Bryn Mawr College SGA Meeting – April 12, 2015
Roll Call
Announcements
Your Two Cents
Old Business
New Business
Roll Call
Present: Anna Kalinsky, Delaney Williams, Kristian Sumner, Grace Kim, Chanel Williams, Aleja Newman, Odeymarys Garrido, Ann Tran, Connie Lam, Shaina Robinson, Lyntana Brougham, Dani Weismann, Angie Koo, Carly Breen, Melanie Bahti, Joy Chan, Rachel Feynman, Prerana Vaddi, Leah Kahler, Olivia Hollinger, Elaine Holehan, Sofia Oleas, Marian Slocum, Shakari Badgett, Jillian Moroney, Sneha Bendapudi, Heidi Gay, Rhea Manglani, Brenna Levitin, Julia Kim, Jessica Bernal, Modupe Olufemi, Mikah Farbo, Natalie DiFrank, Miranda Smith, Makala Forster, Stephanie Montalvan, Lindsay Burak, Gabrielle Crossnoe, Nkechi Ampah, Catherine Wagner, Alexis McDonald
Absent: Anna Sargeant, Pamudu Tennakoon, Pam Gassman, Dijia Chen, Swetha Narasimhan, Xavia Miles, Ava Hawkinson, Matison Hearn-Desautels, Leigh Peterson, Julie Henrikson.
Charlie Bruce ‘16 called the meeting to order at 7:10pm.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Hey everyone, I’m going to add a new part to tonight’s meeting. After last week’s discussion of perceived exclusivity of the meetings, I wanted to add “SGA Slang” to this meeting that will explain the procedure to oldies and newbies.
Main Motion: I have a motion to discuss. If someone else agrees with me, then this is our topic of discussion for the next 5 minutes.
Motion to Extend Time: I think we need to talk more about this…
Motion to Call the question: I say, let’s vote!
Motion to Table Discussion: How ‘bout talking about this later?
Out of Order: Hold-up! That was out of line.
Point of Information: Can I have more information please?
Point of Clarification: Respond to question; clarify confusion
Motion to Adjourn: I think it’s time to get out of here.
Friendly Amendment: Just a little change to motion; requires no vote.
Unfriendly Amendment: This change is a big deal; let’s vote on it.
Elizabeth Vandenberg ‘16: I have a question. Should we say name and class year before a friendly amendment?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Yes!
Roll Call
Angela Motte ’17: Hi everyone! Just letting everyone know that in accordance with the state of Pennsylvania’s laws I am informing you that I will be recording this meeting.
Present: Anna Kalinsky, Delaney Williams, Kristian Sumner, Grace Kim, Chanel Williams, Aleja Newman, Odeymarys Garrido, Ann Tran, Connie Lam, Shaina Robinson, Lyntana Brougham, Dani Weismann, Angie Koo, Carly Breen, Melanie Bahti, Joy Chan, Rachel Feynman, Prerana Vaddi, Leah Kahler, Olivia Hollinger, Elaine Holehan, Sofia Oleas, Marian Slocum, Shakari Badgett, Jillian Moroney, Sneha Bendapudi, Heidi Gay, Rhea Manglani, Brenna Levitin, Julia Kim, Jessica Bernal, Modupe Olufemi, Mikah Farbo, Natalie DiFrank, Miranda Smith, Makala Forster, Stephanie Montalvan, Lindsay Burak, Gabrielle Crossnoe, Nkechi Ampah, Catherine Wagner, Alexis McDonald
Absent: Anna Sargeant, Pamudu Tennakoon, Pam Gassman, Dijia Chen, Swetha Narasimhan, Xavia Miles, Ava Hawkinson, Matison Hearn-Desautels, Leigh Peterson, Julie Henrikson.
Angela Motte ‘17: Thank you guys!
Charlie Bruce ‘16: That was the fastest roll call ever!
Angela Motte ‘17: Thanks!
Charlie Bruce ’16: Next on the agenda is Announcements. During this item, any new items for discussion, questions, or announcements can be made. We have allotted ten minutes for this agenda item.
Announcements
Heidi Gay ‘15: Hi, I’m Heidi, the Head of the Student Curriculum Committee. Proctor sign ups will start tomorrow – look out for an email in your inbox through the class listservs. Cheers!
Joy Chan ‘17 and Delaney Williams ‘17: Hello all, April elections are well underway. Nominations are open from now until tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. If you have been nominated, but haven’t accepted the nomination yet please do so by tomorrow morning. Even if you nominated yourself, you need to accept the nomination to run. Please accept your nominations as soon as possible.
Elizabeth Vandenberg ‘16: I thought according to our constitution we had a day after nominations close to accept?
Delany Williams ‘17: I can check. Candidates forum will take place this Thursday 4-16 at 6:30 pm in Dalton 300. Voting will take place Monday 4-20 and Tuesday 4-21 on Moodle. Remember to vote, and to get all of your friends to vote!
Aleja Newman ‘17: What if you can’t go?
Joy Chan ‘17: Contact us and we’ll let you know more specifically.
Aleja Newman ’17 and Odeymarys Garrido’17: Sophomore Celebration! It’ll be this Tuesday April 14th in TGH from 7-8pm. You can come if you’re declared or not. The ticket pick-up ended April 10th but you can email Mary Beth Horvath with any questions. There will be dessert and a raffle. Her email is mhorvath@brynmawr.edu
Shakari Badgett ‘17: Are tickets still being passed out?
Aleja Newman ’17: Email MB Horvath.
Anna Kalinsky ‘15 and Sofia Oleas ‘15: Please remember that Room Draw is happening on Wednesday at 9 PM for the class of 2016 and 2017, and on Thursday at 9 PM for the class of 2018, both in TGH. The following Thursday, the 23rd, is room selection at 10 PM in the dorm into which you drew in. Room selection for New Dorm (formerly known as Haffner) is TBA. You must attend Room Selection even if you drew into a Hall Group or Multiple Occupancy room, or already have a room through DLT, accommodations, etc. This past Thursday the Residence Council approved a budget of $159 to Denbigh from the Res-Co party fund.
Rachel Bruce ‘18: What if you’re DLT?
Anna Kalinsky ‘15: Still go.
Aleja Newman ‘17: Is it too late to get an accommodation?
Anna Kalinsky ‘15: Please contact Deb Alder.
Aleja Newman ‘17: Is this a campus wide party? Does regular party policy apply?
Sofia Oleas ‘15: Yes it will be a campus wide party. Regular party policy will apply, but we haven’t submitted all the paperwork yet, so we will let you know more later.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Friendly reminder that the SGA Alumnae Panel and Dessert Reception is 7pm on Thursday, April 23rd, in Dorothy Vernon Room! Please note the location change. This is the perfect opportunity for you to discover how Bryn Mawr leaders engaged with the college as students and how and why they stayed committed to the mission of the college after graduation.
At this panel and reception, you will have the opportunity to find out:
• How students who held leadership positions during their time at Bryn Mawr utilized their skills after graduation
• How alumnae continue to engage with the college community
• What it means to be a Bryn Mawr College Trustee
• How alumnae integrate their volunteer commitments with their professional lives
The panelists will include Vrinda Varia ’13, Catherine Kaser ‘95, and Nazanin Ash ’96. There will be a panel of pre-prepared questions followed by a Q&A. There’s also a dessert reception beforehand. During the dessert reception, you will have the opportunity to ask staff, alumnae, and trustees questions about their volunteer role with Bryn Mawr College or their paths after graduation.
If you are interested in attending this event, please register here: https://brynmawr.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3t86pOTcwj2f6sJ
Brenna Levitin ‘16: How do people get in if they’re not on the meal plan?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Email us, and we can help.
Melanie Bahti ‘16: Also, it won’t be during average meal times, so you can always go into the side room without needing to go through the main dining hall.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Also reminder that the Big Cheese Forum is next Sunday at 7pm. Repco, you are required to attend. Here is a list of cheeses in attendance:
President Cassidy – The Community Day of Learning
Provost Osirim – Programming and Faculty
Tom King/Lillian Burroughs – Campus Safety and Party Policy
Kari Fazio – Revenues and Endowments
Pelema Morrice – Admissions Policy
Vanessa Christman – Pensby Programming and Perry
Bernie Chung-Templeton – Dining Services
Jerry Berenson – Renovations and Maintenance
All of them have said yes, except for provost Osirim, who we haven’t heard from. Angie was invited, but she can’t make it. Dean Balthazar will be attending as a participant. The format is continually changing! Instead of Cheeses answering questions, they will be asking students questions about the topic related to their position. For example, Tom King could ask, “Do students feel safe at parties?” Why or why not? That kind of thing. We still need note takers and facilitators!
Brenna Levitin ‘16: Can you go over the format of the night so we know what it’ll look like?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: We will begin at 7pm. We will have multiple discussion groups you can go in and out of. Discussions will last about 30 minutes, and then we will break out into larger groups. It should take about an hour.
Aleja Newman ’17: Can anyone be a note taker?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Yes.
Nkechi Ampah ’16: Will it be only admins asking questions?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: No, it’ll be more of an open discussion, with free flowing dialogue. With that, let’s move on to the next agenda item. We have allotted ten minutes.
Your Two Cents
Charlie Bruce ‘16: I want to start a conversation about something that’s been going through a lot of people’s minds this past week. So let’s start with a straw poll. Do you use Yik Yak? The options are yes/no/abstain.
Brenna Levitin ‘16: What is Yik Yak?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: So Yik Yak is basically anonymous twitter. People post their ideas about things through the application. In the past week, people have told me about three different instances of Bryn Mawr students talking about each other negatively through Yik Yak. Instead of explaining why this is against the spirit of the honor code, I’m going to take a suggestion from Eli Clare’s book and start a conversation where everyone present can reflect on how social media has impacted us. Pair up with someone you usually don’t talk to, and talk to them about this. I want each person to split into a dyad or triad with someone they don’t know and talk about two questions:
1. How has anonymous/public social media negatively impacted you or your communities?
2. How have you resisted using anonymous/public social media for negative purposes? Or how have you used it for anonymous purposes.
We’ll have 10 minutes to talk about this. People should share their feelings for 10 minutes. Afterwards, if people feel comfortable, they can share their experiences. Bear in mind that Angela is taking the minutes, so whatever you say once we return to the larger group will be in the minutes. Are there any questions? No, ok, cool!
Discussion Groups break out.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Does anyone want to share?
Aleja Newman ‘17: I don’t have a Yik Yak, and I don’t want one. I personally have tried to go up to people who I have felt uncomfortable around, and they’ll be like really passive, like passive aggressive. You have no clue how many times I want to post on Facebook “So done with this bullshit”, wait sorry decorum, but I haven’t posted it. We just got to be respectful.
Miranda Smith ‘16: Aleja, I agree with you, people have the right to be angry on social media around problematic language and speech. However, when you are anonymous you tend to attack people not behaviors. We had an issue with this in the McBride community when someone posted that a specific member of us was “the most annoying McBride”- that leads up to ask, “So, does that mean that we’re all annoying? Who’s the second most annoying?” When you take a personal issue with one human being and impose it onto a larger community, it has an impact on people beyond who you think it really does.
Elizabeth Vandenberg ‘16: This is a little off topic, but I really like this format. I think that the smaller groups really helped, the questions were really to the point, and this enabled a better more in-depth discussion.
Kristian Sumner ‘17: So, Nkechi and I were talking about how we both don’t like to be censored, but we do enjoy social media. If we were to address a general thing, like white supremacy, that would be ok. But if it were an individual person, I would say it to someone’s face. Anonymous attacks on an individual isn’t good. We are a really passive aggressive community, and that’s not ok.
Nkechi Ampah ’16: I think that it’s interesting the way that we talk about Yik Yak with specific people on campus. It’s not only BMC students on Yik Yak, so it’s like we’re inviting other people into our community discussions. We should be held accountable for what we say. We need to be respectful.
Rhea Manglani ‘17: So, when it comes to Yik Yak it has had some real life consequences. So like between Villanova and BMC, for example. I’ve been cyber stalked and bullied, so it’s like when I see that it makes me nervous. We should be reminded that people have had bad experiences with that, and we need to be respectful.
Aleja Newman ‘17: What’s the tension between Bryn Mawr and Nova?
Rhea Manglani ‘17: Ask a friend; I don’t want to answer it in the meeting.
Kristian Sumner ‘17: I was walking past the Nova apartments and people were yelling really rude and crude things at us that was racist and sexist, so stuff like that.
Chanel Williams ‘16: Are the individuals involved only BMC students?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Do you mean the people who made the comments?
Chanel Williams ‘16: Yeah. Because it’s like anonymous.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: They were all very Bryn Mawr culture specific. One was about someone else critiquing some one’s behavior at an SGA meeting.
Kristian Sumner ‘17: I motion to extend time to the end of speaking order.
Anna Kalinsky ‘15: I second.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Let’s take a vote. Yes, no, abstain. Thank you guys. Also, a reminder this meeting is being recorded, so please be aware of what you say.
Elaine Holehan ‘16: Our group talked about what we could do about this. We thought that maybe during customs week or wellness, we could talk about how cyber bullying affects people.
Shakari Badgett ‘17: We talked about the negative aspects, but also positive ones. Like Yik Yak can be used to give props to people. So I do like that. Also, Bryn Mawr is a very specific community, and when you don’t have the mainstream opinion you can get shut down really quickly. So when you have anonymity, it can be good. Also we’ve had some things that have happened that could have been brought to the social honor board, but we should deal with not anonymous things first.
Brenna Levitin ‘16: I want to point out that on some level that we’re deciding to make this the issue. Yes, sometimes you can identify people, but sometimes you cant. I’ve been harassed on the Internet, and I didn’t always know the user, so I couldn’t always confront them. The fact that the entire Yik Yak website is anonymous is bizarre, but the fact that we’re paying attention to it now is weird. Also, this is a very difficult topic because we really, as individuals of SGA held to the honor code, we hold ourselves selectively to the honor code when it’s something we agree with. So I did something that upset the campus earlier this year, I don’t really care of your opinions, but I had people come up to me and bully me. Like I’d hear things third person, like don’t be such a “Brenna Levitin” as if my name was synonymous for a fun-sucker. I don’t really care, but I think if I tried to bring this up when I was being bullied no one would have come to me, sorry, most of you, although everything I did was in posting policy and in our guidelines. We are very selective because it’s someone we know or care about. No one will pay attention to the conversation if it’s about someone we don’t like. We can’t be selective in what we do or not do.
Aleja Newman ‘17: I think that the bigger issue is Bryn Mawr as a community. We have so many flaws. I’ve had to have whispered conversations, like no one wants to feel like that. Bryn Mawr is a passive community, it’s gonna be at SGA meetings, it’s gonna be at plenary, it’s gonna be in the dining hall. We need to have a space to talk about this, and redefine how we talk to people. We are all passive aggressive. I am too. That’s all I have to say.
Alexis McDonald ‘17: I don’t know if this is a solution, but if people aren’t too bothered by Yik Yak, they can down vote things.
Ann Tran ‘18: I wanted to talk about being careful with criticizing Yik Yak entirely. As Shakari mentioned, it’s important to be mindful that the students who do enjoy using Yik Yak- like I don’t want to intensify the people using Yik Yak and those not using it. It does have positives.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Thank you guys for participating in our discussion. Ok with that we’re going to move on to Old business. During old business, material that has already been presented may be revisited, questioned, or announced. We have allotted 10 minutes for this agenda item.
Old Business
Anna Kalinsky ‘15 and Sofia Oleas ‘15: We heard back from Kim Cassidy and Don about the time capsule. We have no set spring event for the new dorm, so we don’t see an event going on about it. So yeah, they’re nixing it, but they maybe have other reasons as well. Questions? Cool.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: I just wanted to bring up a conversation that we had at the last meeting on decorum for folks who weren’t here. Since Molly is away at the Seven Sisters conference tournament, I’ll be explaining the situation. I want to preface this reminder though with a comment about my style of leadership. I don’t want to come off as being the authority figure demanding that you all behave, but rather I want to remind you of procedure so that we can make this a more effective space for decorum. I think that decorum hasn’t been observed well in these SGA meetings. Decorum means being respectful of people’s thoughts through your actions. We have it in order to encourage other students to participate. Keeping decorum means no snapping, clapping, or cheering for people’s ideas, because it privileges certain ideas in the space. It also means don’t use distracting devices, like cellphones or laptops for purposes other than the SGA meeting. Doing your homework or being on Facebook is being disrespectful of the people who’ve committed an hour and a half of their time to the space of these meetings. I ask that you keep these ideas in mind not only in the space of these meetings but other spaces.
Aleja Newman ‘17: I was just thinking about this.
Anna Kalinsky ’15: As ResCo, we made it that people would only have certain types of materials. Like they’d have to clear it with us. At Smith I think, they have a rule that doesn’t allow phones and stuff at SGA meetings.
Brenna Levitin ‘16: Yeah, a lot of research says that taking notes by hands is helping, but disabled people like me can’t take notes by hand, that’s one of my many disabilities, but maybe think about why they might be using a laptop instead of just making a prejudgment.
Shakari Badgett ‘17: Is this only for RepCo?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: For everyone in the SGA meeting.
Nkechi Ampah ‘16: Are we suggesting eliminating phones?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: I’m suggesting when we have materials that are being used for purposes other than this meeting- don’t use them.
Aleja Newman ‘17: Can we use it for SGA?
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Anything that will help you with SGA please use. But if it’s a distraction, please don’t use it. Ok, we will move on to new business! New business is for the Representative Council members only. Any new items for discussion, questions, or announcements can be made that relate to the representative’s position. We have allotted 10 minutes for this agenda item.
New Business
Modupe Olufemi ’17 and Khadijah Seay ‘16: Good Evening everyone. The Bias Response Working Group is composed of Modupe Olufemi ‘17, Khadijah Seay ‘16, Raymond Albert, Equal Opportunity Officer and Professor and Director of the Law and Social Policy (LSP) Program, Stephanie Nixon, Director of Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion & Title IX Coordinator, Alicia Walker, Assistant Professor in History of Art, and Dean Isabelle Barker. The Bias Response Working Group has been working very hard this past academic year. There will be listening sessions on Tuesday April 21 from 1-2 p.m. and 7-8 p.m., Wednesday April 22 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and Thursday April 23 from 7-8 p.m. – Location To Be Determined. Please email Khadijah Seay ‘16 (kseay@brynmawr.edu) or Modupe Olufemi ‘17 (molufemi@brynmawr.edu) with questions. The Bias Response Protocol will become an online resource and document with the following categories/explanations:
– What is Bryn Mawr College’s position regarding bias and discrimination?
– What is bias? What is a bias incident?
– What is a hate crime?
– What do I do if I experience of witness a bias incident?
The members that will serve on the Bias Response Team will be the Dean of the Undergraduate College, the Dean of Graduate Studies, and Equal Opportunity Officer, and the Director of Diversity, Social Justice, Inclusion & Title IX Coordinator. The role of the Bias Response Team is two-fold; to establish facts, provide support, assist in directing involved parties to resources, assist in mediating communication, and track and report incidents in order to assess the potential impact and gauge emerging patterns. It should be noted that the bias response team does not seek to replace existing systems and resources on campus, but is part of a more direct route in dealing with these types of issues. We also wanted to address why we’re doing this now. The protocol and team is not a response to a singular issue. The bias response workgroup was created as a result of multiple concerns and situations that have occurred in recent years and recognition of the need to have more accessible and coherent pathways to reporting and response. We also wanted to talk about how will confidentiality and the Honor Code interact with bias response. Students may continue to access the Social Honor Code and its processes as a means for response to incidents with other students. The bias response team offers an additional and/or complementary process when individual confrontation is not possible or not adequate by itself to address impacts of bias related incidents. Privacy and confidentiality are integral to certain processes at the College, but the response team will also be a group weighing in the potential impact of incidents and actions. Any questions?
Aleja Newman ‘17: You mentioned keeping a record?
Modupe Olufemi ’17: So one of the meetings we had, we talked about keeping a report that could be published once a semester, annually, something that people could have access to- this isn’t clear. We have to see what kinds of reports we get, what incidences we get, a lot of it requires data.
Brenna Levitin ‘16: But things will be reported to the community eventually?
Khadijah Seay ’16: Yes, so they will have the ability to reach out to anyone they view is a potential resource. Like we would try to send out a report once a semester.
Aleja Newman ‘17: It’s important to let the community be aware; a lot of people say that we’re really secretive. But maybe it’s better to have some things be unpublished.
Khadijah Seay ’16: I see where you’re coming from, but issues of bias affect the larger community, and if they aren’t notified, they don’t know what channels to go through.
Brenna Levitin ‘16: I motion to extend time to the end of speaking order.
Anna Kalinsky ‘15: I second.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Rep council vote only, yes, no, abstain. Ok thank you.
Khadijah Seay ’16: The last thing I want to say is to please feel free to contact us, and once again, we will be listening sessions on Tuesday April 21 from 1-2 p.m. and 7-8 p.m., Wednesday April 22 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and Thursday April 23 from 7-8 p.m. – Location To Be Determined.
Shakari Badgett ‘17: This weekend I have received complaints about respectability of room viewing. Please stress this to everyone you know. Stress to your constituents. If someone wants to see a room, tell them to be respectful and not bang on doors.
Aleja Newman ’17: You don’t have to show your room to someone, people forget that.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: There’s been a lot of conversation about student employment equity on campus, and I think it deserves more work around it. I talked to president Cassidy about this on Thursday, and she encouraged that students start a committee of students and staff about it. If anyone is interested in helping start this, or if you know someone who would be interested, please email me at cebruce@brynmawr.edu. I have the list of some people you can contact to get started on this group. Representative Council, we are nearing the end of the meeting.
Sofia Oleas ’15: I motion to end the meeting.
Brenna Levitin ’16: I second.
Charlie Bruce ‘16: This is a representative council vote only; please consult with your co-held position.
(Voted to adjourn meeting: Anna Kalinsky, Delaney Williams, Kristian Sumner, Grace Kim, Chanel Williams, Aleja Newman, Odeymarys Garrido, Ann Tran, Connie Lam, Shaina Robinson, Lyntana Brougham, Dani Weismann, Angie Koo, Carly Breen, Melanie Bahti, Joy Chan, Rachel Feynman, Prerana Vaddi, Leah Kahler, Olivia Hollinger, Elaine Holehan, Sofia Oleas, Marian Slocum, Shakari Badgett, Jillian Moroney, Sneha Bendapudi, Heidi Gay, Rhea Manglani, Brenna Levitin, Julia Kim, Jessica Bernal, Modupe Olufemi, Mikah Farbo, Natalie DiFrank, Miranda Smith, Makala Forster, Stephanie Montalvan, Lindsay Burak, Gabrielle Crossnoe, Nkechi Ampah, Catherine Wagner, Alexis McDonald)
Charlie Bruce ‘16: Ok, meeting is adjourned! Make sure you signed in with Angela. Have a good night!
Meeting Adjourned at 8:19 pm