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.
On Sunday, February 21, 2016, the Student Government Organization (SGO) held an Executive Board Meeting in Parrish Parlors at 7:05 P.M. At the meeting, each committee chair gave updates on their committee’s project progress.
Lollipop Santa and Healing Hands Study Break Planning
On Valentine’s Day, students found dum dum lollipops in their mailboxes. The deliverers of the dum dums didn’t leave notes or signs of who they might be. At the meeting, Chair of Student Life Policy Kimberly Rosa ‘18 revealed that it was SGO who organized this small act of surprise for the student body.
After the successful Healing Hands massages study break, Rosa is planning to host another massage study break. The event will likely occur during finals week.
Interfaith Lounge and Student Health
Chair of Diversity Salman Safir ‘16 has been discussing the possibility of creating an Interfaith lounge on campus.
“There is more viability for [an Interfaith lounge] now that Mephisto is a wet space. There’s not as much dry spaces on campus,” Safir said.
Safir attended his first meeting since joining the Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) board. SHAC is comprised of students who serve as intermediary between the student body and campus health services. SHAC aims to promote health and wellness on campus by working with the campus health services program. Some of SHAC’s current concerns include limited operating hours at Worth Health Center, and emergency room visit costs.
“I went to the emergency room once during my time at Swarthmore and I was paying the bill for six months after,” Safir said.
In response to Safir’s anecdote, Co-president Christine Kim ‘16 said, “Part of the high cost comes from them calling the ambulance instead of taking you in a Pub Safe car. They will call an ambulance on your behalf.”
In addition to high costs, there were concerns about the quality of care that Swarthmore students receive at the ER.
Zipp said, “When you say you’re from Swarthmore, the hospital staff treats you a particular way. I went in for mono and they kept asking me whether I had drank the night before and kept hounding me about it, and wouldn’t believe me when I kept saying no.”
But with the current hours that Worth Health Center has, it can be difficult for students to find alternative emergency care.
“There’s no intermediate. If you fall off your bike in the middle of night, there’s nowhere else to go besides the ER,” Safir said.
Emergency Appointments Interviews Underway
Chair of Internal Affairs Blake Oetting ‘18 has began conducting interviews for emergency appointments. Positions will be determined on Tuesday, February 23.
Environmental Showcase
Chair of Environmental Impact Bennett Parrish ‘18 reported that the Office of Sustainability is planning a showcase in April. The SGO is planning to help advertise through a “green food” event.
SGO Survey
Chair of Student Outreach Ellen Liu ‘18 reported that the SGO received 210 responses on the student survey released on February 9.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:44 P.M.
A copy of the meeting’s minutes can be found here: http://sgo.swarthmore.edu/minutes/
