On Monday, SGA talked about alumni roles at Barnard and job offers! 

Happy Wednesday “HUMP DAYYYY!” 

I’m here to update you on the SGA meeting this week—it was an informative and helpful session! Starting with some external announcements: Emily Ndiokho (BC ‘22) mentioned how helpful the SGA feedback form is, so make sure you fill that out if you have anything you want to discuss! Additionally, there’s been a lot of frustration about Bacchanal, but unfortunately, SGA doesn’t control that. If you have issues, try reaching out to the Bacchanal Planning Committee. Then, Tiffany Vo (BC ‘23) encouraged us to attend the fireside chats as well as an event called “Barnard as a STEM Active Institution” with Sian Beilock. Make sure to check the updated COVID-19 testing guidelines on the Barnard Health Ambassador page for the right time to test! 

SGA then moved to the presentations and speakers. SGA hosted Karen Sendler, the executive director of alumni relations, and Kate Martinez, the assistant VP of Alumni Relations. Sendler has been working at Barnard for four years, and before doing so, she worked at Cambridge and Columbia in their archeology departments. Here at Barnard, her work focuses on alumni relations and engages alumni with college students. Martinez has been working at Barnard for six years; she oversees advancements in gift agreements, alumni communications, and special projects with the college, such as Lefrak Mental Health resources and Barnard Year of Science. 

We then moved to a question-and-answer period. Parker Watts (BC ‘22) asked how recent graduates that don’t live in the city work with Angela for job finding. Angela responded with a description of how she works to connect alums and her team to students to help them find mentors, internships, and jobs. Her work helps strengthen the Barnard network since alums and students get to know each other. Audrey Pettit (BC ‘22) then asked if alumni circles have been successful and which other initiatives build long-lasting relationships. Karen responded that the Beyond Barnard department collaborates very closely with various other organizations on campus to help bring alums onto campus. Additionally, Beyond Barnard helps alumni learn to negotiate a raise and connect with various companies. She also encouraged alumni to sign up for Barnard Connect to communicate through Barnard to find jobs and see other students! 

Audrey Petit (BC ‘22) then asked where funding comes from and into which programs it goes. Kate responded that small donors make up the annual funds, but big projects like Lefrak, Beyond Barnard, and Milstein started with big donations. Finally, Avalon Fenster (BC ‘24) asked how young alums stay involved with the decision-making process. It turns out that there’s a survey conducted every two to three weeks that asks alums about their perspectives. This data is constantly updated and brought to the attention of the office, and changes are made accordingly. 

And with that, Monday’s meeting came to an end. Have a great weekend, and stay sane this midterm season. 

SGA Banner via Ava Morouse