The grassroots

Efficient Correspondent Renée Kraiem reports from the latest SGA meeting. 

Rep Council met last night in an alternative space next door to its usual haunt, the Diana Café. The new, more intimate setting proved metaphorically appropriate for the tone and subject of the night’s meeting.

First on the agenda was this week’s administrative guest, Jessica Nuñez, Associate Dean for Student Life and advisor to SGA. Nuñez intended to check in during her visit, and made clear that she wanted to address recent articles and discussions about SGA’s involvement on campus. She expressed concern at the recent statements from representatives expressing doubt about their impact on campus. “I want to reinforce a little bit why you do what you do, and remind you why you do what you do,” she began. She insisted upon the unique nature of SGA, highlighting Rep Council’s direct access to college administrators, and encouraged representatives to increase grassroots outreach. “We can’t find one size that fits all, which is why Barnard’s so fabulous,” she concluded, “and we need a multi-pronged approach. Maybe you’ll reach five people, and that’s five more people than you reached yesterday.”

One size certainly doesn’t fit all, apparently – especially if you’re discussing meeting efficiency. Following Nuñez’s reality check, PrezBla proposed multiple measures to make meetings more efficient, and put them to a vote. SGA voted to approve propositions limiting individual discussions to ten minutes, requiring representatives to wait until all members of the Council had a chance to speak before putting themselves back on the speakers list. Representatives were also limited to two direct responses per point. Rep Council approved these points following an discussion lasting longer than ten minutes and involving multiple speeches by multiple representatives on multiple speakers’ lists. Direct response: you are now (in)efficiently meeting.

In the words of PrezBla, “now that we’re efficiently meeting,” the Council voted to approve the Barnard Writing Collective for Stage 1 Recognition at the recommendation SGA’s Student Organization Committee. Seeing as the two representatives from the Collective bore witness to the discussion of meeting efficiency, it was probably only right.

The last few minutes of the meeting were devoted to the planning and celebration of various events on campus this week. Taking grassroots to the next level, Rep Council encourages you to attend the sophomore class’s upcoming Blood Drive, and Glass House Rocks! next Thursday night. Also, keep an eye out in mid-February for an SGA sponsored soap box event, where SGA representatives will be stationed in various spots on campus to listen to student feedback and take suggestions for improvement. Think à la CCSC–except luau themed. But actually, you know, to celebrate that winter that never happened.

Efficient butterfly in the grasslands via Wikimedia Commons