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.
Bike Share Updates
Ali Roseberry-Polier ’14 and Tony Lee ‘15, campus life representatives, met with Alison Masterpasqua, access and lending services supervisor at McCabe Library, to discuss continuing the bike share program. Masterpasqua said that the bikes and locks are accounted for but that many of the bikes had fallen into disrepair during the spring 2012 semester.
Lee said that StuCo plans to fix the bikes, but that fixing them once will be a “band aid” and recommended hiring a student to maintain the bikes. Appointments Chair Will Lawrence ‘13 suggested creating a student position through SBC as opposed to offering a semesterly stipend directly through StuCo. “It would be more sustainable,” Lawrence said. Natalia Choi ‘15, financial policy representative, will meet with SBC Manager Jesse Dashefsky ‘13 about creating the position, which would function similarly to the van coordinator position.
Capital Replacement
StuCo received $20 from the Student Budget Committee (SBC) to repair the foosball table in Clothier Hall.
Choi requested funds from SBC to replace television remotes on campus. SBC asked StuCo to revise the proposal, including a security measure to prevent the remotes from being stolen. StuCo members discussed tethering the remotes near televisions to prevent theft. Secretary Sarah Dwider ’13 suggested leaving dorm remotes with Resident Assistants, saying, “If you have a chain, people are going to want to unchain it.” StuCo decided that they will propose tethering the remotes as a means of increasing security when Choi meets with SBC again.
Election Committee
Two students are running for the position of educational policy representative. Victor Brady ’13, co-president, said that the special elections process should be completed by October break.
Food Initiative Updates
Brady and Ian Anderson ’13, student outreach coordinator, met with Linda McDougall, dining services director, and Gusti Ruhri, cash operations manager, to discuss late night food options for students. According to Brady, these two administration officials have been considering the issue.
Brady suggested hiring students to work night shifts at the coffee bars and said that McDougall seemed willing to consider the idea. Lawrence said that he wants StuCo to ensure that any new student jobs wouldn’t reduce the number of hours available for Dining Services employees. “If we were inadvertently undercutting that, I wouldn’t want that to happen,” Lawrence said.
Brady also spoke with McDougall and Ruhri about providing more healthy food options, suggesting that Essie Mae’s offer a salad bar at dinner. However, lack of space in Essie Mae’s was raised as a potential problem. During the coming weeks, several StuCo members will visit with Dining Services staff at Sharples and will tour Essie Mae’s with Ruhri.
SEPTA Tokens
Co-President Gabby Capone ’14 and Brady spoke with staff at Haverford about that college’s SEPTA token program, which offers 50 SEPTA tickets to students each week on a first-come, first-served basis. Capone said that she and Brady heard “only positive feedback,” and said that they will discuss instating a similar program at Swarthmore with President Rebecca Chopp and Dean of Students Liz Braun.
Brady estimated the cost of the program to be around $6,000 a semester. However, Swarthmore may be able to receive discount tickets through a partnership like those that SEPTA has with the University of Pennsylvania and other Philadelphia-area schools. Brady will research these partnerships.
Open Forum
Dwider has been speaking with students about holding a collection each semester, which would potentially include a period of silence and a reflection given by a featured speaker. As opposed to a meeting for worship, Dwider said she envisions “a time when the entire campus is in a space together and shares an experience.”
Dwider said, “People were pretty receptive to it, if it were once a semester,” and plans to contact Dean Braun, telling her that StuCo hopes to assist the Dean’s Office in gaging student interest in collections.
