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.
Haiti Relief and Pub Nite Money
At Sunday’s meeting, StuCo discussed where money donated by students during Pub Nite would be sent. Jacqueline Bailey-Ross ‘12 said that there have been opposing voices on campus, as some suggest that the money go to a large organization, such as the Red Cross, and other students have recommended finding a smaller organization. One organization mentioned by Bailey-Ross was Haiti Community Support, a small group that is working to rebuild a town outside of Port-au-Prince. Almost $300 was raised during Pub Nite.
Bailey-Ross also led a discussion on the formation of a committee supporting long-term relief in Haiti. Bailey-Ross has already formed an organization on campus, Coalition for a Free Haiti, which has been raising money for Haiti relief over the past few weeks. Bailey-Ross hopes that by creating a committee consisting of students, faculty, and staff, the Swarthmore community will have an “information hub” to turn to when looking for information on Haiti. The committee, though, is still only an idea, and various StuCo members gave feedback on how committee members should be chosen and how the committee should function.
Dean of Students
StuCo was split during a discussion of the administration’s choice to ban reporting on the interviews being held with candidates for the Dean of Students position. Some members felt as though students who did not or will not attend interviews with the candidates have the right to read about the candidates’ responses to interview questions. Also, concern was raised over the fact that the ban on reporting occurred after coverage of the first candidate’s interview was posted in both the Daily Gazette and the Phoenix. Some members felt as though this inequality in coverage could impact students’ opinions of candidates.
Urooj Khan ‘10, a member of the Dean’s Search Committee, spoke to StuCo about the decision to block coverage of interviews. Khan explained that the Search Committee feared that candidates might not feel comfortable speaking openly about their previous and current positions if they knew that their words could be recorded in campus publications. Also, the Search Committee was concerned that written coverage of the interviews could not be completely free of bias.
More information on the decision to ban reporting on candidate interviews can be viewed here.
Tea with StuCo and Other Campus Events
StuCo is hoping to start an informal and biweekly gathering where students can learn about StuCo’s goals and initiatives. Students in attendance will also be encouraged to provide feedback for StuCo. “Tea with StuCo” should begin within the coming weeks. The location of the event is still being discussed.
Watufani Poe ’13, Campus Life Representative, also discussed producing a video that would introduce students to StuCo members. He hopes to produce videos continuously throughout the semester to keep the Swarthmore community up to date on StuCo initiatives.
Miscellaneous
- The Media shuttle was approved by SBC on Sunday and will hopefully begin running this Friday. The shuttle is scheduled to run every Friday evening.
- StuCo is planning to submit a proposal to SBC this Sunday for a shuttle that will run to King of Prussia every other week. The shuttle schedule is still being discussed, but will probably run Saturday afternoon and evening. StuCo might require students to reserve space on the shuttle beforehand.
- The College has announced that Timothy Sams, Assistant Dean of the Black Cultural Center, will be replaced, but that they are still trying to gauge what the new position will look like. StuCo plans to speak with Sams so that they may judge how the position he filled is changing.
