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.
Textbook Grant
A new textbook exchange program is being planned for the future. Textbooks will be donated to the Daily Gazette and then advertised, most likely on the Reserved Students Digest. The hope is to create a more sustainable system for buying and selling textbooks. StuCo also has $10,000, in the form of a grant given to the library, which is being set aside for textbook purchases.
StuCo members are currently looking for the most responsible way to spend this money and are hoping to make an investment that will help students with their financial burden in the future. Possible options include buying or renting online textbooks, renting books to be housed in the McCabe reserves, or buying additional introductory course textbooks for the reserves.
StuCo also discussed working with professors to lessen the need for new editions of books. StuCo hopes that professors might design problem sets that do not require students to use the newest edition of the class textbook.
Ad Hoc Financial Committee Meeting
StuCo members met this week to discuss an official timeline for the Ad Hoc Financial Committee meeting. The Committee hopes to make an $8 million cut in the annual budget; however, the committee believes that these cuts must be sustainable for a number of years. The cuts would begin within five years and be implemented for an unknown timeline. The committee will also discuss last year’s cuts and decide whether or not they can be sustained for an extended period of time. An official draft of potential cuts will be released on November 13th.
Student Departmental Advisors
A new StuCo initiative is investigating the benefits of instating a group of student advisors within each academic department. The students would be chosen as juniors and serve on the committee for their senior year. Students on the committees would be majors in the department and would provide support by organizing events, serving as student-faculty liaisons, and helping students within the department with personal issues.
Safety Updates
StuCo held a campus safety walk on Monday to pick out various spots on campus where students do not feel safe. During the walk, it was decided that two new lights would be installed along the path behind McCabe leading from Parrish Circle to Willets, one new light will be put outside of the Women’s Resource Center, and the light near Danawell will be raised so it is not blocked by trees. Suggestions for place where improvements should be made are still being accepted.
Door propping was also discussed as a safety concern. Possible solutions include a new universal key or keycard system to allow students access to any dorm on campus, therefore ameliorating the need for door propping. StuCo also discussed installing alarms that would go off after a door has remained open for an extended period of time, but dismissed the idea because of expense.
Miscellaneous Notes
- StuCo members have received support for the proposal to create a campus bike exchange program. Members are now investigating the most efficient method of keeping the bikes from leaving campus.
- StuCo is working to provide weekly shuttles to Media. A pilot shuttle will run on a coming Friday or Saturday night from 6pm-9pm to judge student interest.
- Worth’s new co-pay system allows any student who feels that paying for medication would be a financial burden to receive his or her medication free of charge.
- SAC told the SBC that the $3,500 used to rent a tent for the Halloween party would be refunded. StuCo hopes to vote the money back into this year’s budget. Swarthmore administration has requested that the money be used to fund Parlor parties.