Bowdoin Student Government devoted nearly all of Wednesday's meeting to a lively but sometimes tense discussion with President Barry Mills, who attended to discuss campus issues.
Nearly every BSG member present spoke at some point during the meeting, touching on contentious topics such as upperclass housing and the acquisition of land from the Brunswick Naval Air Station. In response, Mills stressed both the benefits and the limitations of the College's current status.
Residential Life Representative Lynzie McGregor '09 opened the discussion by asking Mills about the advances he has made while at Bowdoin, and in response Mills outlined a number of areas in which he noted improvement.
"Certainly, the curriculum reform that took place a couple of years ago was a big event for Bowdoin," Mills stated. "It was one of the most engaged discussions that happened on campus with the faculty."
Mills also highlighted advances in financial aid, staff policies, and student life, noting some of the troubles the College faced in making these improvements.
"This was a campus with a lot of gender issues that were boiling when I arrived," Mills claimed, noting recent relief of some of these tensions.
He also stated that, according to a survey, recent graduates expressed a stronger connection to the College than older alumni.
Class of 2009 Representative Ben Freedman asked about the creation of new teaching positions, and Mills responded that 12 such positions have been created and that the Curriculum and Educational Policy (CEP) Committee has allocated a number of them in order to balance different priorities of Bowdoin's academic departments.
Mills cited class enrollments as a factor involved in deciding to which departments new positions should be allocated.
"What you really want to know is whether you are building intellectual and substantive depth," he stated.
Mills added that the process of adding faculty is a "long march, not a short war."
"We will add faculty, but only when we have the money," he continued.
The naval base land was a frequent topic of discussion, originally raised by Inter-house Council Representative Kristen Gunther '09. Mills stressed the distinction between long-term and short-term perspectives in approaching this issue.
"I'm very concerned with creating an economy that is stable and supportive for this community," Mills stated. He noted that use of the land would be influenced by environmental concerns and the question of whether it will serve as an airport in the future.
Class of 2007 Representative Torri Parker raised the possibility of using military housing on McKeen Street for students, noting that Brunswick Apartments had once been military housing.
Mills said that he had thought about McKeen Street, but said that the College was not eager to buy the residences. But, Mills added, such residences could serve as effective "swing space" if current campus housing were to undergo renovation.
Class of 2008 representative Clark Gascoigne raised the issue of upperclass housing, citing the current housing crunch and potential need for renovations as major concerns.
Mills explained that Bowdoin has a housing crunch due to historically low numbers of students studying abroad and leaving campus in general, creating a larger-than-normal student body and what he termed a "perfect storm" for campus housing.
While he noted that the present shortage should not endure, he did say that "we're going to have to do some major renovating" in the future.
Gascoigne asked whether money raised from The Bowdoin Campaign could help fund housing development.
Mills replied that "this is a time to build the endowment of this college, not to build buildings."
Students raised other concerns with some of Bowdoin's current programs and policies. Bowdoin's career planning services fell under criticism as Parker asked if Bowdoin might consider expanding the Career Planning Center (CPC).
Mills said that he understood students' complaints and suggested that the program will be developed in the future.
"Our CPC does a great job," Mills replied, "but I think that the demands of students are greater and more complicated than we may currently be serving."
Mills expressed a desire to expose students to "more of that real world advice and experience," such as networking.
BSG President DeRay Mckesson '07 questioned Bowdoin's Early Decision (ED) policy, noting recent shifts in similar policies at Harvard University and Princeton University.
Mills said that it was unlikely that the College would alter Bowdoin's current ED program.
"Some of our very best students have decided early on they want to come to Bowdoin," he stated, claiming that without an ED program, Bowdoin could lose some of these students.
He did admit, however, that "there is a sense that there may be some unfairness in there being two doors that students can walk through."
According to Vice President for BSG Affairs Dustin Brooks '08, "This was an extremely productive discussion and I think this will provide a good model for future conversations with administrators."
"I think Barry's a phenomenal president," Mckesson added, "and I think if he was here all the time, this would be an infinitely greater place."