About halfway through the spring semester, Swarthmore College has already been hit with a multitude of announcements and events. To help students stay up to date, The Phoenix has compiled some of the most notable.
On Feb. 27, the search for a new provost was announced in an email by President Valerie Smith after former Provost and Art History Professor Tomoko Sakomura’s unexpected medical leave was extended throughout the past year. Sakomura will be returning as a professor. The provost is the chief academic officer at Swarthmore, and oversees the faculty, including tenure decisions and faculty governance. Kathleen Howard, Edward Hicks Magill Professor of Mathematics & Natural Sciences, has been the Acting Provost since August 2024 when Sakomura’s leave was announced. The search details are yet to be determined, but a new provost announcement is expected for July 2025.
The college has increased its work on its status as a “sanctuary campus,” meaning it will not volunteer any information about students immigration status and works to provide equal opportunities and a welcoming community regardless of status. In a rare political email on Feb. 12, President Smith said “the College remains committed to doing everything within its power and to the fullest extent of the law to protect the safety and well-being of our community members.”
On March 6, right before students left for spring break, student Code of Conduct verdicts were emailed out to 24 students. The verdicts were part of a disciplinary process that began with a December 2023 protest at a Board of Managers meeting. The most notable verdict was one suspension, given to a senior who would have been graduating this spring for using a bullhorn, which the college claimed resulted in physical harm. For misconduct proceedings labeled as minor charges: five resulted in probation, three resulted in reprimands, six resulted in warnings, and seven resulted in findings of “not responsible.” For major proceedings, which were heard by the College Judiciary Committee: seven resulted in probation, one resulted in a reprimand, and one resulted in a suspension. There are more ongoing investigations and proceedings for protests in 2024, including the encampment during that spring.
Off campus news: a new Mexican restaurant – Luna’s Mexican Grill – has opened with a large initial attendance in the Ville in place of Village Vine. Pastry Pants has extended their hours to open earlier from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
