A panel of administrators answered questions about English versus Latin diplomas, affordable childcare, and P/D/F grading for GS students.

GS Student Body President Serengeti Timungwa (GS ‘22) began the Tuesday, March 1 GSSC meeting by welcoming all those in attendance.

A panel of GS administrators announced that the class of 2022 graduation will be in person and include all the events that would be typical in the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Though masks will still be required, 2022 GS graduates will be able to celebrate in full this year.

Responding to questions submitted by the student body regarding GS diplomas being in English rather than Latin as they are for other Columbia undergraduate colleges, the panel of administrators said that it is possible to do so if a general consensus among the GS student body to change the diplomas is met. However, this change would not be done lightly as there are thousands of living GS alums who currently hold a diploma in English.

Students who did orientation online also asked the panel how they can feel more connected to the student body in person after having missed the opportunity to build a community at GS. Administrators responded that though students may have already done orientation online, they are still able to attend an in-person orientation to build a sense of community within GS.

Moreover, panelists were asked about more affordable childcare options available for GS students. To this, they responded that they are aware of the issues and had intentions of fixing the issue before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the panel maintained the priority of providing students with adequate financial aid as a major citation for decreasing childcare funding for GS students.

The relative availability of academic advising was also brought to the attention of the panel as an issue for GS students. The panel acknowledged that the quality of academic advisors is a source of pride for GS and the concerns of the students will be taken into consideration.

The panel was also asked about the extension of the option to P/D/F a course to the last day of classes and whether this will be a more permanent change in the college. The panel responded that as of right now the policy remains in place as is. However, they also warned that P/D/F grading can be a detriment to students’ transcripts and give students less of an incentive to learn the material in a given class.

Finally, the panel of GS administrators discussed students’ concerns over the affordability of dining on campus. They resolved to consider students’ concerns and seek to prioritize affordable dining for GS students.

GSSC via Bwog Archives