SGA takes on the CEP and learns all about the ways they help Barnard students feel safe! 

Hello! And welcome to the last and final stretch of this school year. With just seven more weeks of class, thawing temperatures, and faces sans masks, the end is incredibly near. SGA has had an awesome year and on their Monday meeting continues to ask great questions and learn about the CEP.

Starting with a quick update, if you are participating in Ramadan and dining at Barnard, SGA would like students to fill out this form for dining accommodations. Also, there are multiple upcoming events for seniors so make sure you check your email carefully for important dates and information regarding cap and gown pick up, class rings, and senior portraits. Congratulations to our seniors for making it to this last stretch of the year! 

Starting with the presentation from Melissa Wright, the Center for Engaged Pedagogy Interim Executive Director! She first wants to bring an anti-oppressive lens to all programming, resources, and projects. Next, she wants to build on innovations in teaching and learning during the pandemic to advance effective, compassionate pedagogies as the College transitions between learning modalities. Further, she wants to continue developing student programming and learning communities, while being both careful and responsive to the needs of the learning community. Her final goal is to continue collaborating with other units across the college to deepen the Center’s relationships and extend its impacts. The Center for Engaged Pedagogy has a student advisory committee, abbreviated as CEP SAC, that helps the office create development resources like the transition to in-person learning guide, tackling large readings guide, note-taking strategies guide, and much, much more. There is also a large amount of programming to support both students and faculty in learning and other ways so make sure you check your email to keep up with the awesome events they have! Right now, they’re working on the Barnard Bold Conferences, and you can attend a session with Lynn Chu! 

Next, Holly Tedder talked about Trans@Barnard which are resources for navigating Barnard while being transmasculine, transfeminine, nonbinary, and/or gender-nonconforming. The LGBTQ+ outreach coordinator is Dylan Kapit (BC ’16). Additionally, Professor Monica Miller is the chair of the faculty diversity and development committee. As chair, she overlooks faculty searches, departmental diversity planning with CEP, supports faculty, and more. 

Moving to questions, Emily Ndiokho (BC ‘22) asked about the steps that must be taken to incorporate more gender-inclusive language. Together the representatives discussed researching the student body and the community at large to see what steps must be taken and how that would work. The DEI council is already working on this and trying to fully understand what insights Barnard students have regarding changing this language. 

After a few similar questions, this meeting came to an end. I hope you are all doing well and staying safe! See you next week. 

Update made on March 23 at 9:38 am: This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Professor Monica Miller’s last name and specify that Barnard’s LGBTQ+ outreach coordinator Dylan Kapit is a Barnard alum.

Header from Bwog Artist Ava Morouse