence to read as such: “The lecture and explanatory ritual, led by a local Wiccan community…”
- A panel discussion about the meaning of Halloween-including its roots in both Pagan and Christian traditions—should be offered prior to the Samhain program.
- That, because of point “A” above, President Colley and Chaplain McConkey be consulted about the program.
The Council was more divided on the following point:
- The pacing for deciding the details of the program. The “go slow” advocates believed that all due care ought to be given to how we conceive the program and how we present it to the broader community. They also suggested that time constraints did not permit President Colley and Chaplain McConkey the opportunity to provide a proper response to the program. The “let’s move on it” advocates countered that the program had been distributed for some time now and that no concerns had been raised. Moreover, the best time to distribute the program is the following day at the “Meet the IFC” activity. Not giving out the calendar of events at that time would be a missed opportunity to advertise the Council’s activities.
8. Preparation for ‘Meet the IFC’.
This was discussed concurrently with point 7 above. The Council decided to approve handing out the fall program, with inclusion of the Samhain program, contingent on two points:
- That the program be reworded along the lines noted above; and
- That the program receive approval from President Colley and Chaplain McConkey.
9. New business.
None
The Council adjourned at 5:30.
Respectfully submitted by Michael Bailey