In other news, the Bearoness picked up her free thermos.

In other news, the Bearoness picked up her free thermos.

Bwog’s veteran Barnard Bearoness, Maddie Stearn, is back to give you the SGA news you’ve been craving these past few months. Sure, you said that you would be happy watching Netflix for the rest of your life, but we know that you still want to know about Student Government. Be an informed citizen! Democracy!

Who’s ready for some good ol’ fashioned Student Government news? This week, Barnard’s Associate Dean for Equity and Title IX Coordinator, Amy Zavadil, gave an overview of changes to the BC Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment. Students might remember receiving an email in August announcing updates to the policy. The changes were made in accordance with NY State law and reflect efforts to increase support available to Barnard students.

Right to an Attorney

One of the biggest procedural changes to trickle down from the NY State Law is that a student can choose an attorney to act as an advisor. Barnard has extended that policy further to dictate that the school will offer, at its expense, an attorney to any student involved in a case of sexual assault or gender-based misconduct. This offer is meant to provide the same rights to an attorney to all students, regardless of financial situation. Students may also refuse the school’s offer of an attorney and seek their own legal counsel, or they may forgo the attorney altogether by selecting a different advisor.

Appeals Process

The state-mandated definition of the appeals process now dictates that a panel, not an individual, must hear all appeals. As a result, Barnard and Columbia have both formed appeals panels consisting of three individuals, although the pool from which these Appeals Officers can be pulled differs between the two schools. However, both schools’ policies state that one Appeals Officer must be from the school of the complainant, and one must be from the school of the respondent.

Regaining Control

According to the Campus Climate survey from last spring, Barnard students indicated that they want a larger degree of involvement to come from Barnard when a BC student is involved in a case of sexual assault or gender-based misconduct. This feedback from students informed Barnard and Columbia’s decision to change the policy that dictates which school handles cases of sexual assault or gender-based misconduct. Going forward, Barnard will handle all cases in which the respondent is a Barnard student, while Columbia will handle cases in which the respondent is a Columbia student.

Ongoing Prevention and “Being Barnard”

Outside of the realm of legal jargon and bureaucracy, Dean Zavadil and her office are continuing to work on a holistic education campaign called “Being Barnard”. The campaign’s core areas of focus are wellness, relationships, intervention, social identities and social power, and violence education, buzzwords that make socially conscious students’ ears perk up. However, the program appears to simply be an umbrella under which existing programs and events are organized. Dean Zavadil emphasized that Being Barnard is trying to show students the ways in which they are already engaging in prevention education. In that case, the umbrella form of Being Barnard makes sense, but it remains to be seen if the program will change campus conversations or gain any traction among students.

 

In addition to Dean Zavadil’s visit, this week’s SGA meeting included External Updates from the Reps:

  • *Barnard Winter Housing Policy* Many members of the student body have spoken out against changes that Barnard has made to the Winter Housing Policy. Make your own voice heard by submitting comments to SGA’s Google form.
  • You can still run for SGA VP Finance and VP Policy (juniors and seniors only). Applications are due this Friday, September 25th at 11:59 pm, and are available on the SGA website.
  • Sophomores, juniors, and seniors can also apply to become the Rep for Student Services; the Rep for Commuter, International, and Transfer Students; and the Rep for Academic Affairs. Applications can be found here and are due Friday, September 25th at 11:59 pm.
  • First Years: apply for class secretary. The deadline (9/25 at 11:59 pm) is 12 hours after the First Year elections end, so you can still have a chance to join SGA if things don’t go quite as planned.
  • First Year Elections are going on now until Friday at noon. Don’t forget to vote.
  • Fire Safety Day is happening on October 1st. There will be ice cream. If that’s not enough incentive, you’ll also have a chance to put out your very own fire and dress in fire attire.
  • The Barnard Blood Drive is this Wednesday from 11 am – 5pm. All Columbia and Barnard students are welcome.