Sophie Papavizas calls the meeting to order at 7:10 PM
Roll Call
Excused Absences: Sophia Abboud ’12, Miranda Hansen-Hunt ’12, Hope Wayman ’13, Sara Jane Rodgers ‘13
Unexcused Absences: Pragya Krishna ’13, Saba Qadir ’12, Nga Nguyen ’12, Augusta Irele ’10, Marisa Franz ’10
Community Members Present: Brittney Thornbury ’11, Sarah Theobold ’12, Kathryn Gould ‘11
Announcements:
Lydia Bello ‘12: I’m Lydia Bello, 2012. Moira Nadal, 2010, and I are your Co-Landscaping Representatives. We are responsible for the new lawn furniture that has appeared on the Carpenter Beach, in front of the Library, and we just wanted to let you know that you can feel free to use it and move it around. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact me at lbello@brynmawr.edu.
Your Two Cents:
None
Smart Women, Strong Women Campaign: Gym Renovations
Kathy Tierney: Hi everyone. I’m here to talk to you about the $7.5 Million Gym Renovations. It’s called Smart Women, Strong Women. It has three goals. The first is to improve the appearance of Schwartz. To improve the external improvement we want to increase the natural lighting and fix the roof. Internally, we will be improving the pool, and completing re-doing; it’ll be a dramatic transformation. The locker rooms will be remaining in the current configuration, but they will be renovated and changed as well. The second goal is to create a state of the art fitness center—this has been the driving force behind this renovation. Currently the fitness center is on the second floor, and that entire floor will become the renovated fitness center. We will have televisions, private yoga and Pilates and group exercise spaces, machines for cardio and lifting and a new atrium.
Rachel Brody ’12: Where are the coach’s offices going to be?
Kathy Tierney: There are going to be across from the locker rooms, where the training room currently is.
Adelyn Kishbaugh ’12: If there’s more space for group exercise/yoga classes, will they have more classes available for people?
Kathy Tierney: Yes, absolutely. What I hope to be able to do is to have drop-in exercise classes. What I would like to have is a non-punitive system for physical education yet keeping students involved and active.
Someone: When will renovations start?
Kathy Tierney: We will start November 23, 2009 when we move out of the fitness center and into Rhoads.
Someone: How will this affect student workers?
Kathy Tierney: Student workers will have comparable hours to work at Rhoads—because we’ll be operating and having some one available at the fitness center whenever it’s open. However, the pool will be closed, so no student workers will be needed to staff that area. So yes there will be less hours available overall.
Colleen Hayley ‘11: Will they have TV’s available around the treadmill area?
Caroline Heffernan ’10: Yes, all the treadmill machines will have personal TVs built in. There will also be different TV’s hanging around the elliptical and bicycle area.
Kathy Tierney: We also wanted to create an opportunity for students to hang out and sit, so there will be bleachers, which will look into the pool. We also want to have a student worker at the new fitness center. The new building will be wireless. Dates for you to keep in mind: Schwartz will be closed Sunday November 22nd at 8 PM. The fitness center in Rhoads will open November 30.
Colleen Hayley ’11: Has there been any drive to address the accessibility issues?
Kathy Tierney: Sure, so prior to the budget cuts, we had a plan to create a bridge from the top of the stairs to Schwartz gymnasium so we could address the mobility issues. However, after the budget cuts, we had to let that aspect of the renovation go. Now while mobility issues still exist to get to the gym, once students arrive at the gym, the new gym will be fully accessible.
Rachel Brody ’11: Will the gym have AC?
Kathy Tierney: The Pool and the large Gym area—for basketball and such will not have AC. The other areas will. We are also trying to get a High Ultra Violet light filtration system for the Pool, so that the pool can stay clean and sanitary and won’t require as much chlorine as it currently does.
Taline Cox ’10: How can the alumni use this?
Kathy Tierney: We do have membership for Alumni, which Haverford does not, and we will continue to do that. I believe it’s a nominal rate like $150-$200 a year. Also, for those people living in Rhoads Hall we do plan on meeting with you before we come to your dorm.
Hannah Curry McDougald ‘10: If we don’t live in Rhoads, we can’t get into Rhoads before 8 AM, so will that being changing?
Kathy Tierney: The OneCard hours will be changing and you’ll be able to get in.
Someone: How much equipment from Schwartz will be coming to Rhoads?
Kathy Tierney: Good question. We are bringing all the weighted equipment, we’re buying new mats, we’ll bring most of the cardio stuff, and 4-5 elliptical and none of the strength equipment.
Rhoads Resident: I’m a Rhoads resident, how is the fitness center going to affect the quiet hours?
Caroline Heffernan ‘10/Kathy Tierney: Well depending upon how it works, we’ll change it as it goes if it’s a problem to anyone. However, keep in mind that Rhoads Dining Hall used to start very early and it wasn’t a problem.
Caroline Heffernan ‘10: Teams won’t be relocated till the end of the semester—so up until December 12 you can come see games, but you can’t work out in the gym.
Alcohol Concerns Review Board
Sophie Papavizas ’11: So as we talked about last week, we will have to vote on the members of the Alcohol Concerns Review Board this week. So we have two students who applied here: Sarah Glazer ’12, and Beth Wiseman ’13. One student has a family emergency and can’t be here. Another student hasn’t come. I’ll let them introduce themselves and open it up for questions now.
Sarah Glazer ‘12: Hi I’m Sarah Glazer ’12
Beth Wiseman ’13: Hi I’m Beth Wiseman ‘13
Sarah Sherman ’11: Why do you want to this and what experience do you have?
Sarah Glazer ‘12: I’m just really interested in this because I think we need to take more responsibility for our alcohol usage and be more aware of alcohol usage on both the Bryn Mawr and Haverford campuses.
Beth Wiseman ’13: I’m a freshman and I’m just interested in seeing how people, frosh specifically deal with alcohol and how they deal with it based upon their different experiences with alcohol. Customs group go out but then inevitably someone will get sick, and people end up taking care of people, and getting sick that frequently shouldn’t be happening.
Julie Fahl ’12: How do you guys plan on representing students at larger parties like Halloween and West/East party?
Beth Wiseman ’13: I know at smaller parties there was an incident with the cross-country team and one of the freshmen got in trouble. I think that large Halloween parties and East/West parties are a good place for upperclassmen to model good behavior. Granted that some upperclassmen aren’t great models but I think it’s a lot easier to model your behavior off of upperclassman and other people who have experience, than other frosh who don’t have experience.
Sarah Glazer ‘12: I think that there needs to be more of a conversation and accountability taken by all students that attend these parties.
Elle Works ‘10: Is there anyone who is over 21 on the Alcohol Concerns Review Board and would actually be able to drink legally?
Sarah Glazer ‘12: It’s almost more important if you aren’t 21 because a lot of the underclassmen that don’t drink responsibly aren’t 21 and so there should be awareness among them.
Beth Wiseman ’13: Yeah, also I don’t want to wait till I’m 21 to get involved with this board because I think it’s important now.
Jennifer Savage ’12: What are your time commitments?
Beth Wiseman ’13: I’m in 4 classes, and one’s an intensive language. Next semester I’ll be playing Tennis and that will take up some of my time, but I think I can manage it well.
Sarah Glazer ’12: I’m in 4 ½ credits because I take voice lessons. I’m also in Night Owls and Chamber Singers and I think that I can add this to my schedule and manage it well.
Simran Singh ’10: So if you guys were appointed, what do you plan on changing? I know Haverford has this thing called Quaker Bouncers—do you want to do something like that?
Beth Wiseman ’13: I don’t think Bouncers are as applicable, because we don’t have as many parties. I think what’s important is to bring awareness and have an open dialogue.
Sarah Glazer ’12: One of my friends is on the Quakers Bouncers Board so I am familiar with it, but I think our party policy covers it and more because we take responsibility for our actions. I think that it would be important to hold more meetings, more teas, and raise awareness about our policy because I don’t think there is enough.
Taline Cox ’10: The COPS program holds Alcohol Awareness Tea at least once a semester, and there might be 5 people at a tea. How do you plan on getting people there?
Sarah Glazer ’12: I think in Wellness–that’s another place where students can have this discussion on Alcohol. I also think that Customs week is a place where students can discuss alcohol.
Beth Wiseman ’13: I agree that it’s difficult to get people to talk about it. But I think the biggest thing is that people are sick of the workshops, and the same people having the same discussion, but the important thing is to get people to talk about it in an informal setting. I think the Customs group idea is a good idea. Getting people to talk about it in an informal setting.
Hannah Curry McDougald ‘10: Which applicant isn’t here and why?
Sophie Papavizas: So Beth and Sarah Glazer are right there. Samantha Hanco can’t be here for a family emergency and Stephanie Tse isn’t here. Now we are going to vote.
Shannon Ryan ’10: Can you go over the Constitutional reasons as to why we are doing this again?
Sophie Papavizas: ‘11 So the appointments committee always makes unanimous decisions, and this time we couldn’t so then the decision is brought to a simple majority vote of the assembly members. We sent out the applications to all the assembly members and you should have read it over and looked at it earlier this week, and we had a candidate’s forum so that everyone could make an informed decision.
SGA and Religion
Katherine Redford ’10: So SGA’s theory on religion is because Bryn Mawr is so diverse and we celebrate so many religions we can’t cancel meetings for each holiday. As for Plenary this year we didn’t realize it fell on an important Jewish Holiday and once we found out it would, it was too late. In the future we plan on making future exec boards know as well as being cognizant ourselves of the holidays that fall on weekends.
Colleen Hayley ’11: Have you guys put anything into effect?
Katherine Redford ’10: In terms of passing it along to future exec boards, yes, we keep notes of everything we do and we pass along in form of binders and whatnot. Is anything in the Constitution? No, not right now, but that’s certainly something people can bring up for Plenary.
Hannah Curry McDougald ’10: I know I had a similar issue last year when I scheduled Candidates Forum on Passover. So how should I find out about these days?
Shanna Fricklas ’10: I think that alternate dates can be scheduled for such meetings so that people can make up what they missed. I missed SGA and Plenary for the Jewish holidays, I don’t feel that I should be penalized for being Jewish. I know there are 2 excused, and 2 unexcused absences, but things come up and I’m just asking for extra accommodation.
Katherine Redford ’10: I totally understand about SGA and Plenary which is why you’re allowed 2 excused and 2 unexcused absences.
Sarah Sherman ’11: To answer Hannah’s question, you can also Google the date and see what comes up.
Maddy Court ’13: I’m really concerned that the only religious holidays you would be making exceptions for would be Judaism and Islam.
Katherine Redford ’10: Actually no, SGA doesn’t make exceptions for any holidays, but it grants religious excused absences for its members.
Madeline Velturo ’11: What would happen if someone had 3 excused absences. Is there a way to make excused absences, unexcused absences, and then religious absences?
Tanya Kaur ’10: Sure, so the only time someone would be asked to step down would be is if they had more than 2 unexcused absences or if they had 4 absences. If someone had 3 excused absences that would be okay. Just to clarify what the differences are—an excused absence is for religious reasons, family emergencies, illness, make up classes and the like. Unexcused absences are for pretty much anything else. Everyone is allowed 2 unexcused absences, but in addition to that they are allowed 2 excused absences. The reason why we only allow 4 absences a semester, is because there are about 10 meetings a semester, and so 4 absences already means that you’re missing 40% of the meetings, at the point at which you’re missing 50% of the meetings you can’t possibly be fulfilling your role as expected.However, in the case that someone has 4 absences, we do look at whether or not it’s excused absences or unexcused absences, and that plays a huge factor in whether we decide to ask someone to step down or not. Does that answer your question?
Madeline Velturo ’11: Yeah, thanks.
Alexandra Ashley ’11: I think that having an alternate schedule is a great idea and it would be nice if there were alternate schedules that existed.
Sarah Sherman ’11: Yeah but for example making up candidate’s forum is problematic because when people don’t see you there they hold it against you. It’s important being at these forums because it helps you get out there and be seen.
Shanna Fricklas ’10: I think that things happen and arise throughout the semester and that you should be able to make up meetings with an exec board member so that you can stay on top of your responsibilities.
Colleen Hayley ’11: If we are going to do alternate meetings then we would need to figure out how to do so because I know the exec board members have a lot of meetings outside of this one that they need to attend.
Simran Singh ’10: How are you supposed to be voting at an alternate meeting?
Tanya Kaur ’10: Point of Information: in situations like today’s meeting where we announced a week ago that voting was going to take place, individuals who knew they wouldn’t be able to make it at today’s meeting due to an excused absence—like they were sick, or they had a class—would be able to give me their vote in writing in advance. In all other situations, an absence would mean that you weren’t allowed to vote.
Julie O’Neil ‘10: I just think that you know when the meetings are and you are making that commitment when you run for this position. It’s always Sunday at 7 PM and if you can’t set aside that hour and half every week and say that you have a time commitment then you can’t be doing your job.
Shanna Fricklas ’10: I just wanted to address what you said because you have those 4 absences because things happen, and when you have Jewish holidays that compromises the numbers of absences you are allowed and so accommodations should be made.
Sophie Papavizas ’11: Okay thank you. Just wanted to let everyone know that we have appointed Beth Wiseman ’13, Sarah Glazer ’12 and Samantha Hanco to the ACRB.
Old Business
Sophie Papavizas ’11: Last week we talked about Yearbook, and how we want to create an external committee of people who want to explore the issue and come back to us.
Simran Singh ’10: I sent out a survey to our class, and the majority of our class wants one within a year of graduation.
Colleen Hayley ’11: I think if a yearbook isn’t available then an online yearbook is financially feasible and could also be used for admissions.
Shannon Ryan ’10: I followed up with the class of 1960 and they want to do a large thing in TGH in the spring.
New Business
Meeting ended at 8:22 PM.