On a bright and sunny Sunday, the Bryn Mawr Self-Governance Association (SGA), hosted its semesterly Plenary in Goodhart Hall. The hall was covered in pictures of Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress, singers of the viral song “Stateside,” this semester’s Plenary theme.
This semester’s Plenary followed the same structure as the fall, where responses to resolutions were limited. However, in a change this semester, the time period for signing up to ask a question was increased to five minutes (compared to the two minutes last semester). The SGA also added a one-minute period after the five-minute period in case something in the original round of questions became important. As with other Plenaries in recent years, a virtual option was provided for students by way of a Zoom meeting. The final results from 627 voters, a decrease since last semester, were announced on April 12.
Multiple resolutions had to do with the Honor Board or SGA, starting with Resolution 1, to reaffirm and recommit to the values of the Honor Code. This resolution is presented every spring, and asked for “the undergraduate students of Bryn Mawr College [to] reaffirm our commitment to the Honor Code.” The resolution passed with 98.9% of the vote.
The second resolution was titled “Adding a Portrait of Enid Cook ’31 in the Great Hall.” The resolution explained the history of Enid Cook, the first Black woman to graduate from Bryn Mawr in 1931, having studied Chemistry and Biology. She faced many obstacles including being unable to live on campus. The resolution adds that “A Portrait…would create a new legacy at Bryn Mawr, continuing to honor Black students, staff, and faculty at Bryn Mawr who were excluded from residing on the main campus.” The resolution would provide a visual sign of Enid Cook, aside from the Black and Latinx cultural center (The Enid Cook ‘31 Center), whose legacy, resolution writer Alexie Coleman ‘27 argues, should be honored. The resolution also states that the portrait needs to be coordinated with the Intercultural Dean of Engagement, the Impact Center, and the Alliance of Multicultural Organizations (AMOs): Sisterhood*, Mujeres*, BACaSO, and Zami+, and if no portrait currently exists, it would be paid for by the President’s Office, and a local Philly artist would be invited to create it. The resolution passed with 99.2% of the vote.
The third resolution, presented by Adara Alexander ‘27 followed suit, calling for a mural to be made in the tunnels. The tunnels are an underground network that Black workers and servants were forced to use until the 1970s. The tunnels are mostly closed , but can be accessed under Old Library. This section of the tunnels have continuously been graffitied, and there is nothing noting that the tunnels are there, aside from a small piece of paper. The resolution called for “Black artists and students to create a mural spanning the tunnels to both properly commemorate the space, and stop the anti-Black practice of graffiti in the tunnels.” The resolution passed with 93% of the vote.
Resolution four, presented by the Co-Treasurers of the SGA aimed to update Student Finance Committee bylaws and new budgeting rules implemented in fall 2025. This resolution aimed to change Part II, section 15 to include the rule on overspending, rather than include information on underspending. It also aims to change Part VIII, to include the Safety Budget that was implemented with the spring 2026 club budget allocation. The resolution passed with 96.7% of the vote.
The fifth resolution was proposed by Hannah Epstein ‘26, Rana Rastegari ‘26, Nomah Elliot ‘27, Isabelle Protopapas ‘28 of the Bi-Co News, affirming support for student media. This is in response to the pushback from administration in fall 2025, after the Bi-Co News reported on private investigators at Bryn Mawr College. Their resolution aims to push Bryn Mawr College to adopt a policy of free expression and protection of student journalists, and to post the policy on their website. The resolution passed with 96.8% of the vote.
Editor’s Note: Although the writers and presenters of this resolution are members of the Bi-Co News staff, none of them were involved in writing or editing this article.
The next resolution once again had to do with the Honor Code, called “Updates to Honor Code to Reflect Best Modern Practices,” presented by Honor Board co-heads Isabelle Stid ‘26 and Julia Kotes ‘27. This resolution has three aims. First, to clarify the role of the Dean Designee (someone appointed by the dean to serve as the dean co-chair of the Honor Board). The resolution amends that the designee must be someone with “enough institutional power to act truly independently with the Head(s) of the Honor Board.” The second change clarifies that any appeal to the Honor Board can go to the Dean of the Undergraduate College, not the President of the College. The third change is to clarify that “if a Social Honor Board Hearing is called, three student representatives from the Academic Honor Board will serve as the Board.” This has changed because of resolutions passed in spring 2025. The resolution passed with 96.2% of the vote.
Resolution 7 was another resolution pertaining to the Honor Board, titled “Changing the Language of the Honor Code in Relation to Dean’s Panel,” . The resolution aims to clarify the transition from an Honor Board case to a Dean’s Panel and “increase student power.” Students at Plenary generally spoke in favor of the resolution, asking questions about the specific escalation from Honor Board to Dean’s Panel and potential disputes. The resolution passed with 96% of the vote.
Resolution 8 sought to have greater transparency about potential College investigations by codifying guidelines to be followed when there is an investigation prior to a Honor Board or Dean’s Panel procedure. Resolution writers Jai Abbot ‘27 and Autumn Kelley ‘27, also incoming SGA co-president, cited the potential dangers for the entire College community when private investigators or police are involved in an investigation without informing the community, as well as worries about intimidation and the overuse of confidential or anonymous reporting. The resolution passed with 96.7% of the vote.
The next resolution proposed the removal of the name of Bryn Mawr’s first president, James Rhoads, from the dorm that bears his name. Resolution writers Maya Cotter ‘28, Katerina Achliopa ‘28, and Sophia Burt-Gracik ‘28 discussed Rhoads’ involvement as the co-founder of the Indian Rights Association (IRA), asserting that the organization’s mission of “civilizing” and “Christianizing” Native Americans have left lasting generational trauma and cultural losses for Native Americans. They proposed that the building be temporarily referred to as “the north-south dorm,” with an eventual committee formed to choose a new name for the building. The resolution passed with 88.4% of the vote.
Elena Rexach ‘28 and Charlotte Hanssen ‘28 presented Resolution 10, advocating for the reapproval of rugby as a club activity. Rugby was banned on campus in 2016, and there is currently no publicly available reason for the banning of the sport, according to the resolution writers. Haverford, Swarthmore, and many other Seven Sibling schools continue to allow rugby. Notably, the resolution simply asks that rugby be unbanned and does not explicitly ask for the establishment of a rugby team. The resolution passed with 84.2% of the vote.
Resolution 11, another resolution that is presented each spring, is for the reaffirmation of the SGA Constitution. The resolution passed with 96.2% of the vote.
The final resolution was written just one week before Plenary by current SGA President Esénia Bañuelos ‘26 and incoming Presidents Angi Lee ‘27 and Autumn Kelley ‘27, codifying a structure for the semesterly Big Cheese forum that had been cancelled by SGA the week prior, citing conflicts with administration over the format of the event. The resolution would require the President of the College, the Dean of the Undergraduate College, along with other members of administration to attend the event or notify the student body of their absence at least two weeks in advance, as well as mandate the transcription and accessible archiving of all Big Cheese forums. The resolution passed with 96.2% of the vote.
The one and a half hour Plenary, which briefly lost quorum due to more than 100 students leaving the Zoom, concluded at 2:40 p.m. with a celebration of the outgoing SGA executive board, the announcement of this year’s May Day theme as “Renaissance in Bloom,” and a raffle for prizes such as stuffed animals and prime room draw timeslots.
