On Wednesday night, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) had its first meeting of the spring semester. The first meeting was initially scheduled for February 2, but was canceled due to a weather emergency.
At the meeting on February 9, President John Connolly '11 welcomed five new members to BSG. These members included Inter-House Council Vice President Chase Taylor '12, Athletics Representative Anna Noucas '11, At-Large Representative Derek Brooks '12, as well as 2012 Class Representatives Jack Hilzinger and Grace Cheung.
The meeting began with a presentation by Judicial Board Chair Edward Gottfried '11 and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Laura Lee, faculty advisor to the Judicial Board. In an executive session, Gottfried and Lee reviewed the names of 43 students who are applying for five Judicial Board positions that will be vacated this summer by graduating seniors.
Following the Judicial Board presentation, Noucas and Fall Athletics Representative Gen Barlow '13 submitted a proposal for the BSG to fund the purchase of "Polar Bear Nation" shirts.
"The shirts would be a great way to foster school spirit," said Noucas. "We would most likely distribute the shirts for free at a sporting event in a big, stadium setting."
BSG did not vote on the matter because members requested that the representatives explore additional sources of funding, such as the Athletics Department. Noucas also expressed alternative options, including selling the shirts for a subsidized price of $1 or $2, and either using the funds generated to cover costs or donating the funds to a local charity.
The Facilities Committee submitted a proposal for discussion that would purchase movie tickets at Regal Cinemas to be resold to the student body at a reduced price. After the success of the BSG ticket purchase for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" last November, BSG unanimously approved a measure to purchase 100 general tickets for the spring semester.
BSG covered several other items on the agenda as well. The Academic Affairs Committee explored the option of posting additional department syllabi on the BSG website during the next course registration period. Last semester, BSG was able to post syllabi for the government department, which helped students determine whether the course material interested them and whether prerequisites would allow them to enroll in certain courses.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Jordan Francke '13 claimed that BSG has been working with various departments to post their syllabi for the upcoming Fall 2011 semester. Departments working with BSG include Psychology, Biology, Economics, History, Asian Studies' and Art History. Francke said he hoped that the initiative would assist students during course registration.