BSG unanimously voted to adopt the Community Response Committee (CRC) proposal put forth at its meeting Wednesday.
According to its official mandate, the committee will consider issues it deems humanitarian crises and to suggest a College response, including "educational, fiscal, administrative, and other types of College activity, as needed."
Vice President of Student Government Affairs Dustin Brooks '07 stressed that this committee must be a campus-wide endeavor.
"There always has to be a public phase and a private phase [to] allow people to get engaged and involved," he said.
The CRC will consist of three student members, three faculty members, and two additional staff members. One staff member and one student will serve as co-chairs.
The response would come as a recommendation to the president of the College.
However, BSG struggled to define "humanitarian crisis" and how a suggested issue's pertinence to the board's mission should be determined.
At-Large Representative Sophia Seifert '09 echoed the general opinion of the BSG that an issue for the board must "show there is some sort of crisis, with some legitimate research showing it is nonpolitical."
Concerned about vague definitions, Class Representative Ben Freedman '09 cautioned against "writing in the ambiguity we're trying to eliminate from the J-Board."
Brooks presented two amendments to the original proposal: one defines 'humanitarian crisis' as "an urgent situation negatively affecting human life in a significant way," and the second states that "concerns must be well researched and formally presented."
Both of these measures passed, although the former was a close vote of 12-10 due to questions about the appropriateness of the word "urgent."
Matt Martin '07, a guest for "public comment" at the meeting, put forth suggestions for increasing the committee's effectiveness, including coordinating efforts with other comparable institutions and securing alumni involvement in the board's efforts.
In other business, BSG will begin an appointment process, instead of an election, for the Class of 2008 representative seat vacated by Erma Drigo.
BSG voted previously to interpret that the election rules prohibit potential candidates who have not been on campus for the entire year to run for office.
However, as no one attended any of the three information sessions that the BSG held for potential candidates, the candidate pool will now be enlarged to include juniors who were abroad last semester.
Brooks acknowledged a need for election reform, citing the need for an "amendment to the constitution to deal with resignation."