At its second meeting of the year on the evening of Wednesday, October 13, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) members emphasized the need for greater and clearer communication between the student government and the student body.
“Not everyone knows what everyone does on the BSG,” said At-Large Representative Leah Matari ’20.
At-Large Representative Ural Mishra ’20 added that many students are unaware of the roles of At-Large Representatives, or of their existence in the first place.
Vice President for Facilities Caroline Rutan ’19 proposed posters that would show each member of the General Assembly, including the names, roles, and contact details of each BSG member. The assembly also contemplated creating a short promotional video that would feature BSG representatives, an idea that was received favorably.
The meeting also addressed creating more avenues for communication between Bowdoin students and BSG representatives. BSG is currently working on a suggestion box system, and several representatives talked about using polls to determine the student body’s interests.
However, Class Representative Annie Glenn ’17 noted that polls might exhibit sampling bias if only students who felt strongly about the topic responded.
Representatives also discussed the possibility of offering mealtime meetings for representatives and students, although this proposal was met with mixed responses from senior BSG members.
Members additionally discussed how to raise awareness about the services that BSG offers, such as subsidized movie tickets, rentable chargers at Smith Union and shuttles to religious services. One suggestion was to hang posters that promoted these services outside of proctors’ rooms.
“This year we are very committed to making all students aware of the services we offer,” said BSG President Harriet Fisher ’17 in a follow-up email to the Orient. “We fund a lot of wonderful resources, but it is also our responsibility to make sure Bowdoin students know they exist.”