Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) voted last week to add a Good Standing Amendment to their bylaws, which will require students sitting on and running for BSG to be in good standing with the College. In order to obtain information about standing, BSG will require students to sign an agreement permitting the dean’s office to release the necessary information to the Executive Committee.

BSG members that do not possess good standing will be required to inform the BSG president and will be removed from office. These students will be given the chance to appeal their removal to BSG Executive Committee, made up of the student body president and the six vice presidents, who can choose to reverse the decision. 

In addition, students running for office will be required to be in good standing. Students in poor standing can also appeal to the Executive Committee to have their names added to the ballot. 

“Starting with this election, all candidates have signed this agreement. I emailed Dean [of Student Affairs Tim] Foster and he’s going to get back to me confirming whether all candidates are in good standing, and if someone is not that person will not be qualified to run in this election,” said BSG President Danny Mejia-Cruz ’16. 

Foster confirmed that the administration will only share information with BSG if students explicitly permit the dean’s office to do so.

“Our office would not communicate with the BSG about a student’s academic or social standing without the student’s permission,” Foster said. “It’s very important and it would be a breach of confidentiality if a student didn’t give us permission to share that information.” 

Part of the inspiration for the Good Standing Amendment comes from a desire to protect members of BSG from a very public impeachment process.

“I know that I would never want someone to Google my name and have the word ‘impeachment’ next to it,” said Mejia-Cruz. “It’s a matter of optics, and what it means for reputation after their time at Bowdoin, and this was a way to avoid that.” 

According to BSG bylaws, students who fall out of good standing can choose not to appeal their removal from BSG. In this case, “The Assembly will immediately begin the process by which the member was originally chosen to fill the empty seat.” 

Harry Rube contributed to this report.