Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) presented projects for the coming weeks and settled lingering matters from last semester this Wednesday in its first session of 2012.
Anirudh Sreekrishnan '12, representing the BSG Affairs Committee, spoke of possible reforms to the class council election system.
In the two options presented, Sreekrishnan tried to accommodate strong candidates that lose the race for president and are then forced to forgo their chance to run for other positions.
Both of the options he presented require amending relevant sections of the student constitution, and therefore need to pass through BSG with a four-fifths majority and then a two-thirds endorsement of the student body.
In the first proposal, all students would run for Class Council, and the student accruing the most votes would be given the title "Chair of the Class Council." The remaining four council members would choose between serving as representative for the Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC), Entertainment Board (E-Board), or BSG assembly.
Although this option allows for more competition and more dedicated representatives, BSG discussed the feasibility of the highest voted student accepting the chair position.
The second proposal focused on restructuring first year council elections. First years would elect one representative from their respective bricks, and these eight students would choose four people to serve on the SAFC, E-Board, and BSG assembly.
BSG members on the Residential Life staff strongly opposed this second option. They argued that it would compete with the welcoming atmosphere created during Orientation. Others had a problem with the size of the council, and the fact that there would be no council chair.
A straw poll was taken to guide Sreekrishnan's revisions. Of 20 BSG members present, nine voted to keep the process the same, four voted in favor of the first option, and seven preferred the second option. A modified proposal will be discussed next week.
Wrapping up efforts from last semester, Athletics Representative Kaitlin Donahoe '13 requested $1,000 from BSG to fund Polar Bear Nation T-shirts for various Bowdoin sporting events.
The women's varsity ice hockey team also asked for some of these shirts to be set aside for their Pink the Rink event. BSG unanimously approved the request.
BSG President Derek Brooks '12 welcomed three new students to the council. Returning representatives Peggy Zhao '13 and Leah Greenberg '13 will both resume positions on the Student Organization Oversight Committee. Martin Bouroncle '14, who served on the Student Affairs Committee last semester, joins as the newly elected Class of 2014 Representative.