Discussion with Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols and on Bowdoin's Darfur Resolution was the focus of Bowdoin Student Government's (BSG) meeting Wednesday.
Nichols visited BSG for an open discussion on campus safety, and students raised questions about security issues, particularly the recent alcohol bust in Baxter House.
As the Orient reported in its last issue, Bowdoin security officers confiscated hard alcohol in Baxter that they found during an impromptu search of a bar in a student room. Bowdoin's alcohol policy prohibits hard liquor on campus.
The officers had decided to search the bar after discovering hard alcohol on a table in the room.
"Our approach to having alcohol is very firm," Nichols said during the meeting. "The walk-throughs are a routine thing."
In an e-mail to the Orient, Nichols noted "security officers conduct routine property checks of the hallways and common areas of residence halls daily as time permits," primarily looking for safety hazards.
"Officers are also alert to college policy violations, unauthorized people in buildings, and criminal activity," Nichols added.
During the meeting, Class of 2009 Representative Ben Freedman asked Nichols about the intent of the officer's inspection.
"The officer was just walking down the hall, doing his own thing, and he actually did a double-take when he saw the alcohol," Nichols said, emphasizing that the officer did not behave in an unauthorized way during the inspection.
"We do respect students' privacy," Nichols said during the meeting. "We're not spying or conducting unreasonable searches. We're very conscious of being fair in our actions."
While Vice President of Facilities William Donahoe '08 said he wondered if officials had such authority to enter a student residence, Nichols noted specific phrases in security polices that grant such authority.
"An officer has the right to enter a room to check on a fire alarm activated by a smoke detector. Even though the officer is present for that purpose only, if the officer observes an illegal substance in plain view it would be confiscated and the matter investigated," Nichols said.
"There would be no need to obtain a written search authorization to search the immediate area for additional contraband to ensure that the area has been made safe."
The possibility of organizing a security desk in the lobby of Coles Tower was another popular discussion topic, initially raised by Inter-house Council Representative Emily Goodridge '08.
Nichols stated that the idea was a "very tentative arrangement," but that it merited consideration.
BSG also discussed its Darfur Resolution, which, according to Vice President of Student Government Affairs Dustin Brooks '08, aims to begin a discussion with President Barry Mills and the faculty about a committee to identify human rights violations to which the College might have a moral obligation to respond.
"The College has already determined its course of action on Darfur and did not include this committee," Brooks wrote in an e-mail to the Orient.
"This [the resolution] gives us the ability to negotiate," Brooks added. "It's something concrete."
However, many BSG members felt, however, that the resolution currently is unclear.
"In order for us to take this to the faculty, we have to have a sound idea of the purpose," said Class of 2007 Representative Torri Parker.
Like Parker, Treasurer Rebecca Ginsberg '07 took issue less with specific wordings and more with the general idea of the resolution.
"I think a lot of this is doing something for the sake of doing something," she stated, noting the lack of discussions with faculty despite the fact that the resolution calls for faculty to serve on a possible committee.
According to BSG Secretary Hannah Scheidt '10, this discussion ended with a 12-7-0 decision to table the proposal, which left some students disappointed.
"I'm afraid this will be another bill that we approve, and then nothing happens," Donahoe stated.
President DeRay McKesson '07 added, "What we can't do is have the same conversation we just had next week."
Finally, BSG discussed Bowdoin's Credit/D/Fail policy, introduced by Vice President of Academic Affairs Burgess LePage '07.
"The decision to move from Pass/Fail to Credit/D/Fail was a decision made without any polling or input from students," LePage stated.
"I've heard... that the appearance of the D causes people to worry," LePage continued, placing "an emphasis back on grades, when the point is for students to be able to explore new areas."
Many members agreed with LePage.
"We need to acknowledge that the system isn't working," Donahoe said.
"It just makes it a more miserable class experience," Campus Activities Board Representative Rob Reider '07 stated. "It's nice to have a little break in my schedule.
"It's not a matter of not caring, but students just need a little leverage."
Class of 2009 Representative Sam Dinning '09, who serves on the Faculty Recording Committee, said that he felt that a Pass/Fail policy would have a negative impact in the classroom.
"The main concern among faculty is that students taking a class Pass/Fail don't try, and they disrupt the classroom," Dinning said.
While Brooks concluded that the issue is too "huge" to cover in one meeting, LePage and Dinning both emphasized the need for more student input and discussion.
In business matters, a proposal from the Student Affairs Committee asking for a bus to and from the December 8 Colby hockey game in Waterville, with a proposed expenditure of $350, failed.
Reider also noted that the proposal for Colby, Bates and Bowdoin to pool finances and schedule a joint concert with a major band will probably happen, "but we're not sure yet."
Conversations about Johnson House and academic advising were postponed until next week.