Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
One of the many reasons for me choosing Swarthmore was the fervor with which my peers engaged one another with their various values, ideas, and opinions. One of the most impressive aspects of Swarthmore to me was the camaraderie that develops because of the shared ideas amongst peers. Not on did this impress me, but the sheer number of groups available on campus was exciting as well as overwhelming. As a freshman, I was bombarded with propaganda to join this group or that group and like any other clueless, starry-eyed freshman, I signed up for every mailing list in sight. As the year has progressed, I have culled that list to a diverse set of groups that align with my ideas and passions. While I am very satisfied with my experiences with the various groups with which I’m involved, there are many area for improvement. The three main issues that I feel plague student groups here on campus are budgetary constraints, lack of information for the general student body, and lack of a central governing body amongst groups. As a candidate for Student Group Advisor I plan to work closely with the SBC to implement strategies that will better distribute group funds in a more streamlined and effective manner. This would serve two purposes, it would help to prevent further increases to the student activities fee and it would also free up funding to charter more student groups as well as increase funding to existing groups. To increase general knowledge about groups to the general public I would implement a policy that would mandate that all groups that receive funding from the student budget would be required to update its websites and other mediums of communication in a timely fashion, or face sanctions. In order to provide a central governing body amongst groups I would push for the creation of an Intergroup Council or the IGC, and require all groups on campus to elect an IGC representative to represent the group within the council. This council would discuss issues within groups on campus and act as a think tank to implement ways of streamlining group functions. I hope that these ideas appeal to you and I ask that you will allow me to serve as your Student Groups Advisor
“I plan to work closely with the SBC to implement strategies that will better distribute group funds in a more streamlined and effective manner.”
What types of strategies would you actually attempt to implement? This is something that is easy to say but far more difficult to actually achieve. If there were easy ways to achieve this admirable goal, I feel confident they would already be in application.
Secondly, the IGC seems like a huge bureaucratic nightmare. There are over 100 student groups on campus, many of which have nothing to do with each other. This would be the largest group meeting on campus with no clear benefit. How would you go about organizing such a giant undertaking, which would be resisted by many student groups, to actually achieve positive goals?
It sounds like you are proposing budget cuts for many groups. That is the only way I can see in which you can free up money while not raising the fee. Please discuss which groups you feel are throwing away money frivolously. Also, I don’t see how making the already difficult job of group leaders harder by forcing them to sit on another piece of bureaucracy and makes Swarthmore a better place. Have you ever spoken to anyone on SBC or any past groups advisers about the job, or are your policies as uninformed as they seem?