Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) continued deliberations Wednesday regarding a potential change to the first year Class Council system that will come to a vote next week.
If approved by the BSG Executive Committee, the change would allow BSG to convene a month earlier than usual, giving the Student Organizations Oversight Committee more time to work with nascent and existing clubs on campus.
The new system would increase the number of first year representatives from five to eight students, with one representative from each first year brick.
The new Council would require two of the students to serve as representatives on the BSG Assembly. Two others would be assigned to serve on the Student Activities Funding Committee and on the Entertainment Board.
Proponents of the new system say it would increase the visibility of the Class Council and end the perennial problem of student representative reelections based primarily on "name recognition."
A statement drawn up by the BSG Executive Committee endorsing the modification of the system argued that it would eventually "segue into a more involved and competitive sophomore class council election, removing the ability for incumbents to carry over from year to year without contestation."
The administration of a second straw poll found that of the 19 representatives in attendance, 13 voted for the implementation of the new system and two voted against it, while four representatives abstained.
BSG also discussed the College's recently-launched interdisciplinary major, which combines education and mathematics classes to allow students interested in teaching math to reflect this fusion in their degree.
In the past, the narrow focus and specificity of the mathematics major made it extremely difficult for students to teach math courses post-graduation. Math majors had the math background, yet didn't have the necessary background in education classes.
"The reasoning is, if you take the math requirements you don't make the requirements to be a math teacher, you just fulfill a math major. This program will add breadth and require nine classes, excluding the 161 and 171 [math department] prerequisites," said Derek Brooks '12, BSG president.
The interdisciplinary program will take effect this year for Bowdoin's aspiring mathematics teachers.