Big Cheese is Bryn Mawr College’s semesterly administration Q&A organized by the Student Governance Association (SGA) where a panel of senior staff volunteer their time to answer the student body’s most pressing questions. The event began with a handful of pre-selected questions before opening up for a Q&A open to the audience. This year’s panel consisted of Dean of Student Success Richard Gebauer, Associate Dean for Residential Life and Student Engagement Angie Sheets, Interim Dean of the Undergraduate College Tomiko Jenkins, President of Bryn Mawr College Wendy Cadge, Chair of Creative Writing and soon-to-be Provost Dee Matthews, Executive Director of Campus Safety Lillian Burroughs, and Interim Dean of Student Life Denine Rocco. Moderating the panel was Honor Board Co-Head Isabelle Stid. Major topics included campus safety, protest guidelines, and program funding.
Associate Dean Sheets was asked about the possibility of cameras and other security measures being added to dormitories in the future. Sheets said that there were no plans to currently install cameras in dorms. She noted that such a policy could disrespect the philosophy and value of Bryn Mawr’s community, as well as endanger students’ privacy. She stated that she would work with students, the Residence Council, and senior staff to develop alternatives to cameras to keep students safe.
Another student question centered on campus safety presence during Lantern Night. At this year’s event, students had noticed Campus Safety officers present at or near Step Sing, which is a private Bryn Mawr tradition. Burroughs first apologized for upsetting students during Lantern Night and clarified that it is mostly “female” officers volunteering to work Lantern Night and Step Sing. Moving Lantern Night into the Cloisters, she said, “[drew] a lot of people” including alumni and faculty, so officers were stationed to direct them away from Taylor Hall during Step Sing. Burroughs met with students and decided that there will no longer be extra security at such events and instead directed students to call if they need help.
Another question was posed by students asking Burroughs if there is a plan for how many more cameras will be installed on Bryn Mawr’s campus and if that amount will be publicized. Burroughs answered that Bryn Mawr is “trying to play catch up with our peers, Haverford and Swarthmore, and so many other universities” in terms of security, installing card readers, cameras, and call boxes to ensure the safety of students. She added that the campus is in “phase one of a hopefully three phase project” to replace antiquated emergency phones, install new cameras, and popularize card readers to protect students and deter intrusion in a “climate where something can happen.”
During the open forum, Clara Fee BMC ‘26 asked Burroughs how long Campus Safety saves the data from the cameras and who has access to that information. Burroughs responded that the cameras save data for about 30 days and only Associate Director of Campus Safety Bill Applegate, Security System Coordinator Jennifer Turner, and herself have access to that information, noting that dispatching officers do not have access.
Lucy Sparks Mendez ‘26 asked if there was “a possibility for us to begin putting some kind of identification on the private security vehicles.” Burroughs underlined her previous statements regarding the uncertainty of ICE and safety during the current political climate. Catherine Utzinger ’26 followed up to ask if private security and unmarked cars would slow down the response to ICE being on campus, and if Bryn Mawr would ever consider removing private security officers. Burroughs responded that d there is a possibility that private security would be removed from campus if that became an issue in the future, but nothing is for certain.
Sparks Mendez ‘26 also asked Burroughs if there is a possibility for unmarked cars to be identified as private security, saying it would be “helpful for us to be able to differentiate if ICE comes to campus in the future so that we know when to call someone.” Burroughs responded that the security uses their private vehicles and are currently not cleared to drive Campus vehicles yet. In a comment to the Bi-Co News, Burroughs recognized students’ anxieties about unidentifiable vehicles and stated that she has since created placards to be placed in windshields reading “Bryn Mawr College, Department of Campus Safety, MAIN LINE SECURITY” with the college seal.
Zara Kepler ‘28 asked about the steps being taken to install the Black Studies major after the passing of the Black Studies plenary resolution. President Cadge said that faculty are responsible for the curriculum, meaning they have to propose it through their curricular process in order for a major or minor to come to fruition. Chair of Creative Writing and soon-to-be-Provost Dee Matthews stated “it’s one of [her] priorities.”
Clara Fee ‘26 returned to the open mic to ask President Cadge about the recent allegations made by students of the College hiring private investigators and outside lawyers to question students on their peers’ political beliefs. The accusations were first made public by the Bi-Co News. President Cadge stated “that claim is simply not true.” Fee followed up by asking if she was accusing the students who made such claims of lying. President Cadge stated that she does not “know who the students are that spoke to the Bi-Co News and I don’t think it’s my job to make any claim about that, because I don’t know them. But, there are accusations in that article that simply aren’t true and I think that that’s actually all I can tell you.”
[Editor’s note: Find the Bi-Co News’ response to President Cadge here]
Later on during the forum, Sparks-Mendez asked a clarifying question directed at President Cadge, asking if anything will be done at the potential of people impersonating private investigators, as Cadge had said that some of the claims in the article were not true. President Cadge responded that she “didn’t say that the college hasn’t done those things.”
“I said that there are errors in the story,” Cadge continued. “If you go back to the email that we sent at the beginning of June, it’s linked in my email from today, it explains how the college would respond and the college responded how it said it would. That is our responsibility and obligation.”
KP BMC’26 asked President Cadge why her administration has not yet brought up the issue of divestment from Israeli technology to the Board of Trustees after repeated pressure from a variety of student groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace. President Cadge shared she was working with student activists last semester, before they “made a decision to yell at [her] in front of a hundred people,” which put “the operations of the college at risk.”
President Cadge did say, however, that she and the Board of Trustees are still willing to be in conversation with student activists, stating that “many institutions have cross-sector committees: students, faculty, and staff,” and introducing such a committee—which would better unite students and the board—is something which the College is open to introducing.
“The investment office and the Board are happy to have a conversation about how we might get to that process and I’m open to that conversation,” Cadge stated. “I think [there] are others on the senior team if or when we have students in good faith that are willing to be in that conversation.”
Sarah Weill-Jones HC ‘26, a Haverford College Co-President, asked Dean Jenkins and President Cadge how often they are meeting with the Honor Board and SGA. Dean Jenkins replied that SGA and the Honor Board are advised by Dean Rocco who meets with both organizations weekly. Sarah clarified that they were curious as to how often Dean Jenkins and President Cadge meet with the Honor Board and SGA. President Cadge responded that the administration has “attempted to meet with SGA monthly,” but had scheduling conflicts, and “invited representatives from the SGA to sit in the president’s advisory group…and they did not come.” A note from SGA Secretary Evan Pineo BMC’28 in the transcript states that no members of the SGA Executive Board, excluding President Esénia Bañuelos, were invited to the aforementioned meetings by President Cadge. President Cadge went on to say that students should use “critical skills” and “ask questions before you take things as fact.” She added that there’s more to the story than what has been shared.
Elliott London BMC ‘28 spoke up again to ask President Cadge to name equity and diversity as a goal for the college. “Essentially, at what point are you willing to outright recognize a genocide in Palestine?” London asked. President Cadge responded that it is unreasonable for students to insist institutions like Bryn Mawr do something to make change in the Middle East and instead urged student activists to write to elected representatives. She further added that, despite caring deeply about “the change we can make in the world,” she has “not seen any evidence…where symbolic changes [on college campuses] have led to changes in the Middle East.” President Cadge then stated, “If we want to make changes in the Middle East, let’s go there,” to which the audience laughed.
A question to Dean Jenkins requested an explanation of the protest demonstration guidelines recently installed. Jenkins detailed that “for the most part, there isn’t anything new in the guidelines,” just reinforcements of the expectations of an institution developed with “experts in higher education to include in conversation with peer institutions.” Jenkins stated they listened to the community and their asks for clarify policies around student activism.
Another student question posed a question for Dean Rocco, asking how teach-ins will be handled in the future and what student involvement will look like. Rocco responded that they worked with the Vice President and President of SGA to construct a process to involve students in reviewing requests for teach-ins, including a form and new information that are both obtainable and a committee of students and office representatives to review requests for teach-ins.
Later on in the forum, KP followed up by asking about Cadge’s previous encouragement for students to take timely action in today’s political climate, asking if she “foresee[s] that these systematic processes that you have outlined and which we have seen take a really long time work against our responsibility to take timely action against our investment in the genocide in Palestine?” Cadge replied by saying that is her responsibility as College President to “think about the institution in the long term and not to make any decisions on single issues and only one piece of that conversation,” adding that as result political action and change could “take time.”
“I believe that process is the right way for us to figure out how in the long term to live our values and our mission,” Cadge stated. “I don’t expect we will all agree about that. That’s the best I can do”
KP then asked about the repeal of the new protest guidelines as the plenary resolution passed with 85.7% approval. Dean Rocco responded that she is meeting with the resolution writers on Thursday, Dec.11.
Lori Ackerman ‘27 approached the mic to ask Dean Jenkins and President Cadge about the actionable steps senior staff will take to deescalate recent tensions on campus. Dean Jenkins suggested creating dialogue with the community. Ackerman followed up to ask what plan administrators have to prevent students from feeling “dismissed” when bringing up issues. President Cadge responded that she held office hours last year and “not a single student came,” and if senior staff spends all their time responding to climate issues internally, the work of the college and the external issues that are “fundamentally threatening to high education right now” is disregarded. “The beast is not within,” President Cadge stated. “The more that we find ways to work together, the stronger we are as a women’s college, as a progressive college, as a college that deeply values DEI…I think we’re doing the good work and it’s really important we keep that all in context.” She encouraged Ackerman to send in ideas if they arise, to which Ackerman responded “I will.”
Chair Matthews took the mic to add that activists have to be “ten toes down” on whatever they believe in. “What activism really is is how you treat people on an everyday basis,” Matthews stated, “it’s how you decide that you want to have conversations with people.” She further added that she is extremely willing to hear students’ out about the policies they are passionate about. “How can we make Bryn Mawr a better place and how can we be on one accord? Just keep coming up to us and having these conversations. Keep telling us what you need. Eventually, we will meet in the middle, I really believe that,” she stated.
