On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Bryn Mawr College held its Fall 2024 Plenary, attended both in person and via Zoom. The Bi-Co connection was on full display with the theme: Haverford College. (Students could enter a raffle to win stuffed Haverford squirrels.) Masks were mandatory and Goodhart Auditorium was sparsely populated with students, leading to a subdued and quiet atmosphere.
Community Comment
After reaching the required quorum of 470 students, students were given a few minutes to offer community comment or make an announcement about upcoming events on campus. Two members from Bryn Mawr SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) stood up to announce a strike from classes and protest happening on November 21, stating that “our institution is complicit in this [genocide] and we must continue to hold them accountable.” A student from Bi-Co Mutual Aid stood up as well to publicize the group’s mission in taking donations through Venmo and redistributing funds to those in the community who need financial assistance. There was also a reminder that students should use their free SEPTA passes as much as possible because this is technically a trial year, and it’s important to show administration that the student body is utilizing this program.
Resolution 1
Resolution 1, proposed by 2024-2025 Elections Co-Heads Maggie Atkins ‘27 and Alexie Coleman ‘27, detailed the addition of a section to the SGA elections by-laws that would detail how the Elections Instagram (@brynmawr.elections) account should be run. The Instagram account would post dates and links for nominations and voting and a complete list of candidates, but would not post or repost any candidate’s campaign material to avoid bias. Atkins and Coleman asserted that the bylaws do not contain enough information about the running of this account, which this resolution seeks to remedy. Students were largely in favor of this resolution, with 84.6% of students voting in favor.
Resolution 2
Atkins and Coleman also proposed Resolution 2, which further clarifies the elections bylaws regarding runoff elections. The resolution proposed that, in the event that no candidate received 50% +1 of the vote, a runoff election would be held with the two candidates who received the highest amounts of the initial vote. Neither resolution 1 or 2 received any questions or comments from students in attendance. This resolution would add “crucial information” (according to Atkins and Coleman) on how runoff elections should proceed in the future. Resolution 2 passed with 85.4% of votes.
Between the second and third resolutions, Bryn Mawr Concert Series Co-Head Sofia Vinci ‘25 got up to announce the performer for the upcoming winter concert. The opener for this year’s winter concert is a local Philadelphia band called Moonroof, described as “indie-rock,” and the headliner is singer-songwriter Sarah Kinsley.
Resolution 3
The third resolution, presented by current Head of the Honor Board Katelyn Stealey ‘25, would change the makeup of the honor board so that there are two members filling the Head of the Honor Board position and only one senior Honor Board Representative. This would keep the number of honor board members at eight: two first-year, two sophomore, and two junior representatives, one senior representative, and two co-Heads. This would offload some of the immense labor and responsibility that being Head of the Honor Board entails, and allow someone with whom the Head(s) could discuss confidential details with. It would go into effect immediately and an election to fill the second spot would be held in February 2025.
Resolution 4
The last resolution, presented by Quynh-Chi Tran ’26, Aleydis Barnes ’27, and Tanu Erdembileg ’27, would establish a pick-up van service from Cambrian Row to the Blue Bus stop to service those who live in Brecon Hall. Currently, the walk from Brecon to Pembroke Arch is about fifteen minutes, across six staircases, and the only existing van service is the Lantern Shuttle, which only runs between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m during the academic year. The new proposed service would run during the day and night, and would align with the existing Blue Bus schedule so that anyone living in Brecon could easily make the bus. This was easily the most controversial issue during Plenary, with several students standing up to give comments both in favor and against the resolution. Some brought up concerns about the amount of funding and diverting existing funding from the Blue Bus and Lantern Shuttle. Current and former residents of Brecon Hall said that this shuttle would improve their quality of life.
Voting
Voting on Fall Plenary resolutions opened on November 18, and closed on November 22 at 5:00 p.m. All proposed resolutions passed with over 50% majorities.
