FEAST (Food, Energy and Sustainability Team) is an Occidental College student-club dedicated to studying, enjoying and discussing the connection between our food and the environment.
The Garden
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| "Bruce Steele Garden" |
History
In the spring of 2009, a group of students, led by Elissa Chandler '10, petitioned the administration for a site on Occidental College's campus to start a student-run organic garden. With an incredible amount of hard work and the unending guidance of Bruce Steele and Mark Vallianatos, we built our first compost pile using pre-consumer food scraps from the Marketplace, clippings from facilities and straw on March 15th, 2009. We continued our compost operation for the remainder of the semester and during the summer a group of students put in raised beds, broke ground and began planting. The first harvest came in August as patty-pan squash, pees, chard and kale ripened.
The 2010 academic year saw a ton of development with the completion of all the raised beds, the construction of a chicken coop and the addition of 5 hens (Big Red, Thor, Mary-Lou, Delilah and Madge) to our garden. We are forever indebted to Dylan McCalmont '10 and Giulia Pasciuto '10 who were absolutely instrumental in raising and caring for the chicks turned chickens. As a club, we baked pumpkin pies for A Taste of Oxy, collaborated with UEP 246 for a haunted house in the garden, screened movies (Food Inc. and Tapped), planted kale, arugula, fava beans, chard, radishes, beets, carrots, among other things, and supplied some of our produce to Well Fed and used some for a couple of F.E.A.S.T. feasts.
| Video History: a huge Thanks to Dylan Sittig '13 and Laura Frankel '10 |
The 2010 academic year saw a ton of development with the completion of all the raised beds, the construction of a chicken coop and the addition of 5 hens (Big Red, Thor, Mary-Lou, Delilah and Madge) to our garden. We are forever indebted to Dylan McCalmont '10 and Giulia Pasciuto '10 who were absolutely instrumental in raising and caring for the chicks turned chickens. As a club, we baked pumpkin pies for A Taste of Oxy, collaborated with UEP 246 for a haunted house in the garden, screened movies (Food Inc. and Tapped), planted kale, arugula, fava beans, chard, radishes, beets, carrots, among other things, and supplied some of our produce to Well Fed and used some for a couple of F.E.A.S.T. feasts.
This summer (2010), Mat Gordon and Taylor Griggs, are the summer interns in charge of taking care of the garden, chickens, and organizing gardening times while Nick Conti has been valiantly leading an effort to expand our operation to include a beautiful, South-facing, terraced hillside site that is near Rangieview. Our current location by UEPI has provided an excellent location for planting and composting but the lack of bountiful direct sunlight has hindered our ability to grow sun-loving plants, like pumpkins, tomatoes and corn. We will keep you all posted as we make headway with this initiative and as things get back into full swing as Fall semester 2010 starts.
FEAST Constitution
Occidental College
September 9, 2010
ARTICLE I: Definition
Section 1:
The name of the organization outlined by this constitution will be known as FEAST (Food, Energy and Sustainability Team).
Section 2:
FEAST will seek to educate its members and the larger Occidental College and Eagle Rock communities about sustainable, local and organic food as well as the cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of the current food system in the United States and the world. We will accomplish this through hands-on education in our on-campus organic garden, fieldtrips, film screenings, guest speakers and other educational events.
ARTICLE II: Membership
Section 1:
FEAST is open to all students, faculty, staff and administrators who are passionate about sustainable, local food and want to participate in the club’s mission and goal of educating our campus. Voting rights and eligibility for leadership positions are reserved for all currently enrolled students at Occidental College. Faculty, staff and administrators can participate in our meetings, gardening activities, events and hold positions on our Steering Committee.
For students, full and active membership in FEAST will require regular attendance to meetings and active participation in the efforts of our club, including but not limited to planting, harvesting, composting, other garden work and caring for our chickens. There are no club dues but members may have to contribute funds in order to participate in fieldtrips.
FEAST “does not discriminate against…[members] because of race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law” (Student Handbook).
Section 2:
Grounds for expulsion from membership in FEAST include exhibiting disinterest or disrespect for the club’s values and/or fellow members or other types of behavior that would warrant expulsion by the Executive Board. The expulsion of any member from FEAST must be passed by a majority plus one of the Executive Board.
Section 3:
Quorum, which consists of a majority of the Executive Board, must be reached for official business to be conducted.
ARTICLE III: Leadership
Section 1:
FEAST will primarily be governed by an Executive Board that consists of seven to twelve members. These positions are open to any committed member interested in taking on leadership responsibility. The members of the Executive Board will be deeply involved with the transfer of leadership to the new Board members. If more than twelve general members want to be on the Executive Board and/or there is an irresolvable dispute about a particular position, then general membership elections will be held. In addition to the Executive Board, a Steering Committee of five to seven faculty, staff and administrators will guide the club’s leadership and long-term health. This framework of both student leadership and institutional oversight will ensure long-term viability and foster a working relationship between the club and the college.
Section 2:
All active members of FEAST who display commitment, reliability, passion and interest in leadership are eligible for the Executive Board. Members must meet the college’s requirements for holding club leadership positions: be in good academic standing, be in good judicial standing and be a fully enrolled student.
All faculty, staff or administrators who have a keen interest in the work of FEAST or are involved with us in their official capacity are eligible to be part of the Steering Committee.
Section 3.0:
The Executive Board will be the governing body of FEAST; it will provide leadership for the club, organize composting, planting, harvesting, and caring for the chickens, organize events and ensure the health of the club. The Executive Board will consist of seven to twelve leadership positions, which will either be filled by interest, in the absence of competition, or by election, if there are more interested members than leadership positions available. The positions will include a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, a garden manager, a compost manager, a chicken caretaker, a meal coordinator and an events and outreach coordinator. In addition, more than one person can take on any given role. Of this Executive Board, two or more members (including the president) will attend the meetings of the Steering Committee.
Section 3.1:
The president will be responsible for the overall leadership of the club, overseeing the activities of the Executive Board, communicating with the Steering Committee and administration, facilitating projects and fostering future leadership. The president will also organize the care of the garden during school vacations (including winter and summer breaks) together with the garden manager, the compost manager and the chicken caretaker. Furthermore, the president will be responsible for posting blog entries and maintaining the FEAST website or delegating those tasks.
Section 3.2:
The vice-president can either be an independent position or an added title to any of the other leadership positions on the Executive Board, excluding the president. The vice-president will help with all of the tasks and roles taken on by the president, specifically communication with the administration.
Section 3.3:
The treasurer will be responsible for the club account with the Office of Student Life, manage club finances, help organize fundraising events and ensure that applications for funding get completed and submitted.
Section 3.4:
The garden manager will make decisions about what crops to plant, when to plant and harvest, watering and pest management strategies. He/she will also oversee and guide members during gardening sessions throughout the academic year.
Section 3.5:
The composting manager will facilitate the acquisition of pre-consumer food scraps from the Marketplace, coffee grounds from the Green Bean and clippings from Facilities. He/She will also be in charge of orchestrating and building the compost pile during gardening sessions throughout the academic year together with other members.
Section 3.6:
The chicken caretaker will be in charge of our chickens, organize feeding and food purchase, watering, cleaning of the coop, egg collection and distribution and overall chicken health.
Section 3.7:
The meal coordinator will organize periodic club meals and work with the garden manager in choosing crops.
Section 3.8:
The events and outreach coordinator will be in charge of organizing food events on campus, film screenings, guest speakers, fundraising events, partnerships with other organizations and field trips. He/she will also help the president facilitate communication with the administration.
Section 4:
The Steering Committee will be comprised of five to seven members of the faculty, staff or administration who are committed to supporting the mission of FEAST. The president and/or Executive Board will choose the members of the Steering Committee, one of which is the club’s faculty advisor. This committee will provide a long-term vision for the club and its work by overcoming the impermanence of student leadership. Furthermore, committee members will work closely with the Executive Board and provide administrative support for the club.
Section 5:
Members of the Executive Board can be removed from leadership duties by a majority plus one of the remaining Executive Board members if actions are deemed inappropriate and grounds for dismissal.
Members of the Steering Committee can be removed from leadership duties by a majority plus one of the Executive Board if actions are deemed inappropriate and grounds for dismissal.
Section 6:
In the event of a mid-term departure of any Executive Board member (excluding the president), any general FEAST member who wishes, may fill the vacancy, with a majority approval of the rest of the Executive Board.
In the event of a mid-term departure of the president, the Executive Board will approve the vice-president or another one of its members by a majority to fill the position.
ARTICLE IV: Elections
Section 1:
In order to better facilitate the transfer of leadership duties, members can be elected to the positions on the Executive Board for semester-long or one-year terms, depending on preference and schedules. Elections will be held near the end of the each semester when needed, no later than the week before the finals period. The general FEAST membership will be notified in advance by email about the election process. The current Executive Board will decide on an election method, whether it is a physical or electronic process. The Executive Board will be elected by a simple majority of voting FEAST members (members who participate in the election).
ARTICLE V: Amendments and Ratification
Section 1:
Constitutional amendments can be made by any member of the Executive Board and must be approved by majority plus one of that body (including the president) and a simple majority of the voting general membership. Any amendments made must be followed by a prompt submission of the updated constitution to OSL.
