On Wednesday, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) convened with Director of Multicultural Life Eduardo Pazos to discuss the Education through Global Engagement (EdGE) diversity and inclusion training platform.

The Class of 2026 was the first to use this platform in its mandatory diversity and inclusion training in the fall. Pazos gave BSG members who are not in the Class of 2026 their first look inside the EdGE program.

Although the EdGE program has been criticized by members of the Class of 2026 for the amount of time it takes to complete and the vulnerability required to answer certain questions, Pazos maintains that the program is accomplishing its goal of creating conversation among students. A total of 99.9 percent of students completed Unit 1 of the program last semester, and there were a total of 2,334 comments in which students were able to discuss personal experiences and relate them to the theme of the unit.

BSG discussed possible changes to the platform that could address the concerns of the students using it. A few members noted that allowing students to remain anonymous when replying to comments and answering questions could foster a more open environment on the platform. The deans would still have access to the identity of the students to ensure that every student is held accountable for what they say on the EdGE program.

In tandem with the meeting’s main focus on the EdGE program, BSG leaders shared many opportunities for student volunteer engagement. As the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (ODAR) redevelops its mission statement, it is searching for a focus group of eight to ten students to gain feedback on what the future of the ODAR could look like from the perspective of future alumni.

At the end of the meeting, BSG members voted on their favorite designs for tote bags and sweatshirts that will be used for event giveaways in the future.