President Barry Mills met with Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) President Deray Mckesson '07 on October 10 to discuss BSG's disagreement with Mills concerning the creation of a permanent College committee to identify crimes against humanity. Mills discouraged the creation of such a committee in his recommendation to the Trustees on September 20. BSG passed a resolution endorsing such a committee on September 27.
Though the two continue to disagree on whether a permanent committee should be formed, Mckesson said that he and Mills had a "great discussion."
Most of that discussion focused on the issue of student activism at Bowdoin. Mills had said in an October 6 interview with the Orient, "I find it interesting that instead of creating these committees themselves, they're asking the College to do it for them."
"I think that [Mills] is right in the big picture?if there is student activism then you don't really need a committee," Mckesson said yesterday in an interview with the Orient.
Mckesson said he told Mills that he thinks that there is a lack of student activism regarding the genocide in Darfur because many students don't know how to turn their passion into initiative.
"Students here care about a lot of issues, but I don't think they necessarily know how to care about those issues," he said. "I see a lot of students who care?I don't see a lot of activists."
Mckesson said that Mills committed to a conversation with BSG about cultivating student activism.
"I don't think that [Bowdoin] culture necessarily encourages activism," Mckesson said, "and we could do better."
Mckesson also said that for BSG, the conversation about a permanent crimes against humanity committee is not over.
This week, Mills met with Class of 2008 Representative Clark Gascoigne, who had introduced the resolution endorsing a committee. Like Mckesson, Gascoigne said that while he "didn't make much progress" with Mills arguing for the creation of a committee, their meeting was "productive on certain issues."
Gascoigne said he talked with Mills about how BSG could engage the Bowdoin faculty in a discussion about how it could help students stay well-informed about world issues like Darfur by curricular means. Specifically, by lobbying for new courses designed to explore conflict resolution and mediation through the lenses of economics, sociology, and philosophy.
"I feel good about these ideas," Gascoigne said.