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.
The Daily Gazette has reprinted these platforms in full without changes
Aidan Reddy
Dear Class of 2021,
My name is Aidan and I’m from Toledo, Ohio. In typical Swattie fashion, I am not yet sure what I want to study, but I am interested in math, physics, philosophy, and economics. I enjoy running, listening to 60’s and 70’s rock, and men’s fashion. I plan to write for one of campus newspapers and to get involved with research in the physics department.
I’m still learning the ins and outs of this place, as I’m sure you all are too. I can’t claim to have a full understanding on the workings of this institution quite yet. I do, however, have a firm grasp of the principles that have driven my efforts in leadership positions in the past — the ones I will work to promote as your class senator. Among these causes are resource accessibility and promoting students’ ideas.
During my senior year in high school, I was Student Council Co-President. One of the primary issues that I addressed in my campaign, and worked to resolve throughout the year, was the general lack of communication among students. Students were often unaware of student clubs or initiatives that they would have enjoyed to be a part of. Because students, particularly underclassmen, did not have easy access to information regarding students groups and projects, they were often unable to partake in them. Student Council built a page on the website at which students checked grades and assignments that publicizes campus events and allows student groups to share information regarding meeting schedules, projects, recruitment, and more. To me, seeing resources go unused due to trivial communicational barriers is a shame. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Swarthmore, it’s that it has more extraordinary resources than any student could possibly take full advantage of in four years. I will work to make sure that SGO’s policies combat logistical barriers and promote access to these resources.
During my Junior year of high school, I worked with a group of friends to create an annual TEDx event featuring around a dozen high school speakers and performers. Our goal was to create a platform for passionate, excited, and reflective students to share their ideas with a large audience. I worked with these students to help craft their ideas into a set of engaging presentations comprised of everything from talks about a student’s experience in cancer research and the value of leisure in everyday life, to musical performances on the harp and cello. Although this is not necessarily the sort of work that SGO does, I will bring my passion for providing all students with opportunities to share their ideas to the committees on which I will serve.
These are just two examples of the ways in which I have taken advantage of leadership positions and worked with teams to bring positive change to my community. I hope to have the opportunity to do the same at Swarthmore as one of your class representatives.
Kind regards,
Aidan Reddy
Akshay Srinivasan
General Ideas
- Transparency
- Equality of Opportunity
SGO Policy Changes
- Make the budget process more transparent and available to current and prospective club leaders
- When proposing the new budget, have an open, advertised session during which public comment is encouraged
- Include a debate in the student senate and executive board elections that can be included in the newspaper and as an event so the differences between candidates can be better emphasized
- Amend the SOC procedure to allow votes on club charters at any meeting
- Implement campaign finance laws
- Include a monthly article in a newspaper detailing changes
Healthcare
- Provide funding to better train SAMs, RAs, DPAs, and GAs on counseling procedures
- Provide a physical list of resources to every student describing healthcare procedures including mental illness resources, important numbers and locations, and emergency instruction
Orientation: Suggestions to the Orientation Committee
- Increase time for choosing classes and designate a specific time to work on class choices
- Move meetings that would likely conflict to days with fewer events
- Physics Placement Exam and Pre-Engineering Presentation
- Include required tours of CAPS and Worth
- Add social events that appeal to different types of people (introvert v. extrovert)
Administration Proposals: Suggestions for resolutions to encourage the administration to pursue certain policies
- Implement Need Blind Admissions for International Students (currently need aware)
- Review the effects of Early Decision policies on low-income and underrepresented students
- Emphasize the amount and severity of class lotteries to prospective and current students
- Make Public Safety policies more obvious to students to prevent unintentional misunderstandings and subjectivity
Suggestions
- Provide a google form for suggestions for student government and myself
- Include the option of anonymity and for legislation submission
Constitution
- Require constitutional revision sessions every 2 years
- Send the constitution to every student
“I have no social life, so I’ll always have time to work for you.”
Austin Yanez
Our wild imaginations,
are we just pretending,
that brash declarations of
Building a new Swat nation.
Will breach the barriers
Of anything more than fiction.
Changes will only,
grow out of continued determination.
I pledge myself to the idea
Of intended communication
To bring each of your ideas
To ultimate realization.
I’m not a politician, just a
Black man with a vision.
To,
Remove this institution’s
Disillusioned view of inclusion.
Where people of color,
Still turn heads with confusion
When they initiate discussion
About their culture dying.
Infection from white pollution.
When one of our peers
Says their pronouns,
Gender-identity not bound
To a medical background
He. Him His.
She. Her. Hers.
They. Them. Theirs.
Or when someone,
States that they man. Woman.
Are neither. Why do eyes
Move up. Down.
Try to Peer
through clothing. Empathy insincere
How to reverse damage, unclear
But this is a new year.
Phineas,
How many times,
do we
Need to start fires
To see if they burn?
I, your candidate,
My back, scars of whips from
Past generations, carries
Your ideas, emotions. Evolution,
How to evolve our institution
My conclusion:
Inclusion, here’s a resolution
We need more black, brown, queer
Voices to lead a revolution.
Phineas. Give me light,
Ponder this question
For the next few nights.
Election, a protection.
From the perpetuation of
Marginalization.
But only if you choose right.
Let your spirit guide you.
Austin Yanez, candidate,
First-Year Class Senate.
The class of 2021 is the future of Swarthmore. The things we commit ourselves to during the next four years will become our legacy. We as a class have at our disposal some of the most extensive resources offered to college students in the entire world. This not only encompasses the endowment, but the incredible academic facilities, libraries, residential housing, and campus. But not only are we well-equipped with the wealth of resources available, but we also make up some of the most hard-working and passionate students of our generation. This combination of talent, grit, and insightfulness is supported by the brick, stone, ivy, trees, books, and dollar-signs that this campus holds and gives to us to do what we want with it. We must not let this incredible opportunity go to waste.
Swarthmore College is a collection of more than 1,500 incredible minds, perspectives, backgrounds, and identities. In this new, globalized, interdependent, and interconnected world, the college graduates of our generation will play one of the most crucial roles in human history. And as the students and beneficiaries of the resources of one of the best institutions of higher education in the world, we have a responsibility to use such blessings to the fullest.
In the face of possible impending nuclear disaster, and the inevitable collapse of the environment by human neglect, where will we stand in the face of an upcoming climax that holds the future of humanity and Earth in jeopardy? And where do we stand right now, as ethnic cleansing, environmental destruction and deterioration, war, violence, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and many other social issues claim lives, destroy futures, and erase the possibilities of human potential every night when we sleep?
As a candidate for the First-Year Class Senate position, I understand that there are endless possibilities for us, only limited by the scope of our imagination and drive. My goal as a First-Year Class Senator is to convey your passion, fervor, and vitality in is most genuine form to a place where your ideas can be connected to the resources to have them realized.
Professors, administrators, and peers, many have already described a feeling of “electricity” from their interaction with our class. Our experiences, backgrounds, identities, have brought us here, and have developed a social momentum that we need to run as far as we can with.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” By writing this platform, I am taking my first step to uphold this principle. I invite you to join me in this journey to realize the potential we hold as a class.
Christie Little
Hello, my name is Christie Little, and I am so excited to be running for the Class of 2021
Senate! I am passionate about promoting and developing our community, especially through
inclusivity and service.
Some quick background information: I am a freshman from southern Delaware and am
thinking about a major in Psychology/English Literature. I am a strong believer in the incredible
power of positivity and strive to make the world around me a better place. I was very involved in
student and community life in high school, and look forward to impacting my community here at
Swarthmore!
As I am sure many of you can attest, Swarthmore has an amazing sense of community. I
have only been here for a few weeks, but I already feel like I have made so many friends! As
your class senator, I plan to build upon and expand that universal feeling of connectedness and
acceptance. I want to work with our Diversity Outreach Centers to continue their vital and
powerful mission to bringing resources, education, and awareness to all corners of campus. I
truly believe in the power of community, and can’t wait to bring that passion to our student
government.
It is essential that we give back to the amazing community that is already allowing us to
grow together. Many clubs and activities focus on service activities, but in my limited time on
campus, I have not heard of many class-wide community service opportunities. As your class
senator, I want to work with these organizations and local programs to promote service activities
and offer us as many opportunities to participate as possible. This brings our student body
together, and it also builds that relationship between the school and the world around it.
I feel so lucky to be here at Swarthmore and I want to give back to this school by serving
you in any capacity I can. Thank you so much for considering my candidacy for the Class of
2021 Senate, and remember: Vote for Christie Little!
Dylan Clairmont
Hello class of 2021!! My name is Dylan Clairmont and I’m running to represent our class as one of the Class Senators. Just a little bit about myself for those of you who I haven’t gotten the pleasure of meeting yet, I’m a prospective Poli Sci/Linguistics double major (possibly with some Cog Sci/Peace and Conflict Studies sprinkled in too). Outside of academics, I’m a member of the Campus Journal section of the Phoenix, a member of SQU, and a member of the Swat Dems. As Class Senator, I wish to represent the class of 2021 in all its glory, quirkiness, messiness, loveliness, strangeness and all its diverse forms of beauty. I believe that I should be one of your class senators because I’m experienced, willing to represent and fight for everyone in the class of 2021, and have it in me to inspire actual change on the Swarthmore campus.
As a member of student government all throughout high school, I am very much familiar with the inner workings of student governments. It’s an at times frustrating, but extremely rewarding job. I’m excited to be able to have more input at Swarthmore than at my public high school, as Swat seems much more willing to hear students’ voices and actually inspire real changes due to what the students have to say. I acknowledge the fact that as a white male, I won’t be able to accurately depict a lot of the struggles that Swat students are going through, so as I result I plan on maintaining close ties with organizations such as ENLACE, Colors, etc. so that I can hear directly from marginalized groups on campus and use their words to best represent them, rather than muted words of my own.
Especially in our current political cycle, holding Swarthmore accountable is going to be a big job. Trump is currently trying to undo much of Obama’s work over the past eight years, so it’s our job to make sure that Swarthmore maintains the same values regardless of who is in power nationally. We as students have much more power than we think, and we can already see this power shown in how students fought for President Valerie Smith to maintain Title IX procedures and she issued a statement claiming that she will. As one of your Class Senators, I hope to continue this dialogue between administration and students and not only keep the current processes we have in place, but make sure that Swarthmore doesn’t stagnate and rather continues to grow and evolve to represent every student equally and impactfully.
Inclusivity, representation, giving a voice to the voiceless, etc. are all great buzzwords, but what does that actually look like? As Class Senator, I don’t only wanna talk the talk, but also walk the walk. A huge part of my platform involves ensuring that Swarthmore continues to become more transparent in where funding is going and what policies are currently in place. Not only that, Swarthmore also has a rich history of quirks and idiosyncrasies that make Swat Swat, but we need to do a better job of preserving them so that Swat remains the interesting and enriching institution it has always been. Swarthmore is also at an exciting crossroads as it works to be a key player in the carbon pricing as well as compost efforts, but devestment is still a process that we need to force on administration. I hope that you will elect me to represent you, the class of 2021, in this upcoming election, but regardless of where your vote goes out I’m wishing everyone a great year and can’t wait to work with Swarthmore to take this school to even greater heights.
Grant Brown
Grant Brown ’21 for Class Senator
I’m Grant Brown and I am running for a position as a Class Senator for the Class of 2021. I was born and
raised in Bellevue, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha, known only to anyone outside of Nebraska for its Zoo,
College World Series, and massive amounts of corn. I am planning to study Philosophy and Religion and
am a First Generation and Questbridge student.
Despite having arrived at Swarthmore a few short weeks ago, I have already been impacted by a
profound impression of the College’s community, values, and historical roots. It is these broad
categories that I hope to sustain and improve if elected. In a similar vein, this platform is by no means
exhaustive, but presents a core of values and issues that I am passionate about.
Environmental Justice
The College ought to be continuously pressured to have an active environmental justice agenda. As an
institution of Quaker heritage, which the College has recently reaffirmed with the reintroduction of
Collections, a spiritual group who pride themselves on being on the forefront of justice, we must hold
ourselves to a high standard. It is merely bureaucratic hypocrisy to pride oneself on the stewardship of
both the Crum and the Scott Arboretum while refusing a progressive environmental agenda.
While the College currently has significant amount of sustainability projects, which I would work to
continue, this must be expanded to include a sense of ethical imperative relating to the environment
writ large. This includes pressure to divest the endowment from fossil fuels, arrange speakers, and
promote cross-disciplinary dialogue in order to diagnose problems and forward solutions.
Mental Health and Disability
Growing up with two disabled parents and personally experiencing anxiety disorders, I am passionate
about creating community solutions to problems of mental health and disability. This issue, though
seemingly niche, profoundly shapes communities and the identities of those within them. College can be
a challenging environment for students who experience disabilities and a continuous interrogation of
our support systems is necessary to meet those challenges.
Swarthmore, once again, has opportunities and support for those with these issues. However, I hope to
continue this venture while introducing a more active approach to disability on campus, moving past the
mere “Contact us if you are in need!” to a more direct outreach through community dialogue, creative
outputs, and peer-to- peer recognition and accommodation.
Class Lotteries and Sizes
This year a significant portion of first year students were, to quote Martin Warner, “lotteried heavily.” A
profound number of students were removed from classes, some as many as all four, and their physical
education classes. In addition, a number of classes, especially those in STEM, have begun to rapidly
expand without administrative response to decrease class bloat.
This, more so than most problems, is a difficult one to solve. It requires a balance of understanding the
situation of the many professors who work hard on a daily basis and cannot sustain more classes
comfortably, and the needs of the students attending the college. I hope to pursue this issue and
uncover what can be done to resolve and pressure the administration into taking appropriate actions;
be it expansions in the number of course sections, class sizes in particular seminars, or otherwise.
Thank you for your consideration and time. I wish the best of luck to everyone on their midterms and
the best possible Fall Break!
Hari Srinivasulu
Student Wellness
If you’re here at Swarthmore, that means that you’re probably a pretty accomplished student. Given how intense life at Swarthmore is, it’s very easy for students to ignore taking care of themselves. I’d like to focus my efforts in three specific areas:
1) Nutrition:
As someone who’s lived outside the US all their life, adjusting to the food here and getting over missing home-cooked food was one of the biggest challenges that I have had to face here at Swarthmore.
While I’ve never had to worry about eating healthy at home, it’s a concern that I’ve had to keep in mind at Swat given how easy it is to settle into a routine of eating fries every day at Sharples. I’m interested in ensuring that there are tastier, healthier options at the food outlets on campus; and in encouraging students to make healthier choices. Specific measures I’d like to implement include arranging for better vegetarian options and specifically indicating healthier choices at Sharples.
2) Mental Health:
Fact: the majority of students at Swarthmore have scheduled an appointment with CAPS at least once during their time here. In light of this, the lack of dialogue on campus about depression, anxiety, or any of the other mental health problems many of us deal with is surprising and saddening. Furthermore, given how intense the average Swattie’s workload is, it may become too overwhelming for a person to juggle coursework, a job, and extracurriculars while dealing with depression or anxiety.
I’d specifically like to deal with two problems: starting conversations about mental health on campus, and establishing better resources to help students with mental health problems manage the demands of being a student at Swarthmore.
3) Toxic culture surrounding academics
One of the nicest things about Swarthmore is how people work with each other, not against each other. However, there are a few toxic aspects of how people interact with each other, such as the tendency of people to play misery poker or the general notion that it’s a completely normal thing to pull regular all-nighters to get work done. I’m interested in looking for avenues to cultivate healthier attitudes towards maintaining a study-life balance among Swatties.
Resources for STEM Students
The fact that Swarthmore has an exceptionally good Natural Sciences and Engineering program distinguishes it from most other liberal arts colleges. However, I believe there’s scope for improvement in terms of whether one gets a ‘liberal arts’ experience in Swat’s STEM classes.
In my interactions with upperclassmen, I’ve met tons of Social Sciences/Humanities who came in intending to major in STEM, but I’ve met very few people who did the opposite.
I believe this is because students from non-STEM backgrounds who are interested in taking STEM classes run into several obstacles, ranging from large class sizes, the competitive nature of classes (eg: Bio 1 and Chem 10, because they’re both pre-med requirements), and the presence of a restrictive culture (for example, in my experience, I’ve noticed that students with prior programming experience have a tendency to geek out about stuff like the latest xkcd comic or Apple’s most recent announcement, which is well intentioned but discouraging for people who don’t have a technical background).
I’d like to implement specific resources for students without STEM backgrounds taking STEM classes.
Kevin Liao
Dear Class of 2021:
Hey there! I’m Kevin Liao, and here’s my Class Senate Platform. I know you’ve been through a lot of reading (whether it’s a homework assignment, one of the other dozen or so essays you’ve had to read for candidates), so I’ll keep this brief.
I’m not going to pretend like I’m the most qualified candidate out of everyone else. There’s probably some guy that’s been student government president since elementary school, or someone that’s going to become the next Barack Obama. But what I can can promise you is effort. I’ve never really been first at anything, but I’ve always tried my best at it (third-to-last in an indoor track competition kinda speaks for itself), and never given up (am I John Cena now?). If I see an issue that I believe it, sure, it might fail, but not before I give everything I have for it before it does. And if there’s an issue you want to raise, then I’ll be right there with you on it.
That kinda brings me into my next point – transparency! I’m not going to be like the Congress you see on TV today, hiding everything behind a cloud of bureaucracy and red tape. I’m not going to run in blindly with an agenda, claiming that it’s “the best agenda” or that I’ve got “the most qualified people, believe me”, but after every meeting, I’ll post whatever notes, ideas, and the like that I garnered. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail, too – I’m always carrying my laptop or my phone (thanks, Duo two-factor authentication system), so I’d be more than happy to clarify something you don’t understand, or raise awareness about something you’re concerned about. No matter what it is, I’ll give you all the information I have, and my honest opinion on it. Heck, we can start the tradition of transparency here – my extracurriculars are working with the Daily Gazette, SAO (Swarthmore Asian Organization), and working with Quest Scholars, a program for low-income students to afford top schools like Swat! If you have any more questions (as long as they’re not super-creepy), I’m all ears.
Finally, while I don’t have a ton of student government experience (does 6th grade student class president count?), I do have a lot of experience in something else – working with other people. I worked and led my school’s 4-H club for several years, rising from assistant treasurer (helping do extra math?) to president, and bringing the club membership from 2 to 30. I worked with my school newspaper for four years, and I never had a problem bringing up an issue with other people. Probably most importantly, though, I’ve spent a lot of time teaching, from classes to toddlers in my local Saturday school, to unruly second graders at a public school after school program, to a science class at one of New York City’s top high schools. From that, I’ve learned how to get people’s focus and attention, and while my fellow Swatties probably won’t throw half-chewed up erasers or candy wrappers at me, I’ve also learned how to compromise.
So I guess for now that’s about it – I don’t really have much else to tell you. I know it’s late, I know you don’t have a lot of time, and you might not have even gotten this far before closing the tab on this reading. That’s quite all right – I’m not going to demand that you vote for me, or tell you you’re making the wrong choice if you don’t. I don’t expect an easy win, or even a win at all (meme – can’t be disappointed if you have no expectations) The choice you make is the right one for you, and no one else can tell you otherwise. I only ask you for one thing.
When you hit the polls tomorrow, give this kid from Brooklyn a chance.
Lisa Shen
Name: Lisa Shen
Passion: Pokemon
Ranked: 9th in California for Pokemon in the Senior Division, 4th in Los Angeles County regionals.
The Gist:
- At one point, you only had to capture 151 pocket monsters to complete the entire Pokedex. Now, there are 802 Pokemon total. Claiming to be the absolute master at any specific task is an indicator of apathy, complacency, and crippling resignation. No matter how hard I work or how much I accomplish, I’m never finished bettering myself. There is an infinite number of ways to continually improve my life, personality, and method of serving the Class of 2021. To me, there’s always more work to be done.
- As a competitive battler, I’m always conscious about being one or two steps ahead of the other player. I don’t only resolve problems as they come, but I’m also consistently trying to predict moves and find solutions to drawbacks before they occur. As a result, I will always be creatively and proactively anticipating ways to improve the 2021 student experience (i.e. by creating an expedited “common-app” employment process).
- As a team, we can effectively amplify the voices of our peers, make use of each other’s strengths, and battle problems (super) effectively together. Even when classes become competitive, the emotional well-being of my peers remains paramount. I am the listener, the friend people call up at 12 a.m. when they’re too anxious to study. I believe that a significant part of the educational experience is supportive and healthy living.
- As an experienced PokePlayer, I know that the ideal outcome is almost always unachievable on the first try. I am not the only player (in this case, SGO member) involved. The decision-making process is a collective one. And the reasonable objective isn’t to immediately overpower the opponent. Rather, it all comes down to strategizing the most stable bargaining position — with convincing evidence, concise arguments, and willful dedication. I strive to be approachable yet determined, empathetic but assertive, and amiable yet professional.
- I understand the pain of the constant grind. But I also know that leveling up is crucial to winning any Pokemon battle. You can’t beat the Elite Four by breezing through and short-cutting the game. And such is life.
Peiyi Mei
Hi!!!! My name is Peiyi (Payee) and welcome to my platform. Most people go on a tangent but I am going to get straight to the point. Here are some of the things that I want to focus on:
- Food: Sharples is trying their best and that’s great. However, we can definitely do better in terms of providing more varieties in terms of vegetables and fruits for Swarthmore students, especially when the Swarthmore Plague has come upon us. More days for taco and Indian bar! A collaboration between Sci Center, Kohlberg Cafe and Sharples would be the dream.
- Health: As Swarthmore students, we tend to be overachievers and load our plates with more than we can handle. We have been told that there are resources when we need help but going to CAPS may not be what we are looking for. As the class senator, I hope to organize more mental health awareness events, seminars or small group get togethers where students can learn how to deal with their daily stress.
- Student Safety: No one really taught us about the blue lights and how they actually work. My goal is to make sure there is a student group who can teach students about the functionalities behind it. There can also be test runs to demonstrate how or when to utilize it. Especially for girls, this can be a useful resource that should be made available to them.
- School spirit: I will try to implement more school events for Swarthmore students to get together and make new friends! Sometimes, it is best to step out of our friend group and just meet new people. There are 1,499 people for you to meet out there.
Please consider voting for me as your class senator. I will not make fake promises but I will most definitely try my very best to implement these goals and represent you in SGO. Thank you for taking the time out to read my platform! You the best 😉
Sarah Leonard
Hello! My name is Sarah Leonard and I am running to be your freshman class senator. I am from College Park, Maryland and am interested in studying Chemistry and Peace and Conflict Studies here at Swarthmore. I have been involved in Student Government, City Council and School Board policies throughout high school and am passionate about people feeling represented in their communities.
As freshman class senator, my goals would include uniting the class of 2021, creating a comprehensive way for freshman to get involved and meet Swatties in other years, and advocating for the changing needs and ideas of all the people in our class. I would ensure that freshman feel empowered and supported to start projects, clubs and events on and around campus. I would also try to foster relationships and mentoring between underclassmen and upperclassmen, both through official information sessions and Q&As and also through informal social spaces. I would work with my other class senators to promote co-operation of clubs and joint projects, especially joint service projects. I would help freshman make new connections and meet older students who have advice on classes, internships, and professors in a social setting while working on campus and for the surrounding community. I would additionally try to work with the feedback of our orientation session to look at what our Diversity Peer Advisors, Green Advisors and Student Academic Mentors could be doing to help us get settled at Swarthmore. Lastly, I would try to cultivate a sense of 2021 pride and develop a sense of community within the freshman class.
Thank you and I hope to hear from you as your senator!
Tiffany Wang
Hello Class of 2021!
My name is Tiffany Wang and I’m a resident of the fabulous Mertz 3rd South. I can’t wait to meet you if I haven’t already, and I’d also really love if you’d vote for me to be one of your SGO Class of 2021 Senators.
I’ll lay out my vision and goals for the coming year, but the most important issue for you is the most important issue for me. As first year students, we get the opportunity to view the Swarthmore community with clarity, without preconceptions of what the “norm” was. We also have four whole years of shaping the future of our school. That being said, my main focuses are on sustainability, class registration, and improved communication about campus events.
As I hope you’ve heard before, currently Swarthmore has the potential to divert 80% of its waste away from landfills. Unfortunately, we’ve fallen drastically below that target. My goal is to place a recycling bin and compost bin next to every trash can in the school so that no matter where we are, we always have the opportunity to choose one of the more sustainable options. Of course, an even larger roadblock to sustainability is education. Much of our waste simply isn’t sorted correctly – knowing exactly where to put each item is essential to our success, and putting too much waste in the recycling bin can be just as detrimental as putting too much recycling in the trash can! Finally, I want to make it rewarding for students to sort their waste correctly and live more sustainably (turning off lights!). I look forward to working with the GAs to encourage sustainable living in dorms.
I personally struggled a lot with the class registration process, getting lotteried out of two classes and ending up with a less-than-ideal class schedule. I would like to see more of a first-come, first-serve situation, where unless there is a specific need for taking the class this semester, students will receive their classes if they register first. Additionally, when registering for classes, students should be asked for one or two alternatives, so if they do not receive their first choices, they can automatically be registered into another class of choice, rather than waiting for registration to close before selecting from the classes that are left over.
Throughout high school, I was super passionate about school spirit and community. With so many clubs and events going on at Swarthmore, it can be hard to keep track of them all, especially between the influx of emails and Facebook notifications mixed with posts about lost items. I would love to create a streamlined calendar with Google Calendar or even Guidebook (like we used for orientation) to enter in any and all club/sports/community events. In order to have a more inclusive and welcoming environment where students are provided with the most opportunities, accessibility to all events is essential.
I know I just outlined a few of my goals and ideas for the coming year, but like I said in the beginning, your concerns are the most important! A lot of the work SGO does is behind the scenes and may feel unimportant to your lives, but I’d like to change that. If there’s a change you want to see at Swarthmore, I can be your point of contact to do that. Please email me at twang2@swarthmore.edu (or visit me in Mertz 3rd!) if you have any questions, and I hope to get your vote September 29th!
Thanks for reading!
Tiffany Wang
