Clayton Rose met with Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) this Wednesday to answer questions from students about his time at the College and beyond as he prepares to step down from his role as president on June 30.

Students asked Rose about the recent Bowdoin Labor Alliance (BLA) campaign regarding uncompensated and undercompensated labor on campus. When asked if he thinks affinity group leaders should be compensated for their work, he responded that they should not.

“I would say no,” he said. “This is work you should do because it fulfills you, it satisfies you, it’s a piece of who you want to be, and if it’s not something that does that, you shouldn’t do it. Work that is about the student’s experience for students—I think it’s great work—but I don’t think it should be paid.”

Rose also received a question about what Bowdoin’s next steps should be in preventing sexual violence on campus. He spoke about the importance of survey data, recalling a nationwide survey in which Bowdoin participated several years ago and the Bowdoin Experiences and Attitudes about Relationships and Sex (BEARS) survey released to the campus community in 2016. Rose added that the BEARS survey will come out again this fall.

“The first thing we need to do is figure out where we are today and what the nature of the issues are, and then figure out what intervention [we need],” he said.

Members of BSG and Rose also discussed the incoming president Safa Zaki’s transition to the presidency and how Rose plans to help ease that transition. She will officially take over the role this summer, and Rose plans to help inform Zaki of the current issues and functions of the College. However, he also wants to let her take over the role as soon as possible.

Rose was also asked what he would be like as a Bowdoin student.

“If I were here, then I would be really focused on the outdoors: backpacking, hiking, sea kayaking and other stuff,” Rose said.

Next Wednesday, BSG will reconvene with the BLA to discuss their campaign.