BY HANNAH PURKEY

In print | Published February 7, 2008

The new Social Scene Advisory Council will meet for the first time on Friday to begin discussing ways to improve the social life at Swarthmore. The SSAC, recently assembled by Assistant Director of Student Life Kelly Wilcox, is made up of students participating in a variety of activities on campus to discuss the school’s policies about social events and the student body’s opinion on these policies.

“It is going to be an informal, open activity between what I hope is a cross-section of students with varying interests and backgrounds, but who all have a common desire to communicate with each other and the administration to suggest improvements,” Wilcox said.

In order to form the council, Wilcox asked for nominations from ten different groups and organization on campus, including from the Student Health and Wellness group and Student Council. “Part of it was based on the groups who typically turn in party permits, whether for alcohol or non-alcohol events,” Wilcox said. “But it’s also different interest groups, people who have expressed interest.” The council will cover a variety of topics including the school’s alcohol policy, the use of campus space for social activities as well as the communication network, according to Wilcox. Discussions of the alcohol policy will include looking at the support network for those with alcohol abuse problems as well as the comfort level of students who choose not to drink at social events. Tom Elverson, assistant to the president for alumni relations and the alcohol and intervention specialist, said the council is overdue. “I am thrilled that the college will be looking at dry events, dry spaces and dry activities,” Elverson said. “I think it is tremendous.”

Through his work with students, Elverson said there is a need on campus for a council to discuss alcohol issues and options for more dry spaces and events. “Just because you already have twenty percent [of Swarthmore students] that choose not to drink or use substances, that doesn’t mean you can’t extend that number a bit,” Elverson said.

“I’ve met with students who moderately drink here that have said, ‘I wish there were a place I could go that didn’t have [alcoholic] drinks,’” Elverson said.

One possible activity being considered is a night in the Lang Cultural Center, where food and non-alcoholic drinks would be served as well as an offering of some kind of entertainment, according to Elverson.

“I’ve advocated for [this council] for the last five years,” Elverson said. Elverson also suggested designating more areas as dry and holding activities, like the Lang coffee house idea, where students can get away from the more alcohol-based social scene.

Students on the council will have the opportunity to suggest and discuss ideas like these at the meeting on Friday, which will be structured almost like a focus group to allow students to voice their thoughts on Swarthmore’s social scene, according to Wilcox. Wilcox will then take these suggestions to other committees to try to implement the changes.

Students on the committee are looking forward to expressing their concerns. “I’m concerned about the alcohol policy on campus,” Sunjay Barton ‘09, a member of the SSAC, said. "Not particularly that it’s out of hand, but I think there are improvements that could be made that would improve the well-being of all the students on campus."

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