Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) discussed plans to engage in regular conversations with faculty and administrators, as well as the role of the body's student affairs branch at its Wednesday meeting.
BSG's plan to step up its engagement with faculty and administration begins today with a lunch discussion on distribution requirements. The lunch, which is scheduled to take place at 12:30 p.m. in Thorne's Daggett Lounge, will be organized as small group discussions.
"One of the main goals of this discussion is to continue our efforts to increase communication among students, faculty, and administrators regarding academic issues," wrote Vice President of Academic Affairs Sam Dinning '09 in an e-mail. "Students and faculty are directly affected by every decision of academic policy, so it only seems logical that there would be an open dialogue regarding some of these concerns."
During the meeting, members discussed the importance of developing a solid working relationship with faculty.
"I think we have a tendency to go too quickly to the administration," BSG President Dustin Brooks '08 said during the meeting. "The goal is to start at the faculty level now...and go through them and work up rather than cut in at a certain level."
Some students expressed concern over a perceived self-centeredness surrounding recent student actions.
"Some things we have done have rubbed people the wrong way," Dinning said. "We need to make sure we do it in a way that's respectful and in a way that works with the faculty rather than against them."
According to Dinning, BSG hopes to continue lunch discussions, holding them on Fridays that do not conflict with Common Hour events.
In addition, newly elected Vice President of Student Affairs Dan Levis '10 led a discussion on the role of BSG's student affairs department.
"In the past, student affairs has been a programming-oriented arm of BSG," Levis said during the meeting.
Levis said that while programming will remain central to the student affairs branch, his major goals this semester will be to "break into the policy issue realm of what we do" and address "whatever it is we as a BSG could do that encompasses student affairs."
Brooks ended the meeting on an optimistic note, stating that he has generally noticed a heightened awareness of BSG.
"For the first time since I've been on BSG, two different people with two completely different issues came to me seeking BSG help," he said during the meeting. "These are people who thought of us as someone who could help."