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.
Hi Swatties!
My name is Sinan Kazaklar and I would like to serve on the StuCo as one of your Campus Life Representatives.
After my hometown, Istanbul, Turkey, I feel like, Swarthmore is my second home. I would love to serve this unique community to ensure its well-fare by acting as an intermediary link between the students and the administration. To achieve that I am hoping to interact with more of you in a personal level to hear what you have to say about the current events and your opinions about the different operations of the College.
We have a very well-bonded community that is a rich mosaic of different backgrounds and stories. I would like to sustain this strong bond by keeping the conversation channels open and urge a fruitful environment for every positive idea and opinion to flourish at. In my opinion, mutual understanding and empathy are the keys elements for that. As the Campus Life Representative, I would do my best to keep the positive and friendly atmosphere active by presenting the different opinions and reactions to the Council.
We have good conditions at our dorms, but I think we can make them better by some improvements. One could be adding useful appliances to the lounges. A microwave and a fridge are two examples that every resident could benefit from. Also the school pays a substantial amount of money for cable, but only a few locations around the campus have access to cable TV. Every lounge should have access to cable TV that is already being paid for. Another improvement that I want to suggest is the “wellness centers” in every dorm that has some fitness equipment and mats. This is a harder task to achieve but I would work hard to bring these opinions and many more from the student body to the StuCo and try to make these suggestions come true.
As the Campus Life Representative, another one of my responsibilities would be to pursue the improvement of dining services through the inputs from the student body. Rollover meal points have been a topic of interest on the StuCo for a while now, but no resolving conclusion has been reached. I would urge a solution to this important matter on the StuCo and hopefully get the rollover meal points system going in near future. In addition to that, implementing new and delicious specialty bars to the Sharples menu and introducing healthy food choices to Eassie Mae’s would be my other priorities.
While trying to make this campus a better place than it already is, I also would like to encourage the efforts to make Swarthmore a green campus. Although composting is achieved at a reasonable level, it could be further enhanced and combined with other conservation efforts such as energy-efficient light bulbs or implementing lights with movement sensors that only turn on when there is someone in the room.
Swarthmore is a beautiful place and I really want to take part in efforts to make it better than it already is. I am always open to hear what you have to say and really appreciate your input. I would love to be the bridge between you and the StuCo.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Sinan