[2479] in UA Exec
World Cafe Idea
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Andy Trattner)
Sun May 15 23:36:55 2016
Reply-To: trattner@mit.edu
Date: Sun, 15 May 2016 23:36:51 -0400
From: Andy Trattner <trattner@mit.edu>
To: Daysi N Gomez <gomezd@mit.edu>
Cc: Sally Susnowitz <susnowit@mit.edu>, ua-exec@mit.edu
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Hi Daysi,
I forgot to follow up with you on our conversation of a couple weeks ago. I
was speaking with Sally (cc'd), and we came to this awesome "world cafe"
idea based on what Sally had done previously as head of the Public Service
Center.
There are administrators who feel like they lack student feedback or simply
don't know how to obtain a broader perspective than perhaps what Institute
committee members feed them or perhaps just would like more opportunities
to interact with students. There are also students who do not have time nor
inclination to join committees or lobby student leaders to convey their
perspectives (and perhaps tend to complain after a policy is announced
rather than trying to influence its course).
The idea to help these people get in touch is to bring ~30 students and ~30
administrators together for a 3-course dinner where each course requires a
seat change and possibly a guiding discussion question for each table.
Perhaps each participant would get 10 cards with name and email so that if
a discussion is particularly fruitful, the members can follow up with one
another by exchanging contact cards. Sally mentioned that she could
possibly help with the venue and food, and it seems that this would not be
too hard to handle once per semester in terms of just inviting people to a
date and time, and polling for some questions. Perhaps UA members could use
it as a sort of banquet or general hang-out.
Not sure if this description makes sense; feel free to call or we can get
coffee and chat about it. I see it primarily as an opportunity to get more
actionable feedback and better relations among the student body and
administrators/faculty than current events such as the mental health forums
or random dinners with admins held recently in dorms. These tend to be more
confrontational or just descriptive as opposed to productive and helping to
envision the future. Do you have any thoughts or additional things you
might see this being useful for?
Sally may want to add some details or perspective, but I guess the main
question is, who do you think would be the best person on the UA side to
help make this happen?
Cheers,
Andy
262-314-4291
_____
*availability*
<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=andtratt%40gmail.com&ctz=America/New_York>
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<div dir=3D"ltr">Hi Daysi,<div><br></div><div>I forgot to follow up with yo=
u on our conversation of a couple weeks ago. I was speaking with Sally (cc&=
#39;d), and we came to this awesome "world cafe" idea based on wh=
at Sally had done previously as head of the Public Service Center.</div><di=
v><br></div><div>There are administrators who feel like they lack student f=
eedback or simply don't know how to obtain a broader perspective than p=
erhaps what Institute committee members feed them or perhaps just would lik=
e more opportunities to interact with students. There are also students who=
do not have time nor inclination to join committees or lobby student leade=
rs to convey their perspectives (and perhaps tend to complain after a polic=
y is announced rather than trying to influence its course).=C2=A0</div><div=
><br></div><div>The idea to help these people get in touch is to bring ~30 =
students and ~30 administrators together for a 3-course dinner where each c=
ourse requires a seat change and possibly a guiding discussion question for=
each table. Perhaps each participant would get 10 cards with name and emai=
l so that if a discussion is particularly fruitful, the members can follow =
up with one another by exchanging contact cards. Sally mentioned that she c=
ould possibly help with the venue and food, and it seems that this would no=
t be too hard to handle once per semester in terms of just inviting people =
to a date and time, and polling for some questions. Perhaps UA members coul=
d use it as a sort of banquet or general hang-out.</div><div><br></div><div=
>Not sure if this description makes sense; feel free to call or we can get =
coffee and chat about it. I see it primarily as an opportunity to get more =
actionable feedback and better relations among the student body and adminis=
trators/faculty than current events such as the mental health forums or ran=
dom dinners with admins held recently in dorms. These tend to be more confr=
ontational or just descriptive as opposed to productive and helping to envi=
sion the future. Do you have any thoughts or additional things you might se=
e this being useful for?</div><div><br></div><div>Sally may want to add som=
e details or perspective, but I guess the main question is, who do you thin=
k would be the best person on the UA side to help make this happen?</div><d=
iv><br clear=3D"all"><div><div class=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><=
div><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><di=
v dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><font=
color=3D"#000000">Cheers,</font></div><div><font color=3D"#000000">Andy</f=
ont></div><div><font color=3D"#000000">262-314-4291</font></div><div style=
=3D"text-align:right"><font color=3D"#000000">_____</font></div><div style=
=3D"text-align:right"><a href=3D"https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed=
?src=3Dandtratt%40gmail.com&ctz=3DAmerica/New_York" style=3D"font-size:=
12.8px" target=3D"_blank"><font size=3D"1"><i>availability</i></font></a><f=
ont color=3D"#999999" size=3D"1"><br></font></div><br></div></div></div></d=
iv></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div></div>
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