Agenda for Sunday, February 15th
Roll Call
Announcements
Your 2 Cents
Plenary Resolution Presentations
Old Business
New Business
2014-2015 EBoard Recap
Syona Arora ’15 calls the meeting to
Roll Call
Present: Present: Anna Kalinsky, Sofia Oleas, Heidi Gay, Anna Sargeant, Pamudu Tennakoon, Dijia Chen, Molly MacDougall, Mikah Farbo, Swetha Narasimhan, Kristian Sumner, Xavia Miles, Rhea Manglani, Ava Hawkinson, Miranda Smith, Mikala Forster, Marian Slocum, Grace Kim, Chanel Williams, Aleja Newman, Odeymarys Garrido, Ann Tran, Connie Lam, Rachel Bruce, Matison Hearn-Desautels, Julia Kim, Angela Motte, Shaina Robinson, Lindsay Burak, Rachel Feynman, Lyntana Brougham, Dani Weismann, Shakari Badgett, Leigh Peterson, Angie Koo, Gabrielle Crossnoe, Linh Tranh, Jillian Moroney, Nkechi Ampah, Cat Wagner, Carly Breen, Olivia Hollinger, Elaine Holehan, Alexis McDonald, Julie Henrikson,
Absent: Pam Gassman, Natalie DiFrank, Brenna Levitin, Stephanie Montalvan, Jessica Bernal, Sneha Bendapudi, Prerana Vaddi, Modupe Olufemi,
Announcements
Molly Mac Dougall ’16: Voting for February Elections begins tomorrow (2/16) at 9am and continues until Tuesday (2/17) at 7pm. Ballots will be open on Moodle (SGA page). Please only vote in the ballot for your class year. Positions we’re voting on are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Head of the Honor Board, Head(s) of the Elections Board, Appointments Committee. The info on candidates is available elections.blogs.brynmawr.edu. If you have questions, send them to me at elections@brynmawr.edu
Dijia Chen ’16: Hell Week Starts Wednesday at 5:34pm! Check you emails for information. Also at plenary traditions will be tabling at plenary. We will be selling new apparel and there will be sign-ups for May Pole Dancing!
Swetha Narasimhan ‘15: I’m the civic engagement rep. The community garden and Saturdays of service will be sending out emails soon, since there will be availability for that soon.
Syona Arora ’15: Plenary will be held on Sunday, February 22nd at noon. Please attend. Volunteers and Representative Council, please arrive in the glass atrium between 10:45 and 11:15am.
We are hosting an alum panel in April and it would be great if you attend – keep an eye out for more information throughout the semester!
This is a reminder that Hot Topics are open to the entire student body – if you want to host a Hot Topic, email sga@brynmawr.edu with your ideas. We would love to get more students involved in hosting and participating. Additionally, in the future the EBoard will make more of an effort to participate in the Hot Topic discussions as well.
Your 2 Cents
Syona Arora ’15: Here are some updates from the textbooks on reserve in the library resolution written by Rachel Massey:
- There has been a reformatting of the form that Professors use to request books and course texts
- Provost Osirim has made a point to talk with faculty during there meetings about making books as accessible as possible
- Data is now being tracked as to how many students are in classes and books on reserve are being utilized.
- The faculty have been responding well, but the change is slow.
- Will have another meeting with the Provost and Head of Libraries soon
If you have any questions, contact Rachel!
The Community Day of Learning is on March 18th – there will be more information distributed throughout this week but please mark your calendars and plan on participating! Does anyone have any immediate questions?
Sofia Oleas ‘15: Can you repeat the date?
Syona Arora ’15: March 18th
Shakari Badgett ‘17: Is this a bico thing or just Bryn Mawr?
Syona Arora ’15: just Bryn Mawr. They’re looking for students to suggest panels or moderation. Some more information about the event will be out soon. On a different note, I wanted to open the floor for people to have a short discussion about the new admissions policy regarding transwomen and other gender identities, just to see if anyone wants to share their thoughts. Arlene Gibson, the director of the alumni association, and president Cassidy sent out emails regarding changes in our admissions policy and I wanted to hear folks opinions.
Mikah Farboh ’15: What does the change in admissions policy mean for athletics? Who can play?
Syona Arora ’15: I don’t know, but that’s a really interesting question. I don’t want to make any assumptions, but that would be a case-by-case basis for students to supply athletic information. I would say email Arlene or someone in the president’s office about that.
Aleja Newman ‘17: Is the only way to communicate with them is to do a plenary resolution?
Syona Arora ’15: What changes are you interested in making?
Aleja Newman ‘17: I would want people who identify as male but weren’t assigned male at birth to be welcomed.
Syona Arora ’15: Because this decision was made by this committee, I would say contact Arlene Gibson to see what steps could be taken to make changes to it. Since changing this policy required the work of the Board of Trustees and outside advising, it would require similar procedures to change it again.
Melanie Bahti ‘16: the reason why it wouldn’t be a good fit, the student body makes a recommendation, and the board is above the administration, so it makes more sense to go directly to the Board of trustees.
Rhea Manglani ‘17: Do you know how the college will execute this policy change?
Syona Arora ’15: The policies will be carried out by faculty and administrative staff, but they didn’t say how exactly. I can try to get more information about president Cassidy or Arlene.
Plenary Resolution Presentations
Syona Arora ’15: We will be hearing from this semester’s resolution writers.
Here is the first resolution:
Whereas, the Self-Government Association of the Undergraduate School of Bryn Mawr College is the first and oldest system of self-governance in the United States,
Whereas, the spirit of self-governance permeates almost every aspect of the Undergraduate Bryn Mawr College experience,
Whereas, the students of Bryn Mawr College have pledged to work together for the welfare, benefit, and preservation of the community as a whole,
Whereas, we recognize that to reach full potential of our community, we require a commitment on the part of each and every individual,
It is hereby resolved that we, the members of the Self-Government Association of the Undergraduate School of Bryn Mawr College present today, the 22nd of February, 2015, on behalf of the entire Self Government Association, reaffirm our commitment to self-governance, the SGA Constitution, and the Honor Code.
Do you have any questions?
Aleja Newman ‘17: What does this mean in layman’s terms?
Syona Arora ’15: We’re continuing to abide by the constitution and the honor code.
Madilaine Dubin ’16: I’m writing a resolution about changes to the constitution.
Whereas, the Constitution of the Self-Government Association does not accurately describe the ways in which the Self-Government Association currently operates,
Whereas, the Constitution of the Self-Government Association has not been maintained in a way which promotes consistency and usability,
Whereas, the Constitution has several grammatical and spelling errors,
Whereas, several boards and committees listed within the Constitution no longer exist,
Whereas, consistency in articles should be improved,
Whereas, representative responsibilities have changed,
Whereas, the Constitution and the Honor Code contain several discrepancies,
Whereas, repetition of Representative Council responsibilities under each position is unnecessary,
Be it resolved, that the changes listed in Appendix A be made to the Constitution.
The list of changes is all in the appendix, It’s basically clearing up repetitive language and ambiguous responsibilities.
Lindsey Marinello ’17: The title is “Plenary Resolution to Improve Professional Development, Academic Advising, Academic Support, and Experiential Opportunities for Bryn Mawr STEM Students.”
Whereas, women, racial minorities, non-traditionally-aged students, and other groups are dramatically underrepresented in Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science even relative to other fields in STEM (Appendix A),
Whereas, Priorities #2 and #4 of Bryn Mawr College’s 2013-2015 Strategic Vision emphasize the importance of Professional Development in the context of a Liberal Arts Education as well as the importance of Showcasing the Sciences at Bryn Mawr (Appendix B),
Whereas, Bryn Mawr College currently supports a number of initiatives for expanding diversity in STEM such as the Q-center programs, the STEM Posse, the TIDES grant, FIPSE, and the Sherman Fairchild Grants to develop non-research-based STEM intensives and provide Professional Internship funding (Appendix C).
Whereas, Bryn Mawr College supports a substantial number of undergraduates in paid summer research through the Science Summer Research program and the Science Horizons Research Internships,
Whereas, Bryn Mawr College takes pride in its enrollment of STEM students and 4+1 Partnership and is actively pursuing initiatives such as the aforementioned to admit and encourage students pursuing these subjects.
Whereas, despite this great mission and these great initiatives, many students admitted to the college who plan to pursue or explore STEM lack the necessary foundations in algebra and trigonometry to succeed in Calculus and more advanced mathematics, which are further necessary to access areas of science — particularly those in which the aforementioned groups are least represented.
Whereas, despite the existence of partnerships with UPenn, Swarthmore, and Caltech, in practice, these programs are very limited in accessibility to most Bryn Mawr students.
Whereas, the presence of a dedicated on-campus “Maker Space” for engineering and technological projects would allow students of all interest levels and backgrounds to explore STEM in a hands-on manner and provide resources for dedicated students to pursue advanced projects,
Whereas, although the Quantitative Center’s “Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning” (A.K.A. QSEM) is a useful introductory tool for students newer to mathematics, it is not sufficiently challenging or preparatory for many students required to take it, and does not provide adequate mathematical preparation for students wishing to pursue a career in STEM (Appendix D) .
Whereas, the Q-Center’s Q10 course “Fundamentals of Mathematics for Science & Social Science Students” is not consistently offered, which prevents students from pursuing a timely academic track for STEM majors which almost always require courses with co-requisites, both of which may only be offered in the Fall or Spring.
Whereas, a traditional course offering in Pre-Calculus is necessary to ensure that students have the adequate foundations in algebra and trigonometry to confidently pursue Calculus.
Whereas, many students lack substantive knowledge of the resources offered by the Quantitative Center (or even knowledge of its location) ,
Whereas, a lack of adequate preparation for mathematics as well as the fear of experiencing disruptive delay in one’s academic track are both significant contributing factors to student underperformance and/or discouragement from pursuing STEM.
Whereas the underrepresentation of women, racial minorities, and other underrepresented groups in STEM is a significant factor facilitating continued systematic discrimination and other barriers to entry in these fields.
Whereas, career development opportunities such as externships, workshops, alumnae/i talks, career fairs, and information sessions are rarely offered in areas relevant to STEM careers.
Whereas, many STEM students are uninformed in areas related to Bryn Mawr’s engineering partnerships, the full range of internship opportunities throughout the sciences, and the internship search process itself,
Whereas. there are no career development staff or personnel in the Dean’s Office with STEM-focused expertise that allow them to provide specific advice in STEM, which creates a large research burden on students,
Whereas. a full range of career development services are essential for liberal arts students to fully leverage their education.
Whereas, LILAC is a separate entity from the various departments on campus, and greater communication about LILAC’s resources in the classroom and in academic buildings may improve awareness of their initiatives,
Whereas experiential opportunities, project experience, and technical training are critical for Bryn Mawr STEM student competitiveness and preparedness for jobs, internships, and graduate school in STEM, particularly in the fields of engineering, applied science, computer science, versus students from more traditional universities,
Whereas alumnae/i can serve as important connections and role models,
Be it resolved: We recommend that Bryn Mawr College establish a committee of undergraduate students to be named “S. TEAM” or “Science TEAM,” short for “Science Technology and Engineering Advocates for Mawrtyrs,” which will consist of 4-6 undergraduate students who are elected through the appointments process with demonstrated involvement and interest in the sciences as well as knowledge of on-campus resources.
Be it resolved: We recommend that , if possible, at least one of each appointed student represent interests in one or more of the following science subjects: Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry.
Be it resolved: We recommend that the mission of this Committee be to represent student needs and interests in STEM and to promote collaboration between students, science faculty, LILAC, Science Support and Information Services staff, the Q Center, and administrators to expand and improve existing resources for students in the areas of career development, academic advising, and academic support for STEM students.
Be it resolved: We recommend that this committee undertakes actions in pursuit of its mission possibly including but not limited to:
reaching out to LILAC, administrators, science faculty, the Q Center, Science Support Services, and Information Services staff to collaborate and ensure existing and upcoming STEM resources are accessible, effectively marketed, and meet student needs;
promoting discussion of how to add to or improve these resources;
probing the possibility of increasing resources for underutilized innovating campus spaces such as the Robotics Lab;
probing the possibility of developing project-based workshops or intensives for advanced STEM students focused on the development and demonstration of “hard skills” not normally provided through traditional Bryn Mawr/liberal arts and science coursework;
surveying and collecting information from students and science faculty regarding STEM support on campus;
ensuring the longevity of engineering and technology initiatives on campus (e.g. Bryn Mawr College Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Bryn Mawr Engineers & Makers, and Sudo Hoot [Appendix E]);
Be it resolved: We recommend that this committee reach out to LILAC regarding the following:
the creation of Information Packets for engineering students;
greater collaboration, outreach, and knowledge-sharing with science faculty;
an expanded search for externships, alumnae/i talks, and alumnae/i connections in science and engineering;
information sessions to expose students to the different fields within the umbrella of STEM;
and STEM-related career fairs.
Be it resolved: We recommend that the Bryn Mawr College administration allocate greater funding to the Quantitative Center to develop and provide adequate support for a Pre-Calculus Course and other Q-Center resources and course offerings.
Be it resolved: We recommend that a “Maker Space” be built into Park Science Building during the upcoming renovations in order to provide students with on-campus space that provides access to machinery, materials, lessons/guidance, and space for students of all interests to pursue experiential technological projects; currently, the Machine and Instrument Shop lacks sufficient space to do so and student-run initiatives only provide temporary spaces with limited accessibility (Appendix F)
Be it resolved: We recommend that Bryn Mawr College seek out, encourage, and invite notable alumnae/i and leaders in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Applied Science, and Technology to speak at Bryn Mawr to serve as inspiration and as role models for Bryn Mawr students and to provide insight into the role of science and technology in society.
Aleja Newman ‘17: I have two concerns: you named posse, posse is diverse in that each student can offer a different leadership style. When you say diversity, you could be clearer. When you say recommend.
Syona Arora ’15: point of clarification, putting the language of creating a recommendation is how resolutions are supposed to be phrased.
Lindsey Marinello ‘17: I think keeping it broad is really important, but I could define it.
Shakari: I am of the first STEM posse, and we’re here on a merit scholarship, not because of how diverse we are.
Lindsey Marinello ‘17: How can I rewrite this resolution to have more appropriate language?
Aleja Newman ‘17: I think your idea to say that it’s a broad diversity; you should be specific about what kind.
Lindsey Marinello ‘17: is STEM posse open for men and women? I think it would be helpful if I had a better idea of posse. We can talk about it more.
Sofia Oleas ‘15: Could you just remove STEM posse and then not specify diversity in other such terms besides those that you’re interested in?
Lindsey Marinello ‘17: I mentioned posse because the STEM posse results in is increasing the amount of women ins team. That’s what faculty says it does.
Aleja Newman ‘17: From what I’m understanding, it’s implied that it means diversity in more than one context, but the stereotype that people have of diversity is racially, so I think you could pick a different word
Lindsey Marinello ‘17: We could find a different word.
Kristian Sumner ‘17: I think stem could still be a part of your resolution, but I think if you could use a different word than diversity, there would be less contention.
Syona Arora ‘15: I think the consensus is that the language needs to be changed. Let’s table this discussion and have further questions relating to language directed to your email. How can people contact you?
Lindsey Marinello ‘17: You can email me at lmarinello@bmc.
Felix Qiang ’17: The title of this resolution is “Build a Music Recording Studio/Band Practice Room On Campus”
Whereas, students are interested in a studio space for music recording and band rehearsal,
Whereas, there is a confirmation from Jerry Berenson, Chief Administrative Officer, that a space has been reserved in the Campus Center for this studio.
Whereas, Step Sing has been an important tradition for a long time and there is no formal recording for the songs we sing,
Whereas, several A Cappella groups on campus need recordings of their work,
Whereas, the creation of a studio space for music recording will be in the long run more cost-effective for A Cappella (i.e. an estimated $6,000 will be presented in their budget every year).
Whereas, the purchase of the music equipment will in the long run be more cost-effective for Bryn Mawr’s Concert Series (i.e. an estimated $2,500 will be presented in each concert).
Whereas, students in Bryn Mawr who are vocalists and percussionists do not have a proper practice space,
Whereas, it is hard for students at Bryn Mawr to get access to the Haverford band room,
Whereas, students in film classes do not have any professional equipment and instructions on sound recording and editing,
Whereas, music practicing and producing play an important part in students extracurricular activities
Be it resolved: an estimated budget of $13,000 will be created in consultation with the President’s Office, Dean’s Office, SGA, and the Development Office on campus in hopes that they will fund the formation of a recording studio built in the Campus Center by Spring 2015, including a drum set, several amplifiers, a Mac Computer, an audio Interface, an audio software, an Audio Mixer, some pickup microphones, accessories and soundproof insulation.
Be it resolved: Justin McDaniel, the Technical Director of Goodhart, will give the technical support for budgeting and organizing the equipment of the studio.
Nora Scheland ‘15: Will Justin McDaniels be managing when people will use it?
Felix Qiang ‘17: Students will sign up.
Nora Scheland ‘15: Who will organize the timeslots?
Felix Qiang ‘17: Justin will help out, but so will we.
Aleja Newman ’17: Could people reserve it through virtual ems. Is this space open to any Bryn Mawr student?
Carolina Cabera ‘17: It’s open to everyone.
Sofia Oleas ‘15: You might want to start a club that would help people organize this on campus.
Angela Motte ‘17: Do you have a proposed budget.
Carolina Cabera ‘17: It’s $13,000. That covers audio interface, mixers, and software. The audio interface alone is $3,000.
Anna Kalinsky ‘15: Obliviously it would save money in the long run, but that would assume that it wouldn’t cost anything to keep the studio up. Do you have estimate for upkeep
Felix Qiang ‘17; I don’t think we need to pay a maintenance fee, since that will be a part of housekeeping costs.
Heidi Gay ‘15: Where would this funding for maintenance come from?
Carolina Cabera ‘17: A lot of the equipment we’re interested in purchasing comes with a warranty plan of five years. That’s not forever, we know. What Felix and I have discussed is further looking into it with Justin and other people who are savvier.
Sofia Oleas ‘15: How much money is coming out of SGA for the 13,000$?
Felix Qiang ‘17: I’m not sure because I will talk to president Cassidy this week.
Pamudu Tennakoon ‘15: is soundproofing going to be a part of the budget. You might want to think of putting installation costs into the budget. The insolation of the space is going to require people.
Felix Qiang ‘17: Our estimated budget is over our base budget, so there’s some room to work with money.
Aleja Newman ‘17: To piggyback on Pamudu, even it’s over budget; acoustic panels are very expensive to replace.
Felix Qiang ‘17: We have a list of things that are part of the cost to install it.
Sofia Oleas ‘15; Could that be a part of the appendix?
Felix Qiang ‘17: Yes.
Anna Sargeant ‘15: How many square feet does this room have? Does the campus center have enough space?
Felix Qiang ‘17: It can fit in that room over there.
Anna Sargeant ‘15: I talked to Lisa Zernike on Friday, and she said the space wasn’t confirmed.
Felix Qiang ’17: I talked to Jerry Berenson, and he said that it was.
Anna Sargeant ‘15: According to her, he didn’t say yes or no.
Felix Qiang ‘17: He said if the resolution passed, there would be a space.
Swetha Narasimhan ’15: have you thought of alternative spaces? Like Park Science?
Carolina Cabera ‘17: No, we haven’t, but that’s something to bring up in our meeting with president president Cassidy.
Michaela Olson ‘15: Given the capacity of Goodhart, couldn’t there be enough room?
Felix Qiang ‘17: Justin says that there’s limited space. All the practice rooms are used up.
Carolina Cabera ‘17: also the practice rooms are really small, except for practice room two.
Anna Kalinsky ‘15: What’s the smallest size that would serve this recording studio?
Felix Qiang ‘17: I haven’t calculated but for that room in the CC, but it will be enough space. I can give you a number later.
Aleja Newman ’17: I would recommend comparing sizes of spaces. Showing us why certain spaces work or not.
Syona Arora ’15: You can contact us at cscaberaa@brynmawr.edu and jqiang@brynmawr.edu if you have any more questions.
Old Business
There was no old business.
New Business
There was no new business.
2014-2015 EBoard Recap
Syona Arora ’15: So this is our last SGA meeting of our term… we just want to take a moment to reflect on our term and what’s happened at Bryn Mawr and in SGA over the past year.
Melanie Bahti ’16: I’m going to give you a bullet list of things I did in my term. One of the things I wanted to work on was communication mechanisms. We’ve approved Bi-Co Liaison guidelines. We instituted Bi-Co Liaison procedures. We worked on improving education for students about the other college’s Honor Code
In terms of Honor Code Education, we instituted an Academic Integrity Tutorial, increased sessions during Customs Week (academic, social, session with ISO), changed format to focus on student experiences, and held orientation session for new faculty.
In terms of exams, we improved communication with registrar’s office and other relevant constituencies regarding exam week materials, distributed information about BMC exams to students throughout the Tri-Co to minimize confusion for other students, created an FAQ about self-scheduled exams for new students. We worked with the registrars at Haverford and Swarthmore to get that info along.
In terms of outreach, we hosted a Fall Tea, which was well attended. Honor Board Dorm Liaisons were invited to some teas within individual dorms, office hours increased accessibility
We also passed two Plenary resolutions to bring the Honor Code up to standard, and admissions using Honor Code-related application question starting with this fall’s entering class.
My advice: read the honor code and read peoples emails.
Namita Dwarakanath ’15: I admittedly had a pretty rough start to my term, so I’d like to thank everyone for bearing with me. As treasurer, I’ve really tried to emphasize the broader Bryn Mawr context in my role, from working with Stephanie and Vanessa in Pensby and [still creating] a guide to budgeting for AMO groups, to talking to Mary Beth Horvath and the Student Activities Office to get a sense of precedence and better understand how much money really needed to be allocated into special/closed/annual events.
Additionally, I wanted to better utilize my position as a liaison to school-wide financial concerns, and am still deeply entrenched in talking to administrators about financial aid on campus. Currently, some plans for next year include making the members of the financial aid office more accessible, and better explaining how financial aid decisions are made. I’ve tried as hard as possible to encourage transparency between administrators and students about financial matters, and I hope I was somewhat able to make those little known facts more accessible.
On the budgeting side of things, it would be totally impossible for me to get anywhere without the Student Finance Committee, who are wonderful, and incredibly thoughtful, human beings. With them, I tried to examine past budgets and better understand and make projections about how much allocated money will actually be spent, in order to ensure as healthy a budget as possible for the incoming treasurer. I’ve tried to allow for a little more flexibility [within reason] for clubs, while simultaneously considering how trends in this flexibility could be better reflected in the bylaws.
With the rest of the board, who are four of the most exceptional people I suspect I will ever know, I was privileged enough to participate in meaningful discussions about issues that went far beyond the walls of Bryn Mawr. We looked at our past carefully, and took the time to recognize that you cannot declare anything “progress” until you know where you are starting. I am so excited to see what the next board does moving forward and also I am sad OKAY GOODBYE
Charlie Bruce ’16: My goals at the beginning of last year were to reorganize the Members at Large, revive the OCC, and institute institutional memory for SGA clubs. Since then, I’ve been relatively successful in achieving these goals. To get the MAL more involved in SGA, I started delegating particular tasks so that they would get involved more. In talking with the OCC, we realized that, in order to operate effectively as a group, it was necessary to have at least 5 people working on the group. We’re hoping to increase awareness about the OCC for the next time the appointments cycle begins. Vis a vis institutional memory, I’m now officially working in Special Collections on research Institutional Memory. My research this semester focuses on collaboration with Miranda Smith ’16, and other members of the McBride community to create a digital archive of McBride history. My goal is that, from this work, I’ll be able to create a guidebook for clubs to begin to research and archive their histories.
I can’t describe how thankful that I am for this experience. I’ve learned a lot about leadership through watching these women. My advice: treat everyone like they’re on your team and read your emails twice.
Alexis De La Rosa ‘15: First, I want to do a small shout out to the appointments committee, and there’s a lot of small details that they’re responsible fore executing. I brought back Appointments Info Sessions, some including students who previously held appointed positions. We made really small logistical changes to Appointments rounds: moved the application form and other relevant appointments information over to Google drive, and created a Gmail account to send out decisions (bmcappointments@gmail.com).
We made changes to decision-making/outreach: if there were too many students applying for a position, but they were all equally qualified, the Appointments Committee began looking back at interview notes and applications to determine if there was another committee a student might be interested in that could also use help. The committee would then offer that position to the applicant.
I brought in heads of Committees or students who previously held specific appointed positions to sit in on the interview process and offer input regarding final decisions.
In the November Appointments Round, the committee began filling positions via alternates when students resigned from or declined a position on a committee.
We appointed students to the Trustees Task Force on Student Health and Counseling Services.
I sat on the 2014 McPherson Selection Committee meeting (for Undergraduates).
Goals that I’m hoping working with the new Vice president on Appointments Interview Workshops (in conversation with the CPD/LILAC), Creation of a Dining Services Advisory Board (began with 2014-15 Appointments Committee).
I’ve been very thankful to get to work with this group. I’m glad to work with you all in different ways. Namita wanted to give advice on Garlic Mayo with fries. I would give you different advice: challenge yourself
Syona Arora ’15: My goals were to encourage and integrate constructive criticism into procedure, and better meet the needs of students who feel underrepresented. On top of that, I wanted to increase awareness of SGA as a platform for collaboration and as a space in which opinions can be voiced. I think I’ve done that. I did a lot of logistical changes, like moving the chairs during SGA meetings, so that there is more room for folks to sit on the floor. I pushed back plenary resolution writing workshops a week, so folks would have more time to write resolutions, we made a buzzwords pamphlet to inform the community more. We hosted workshops with special collections, wordpress, meet the new cheeses. We created hot topics so that students could have discussions, and used it to increase conversation on campus. We’re trying to be more open and honest with students in general, to not focus on the bureaucracy of SGA but rather focusing on the principles of independence and empowerment. I worked really hard to make Plenary successful after last year and I hope that next week is successful, too. I worked hard to get members of the administration to really listen to what students want.
Last year at this time, Natalie said that we should just be good to each other. And really, that’s all I can say. Bryn Mawr isn’t forever. We aren’t here forever. Just be good and work hard and do good. This is because we’re going to burst into flames after plenary.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:19 pm.