Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) met in Mills Hall last Wednesday evening to discuss sexual violence resources, make funding decisions and vote on upcoming events.

Prior to the meeting, the General Assembly sent an all-school email reminding students of various counseling and sexual violence resources on campus in the midst of the lawsuit against Cornell University, the seven men of the Chi Phi fraternity and the fraternity itself. The email concluded by mentioning that a portion of the upcoming meeting would be dedicated to public comments regarding the situation and what BSG can do to better protect and inform students.

Proposals introduced during the meeting included bringing more consent workshops to campus, requiring sexual violence response training for college houses and promoting resources more thoroughly through various online platforms, such as the Bowdoin College app.

The next topic of discussion pertained to the funding of Headspace, a popular mental health platform, and making subsidized subscriptions more accessible. Currently, Bowdoin sets aside 200 first-come, first-served subscriptions for students, all of which were taken during the previous academic year. However, BSG noted that 160 of the 200 subscriptions were inactive, raising the question of whether continued funding of these subscriptions is sustainable.

The initial conversation evolved into a larger discussion of ensuring mental health resources remain accessible to students in a variety of ways. A point of contention was whether free Headspace subscriptions should be a priority when other resources are available; some students responded by noting that some people may feel less inclined to attend in-person counseling, so offering both in-person and online opportunities remains beneficial.

Afterward, BSG discussed whether offering a fixed number of subscriptions is an equitable practice. Members did not come to a unanimous consensus, as some members felt the current practice of offering 200 subscriptions should persist this academic year, while others felt sustainable access to mental health support fell short in only offering a specific number of subscriptions.

Before dividing into committees, the assembly came to a unanimous vote on an upcoming Halloween event: reverse trick-or-treating.

The proposal, suggested by Special Advisor Giovanna Parnoff ’28, outlined an opportunity for BSG members to interact with students by entering dorms in costumes and handing out candy. Some further proposed the idea of polling students at the event for feedback on BSG performance.