StuCo Report: Election Updates, Rollover Initiative, and More

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.

Thursday Party Permits

Members of StuCo still are not sure whether the Thursday Party Permits issue is within their jurisdiction. However, StuCo wants to continue conversations with the Deans‘ Office on this subject.

“There just needs to be an explanation, an open conversation about why the policy is being enforced now,” said Matt Lamb ’12, Campus Life Representative.

The decision to enforce a 12:00 am end time on weeknight party permits was made over the summer, and it is unclear if there was any student input. Student Council will be looking into ways to gauge student opinion on the issue.

Election Updates

The deadline for election platforms was on Monday night. As of Sunday evening, Vice-President Olivia Ensign ’12 had not received any platforms. Several people had assured Ensign they were preparing their programs.

The ballots, which are on Moodle this year, open on Wednesday, September 14, and close on Sunday, September 18. The results will be announced on Sunday afternoon. There will be a Q&A session with the candidates on Wednesday at 7:30 pm in Kohlberg.

Meeting with The Gazette

Student Council met with The Daily Gazette’s editorial board to discuss the paper’s coverage of the party permits issue. StuCo President Tramane Hall ’12 contacted Gazette editors after last week’s StuCo report was published, because Dean Braun had expressed concern over the issue being discussed in the Student Council forum. However, Hall emphasized that one of the primary goals of StuCo this year is transparency. “We want to have a healthy relationship with The Daily Gazette and other student media,” said Hall.

Deans’ Office Updates

Hall and Ensign sat down with Dean Braun last week to discuss a number of issues and policies. There will be changes in the functioning of the Deans’ Office: deans will now be assigned by year, and not class. There will be no dean of class 2014 or 2012, but a sophomore or senior dean, well versed in the issues of their year. With deans leaving the college and students returning after longer absences, the rotating schedule proved difficult to maintain.

According to Ensign, Dean Braun also wants to meet with StuCo to receive input on Strategic Planning. Dean Braun will attend StuCo’s September 18th meeting, which will be closed, to receive questions and concerns. There will also be a campus-wide discussion on the Strategic Planning document.

Council on Educational Policy

Educational Policy Representative, Fai Wisittanawat ’13, is unable to sit on Council on Educational Policy (CEP) meetings due to a scheduling conflict. However, StuCo’s constitution requires that the Educational Policy Representative act as one of the three students on the CEP. The Provost’s Office set up this semester’s CEP meeting mid-way through the spring 2011 semester, prior to the StuCo elections.

Alongside faculty and administration members, three students are supposed to sit on the Council, and give their input on educational policy. “It is one of the most important committees,” said Gabriella Capone ’13.

Ensign expressed disappointment over the fact that Wisittanawat, who was democratically elected to her position, has been excluded from CEP meetings thus far. StuCo will send another representative for the time being, but Ensign noted that it should be someone who is informed and can intelligently talk about these issues. StuCo will try to work out a solution to avoid this situation in the future.

Rollover Initiative

The Student Budget Committee asked Student Council whether they could start dispersing rollover funds. However, as of now, the only person on the Rollover Committee is SBC Co-chair, Amelia Mitter-Burke ’12. There are three open spots on the Committee, and appointments should be coming out soon. Student Council members agreed that SBC must wait for the entire committee to be in place before making funding decisions. “One person can’t be in charge of allocating the money,” said Ensign.

The Board of Managers Luncheon

The first Board of Managers luncheon will be on Saturday, September 24. A group of twenty students is invited to the luncheon, ten of whom will be Student Council members. The remaining ten spots are open to students and will be filled through an application process. Dean Braun was concerned that it is usually the same students who end up going to the luncheon, so she suggested that StuCo encourage a more diverse a range of of campus leaders to apply.