SGA Update

At the Feb. 27 meeting, Dean of the College Gus Jordan took comments and questions from the SGA about the first draft of the Student Life Chapter of the College’s self-study for reaccreditation. The SGA also continued to discuss the proposed new gym in Ross Commons and suggested changes to the College’s health care system.

The Student Life Chapter was one of eleven in a self-study written by the College to be submitted to The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) as part of the reaccreditation process. The chapter must be organized around and address certain issues such as admissions and financial aid.

As a whole the document, is intended to serve as a self-critical evaluation, considering both the strengths and weaknesses of the College and offering suggestions to fix any issues that are revealed.

Jordan wanted to ensure that important issues at the College are covered in the report. In particular, Jordan asked for SGA input about the “work hard play hard” mentality that exists at the College and students’ stress arising from the difficulty of balancing their academic and extracurricular commitments with their social lives.

The document will receive further input from the SGA and Community Council and then go through another round of reconsideration before being released to the College community for comment.

Throughout the summer and fall of 2011 the NEASC committee, typically composed from faculty from other colleges, will visit the College campus as well as affiliated schools abroad and Monterey to see if the document serves as an accurate reflection of the College.

Later in the meeting, discussion continued about the proposed small gym in Ross Commons.

SGA president Riley O’Rourke ’12 hopes that the proposed gym will divert traffic from the Fitness Center and that its convenient location will allow students to fit in workout times between other activities.

The space in question is currently locked and unused due to concerns about vandalism.

However, the plan is not without critics. Some believe that the space should be geared solely towards members of Ross Commons. Others are concerned that the plan is catering too much too athletes and that instead the room should be transformed into a more general multi-purpose space.

If approved and completed, the SGA would have to pay for the gym’s upkeep. In addition, as the original gym’s closure was partially attributable to injuries sustained, the SGA would also have to fund a monitor for the space.

The SGA also considered the funding of two new treadmills for the Fitness Center. Last year SGA bought new equipment for the Fitness Center. Since then, machines have broken down and need to be replaced.

A new treadmill and elliptical will cost $5,000 and $4,700, respectively.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Senior Senator Anne Runkel ’11 said that she would like to start considering possible changes to health care at the College. Some senators expressed concern about the amount of helpful information and care provided by the health center. Others emphasized the need for more health care professionals who are able to write prescriptions.