We would like to use our final column of spring quarter to brief you on completed and ongoing student government projects.

Presidential Board and Student Activities Board passed the annual student government budget at our budget meeting on the night of Sunday, May 24. Each year, the student government is tasked with allocating the resources that are collected from the $100 student activities fee that every college student pays every quarter. Chelsea worked with Treasurer Palmer Aguirre to meet with every club on campus, review their budget requests, and propose a budget for the 2009-2010 school year. This budget was passed with slight modifications at the meeting. Clubs and organizations that requested money from student government have received a letter indicating the amount that their club was allocated for the upcoming school year. We look forward to seeing their contributions to the campus in the 2009-2010 school year. 

The Go Bikes project is completed, and on the first day of fall quarter, you will see bikes with gold and blue handlebars and gold pedals around campus. They are free for your use! We would like to thank Campus Democrats for their work on this project.

In terms of quarter-long projects, work continues on two major initiatives. First, we are working to more fully utilize the communication tools available to us. Look for the student government bulletin board in the Concourse to be fully updated before the freshmen arrive on campus this summer. The bulletin board will have pictures and biographies of student government leaders, as well as goals for their term in office. It will also highlight the new student government website, www.principiastudentgovernment.org, and our Facebook group. There will also be a section on the board devoted to clubs, with contact information provided for each club on campus and an area for club updates. We hope that this will provide a more visible and central location for clubs to advertise their meeting times and activities to everyone on campus. 

Work also continues on the proposed switch of the Out of Bounds and Bookstore locations. A survey conducted by student government came back with 213 student responses and 16 faculty and staff responses. Out of the total student respondents, 73% of students were in favor of the switch, 18% were neutral, and 9% opposed. Please feel free to contact us for more detailed survey results. From here, we will continue to work with former Student Body Vice President Kenny D’Evelyn to design the space so we can estimate the cost of the project. We will continue to keep the campus updated on our progress. 

Congratulations on the near completion of the 2008-2009 school year, and we look forward to continuing to work with you in the fall.

Chelsea and Will

Student Body Presidents 

David Miller / illustration

Last week on the Principia College campus, students were given a survey asking for opinions about switching the locations of the Bookstore and Out of Bounds. The votes showed that the majority of the participants are in favor of this switch. 

The general consensus is that Out of Bounds, as it now exists in the basement below the Pub, is getting little to no use. In an interview with Student Body President Will Buchanan, he stated that this lack of use is due largely to three factors: Out of Bounds is in the basement and out of sight, runners from the Pub don’t bring food down and the one TV that is down there does not get satellite channels. When asked about his thoughts on the matter, Buchanan said, “students need a social space … If we can create a Student Center that the students will like and use and keep the Bookstore happy, let’s do it.” Buchanan also stated that right now, there is no real place on campus for “students to call their own.” By renovating Out of Bounds and moving it into the space that the Bookstore currently occupies, the students could finally have a place that is convenient, visible and inviting and that will be in direct contact with the Pub. If a student hanging out in the Student Center wants to order a shake or food, the runners from the Pub may run food to the Center as well. Additionally, satellite televisions will offer students sports and entertainment programs. As Buchanan put it, the goal is to “…transform the concourse into a place where students want to spend time. If we create the Student Center with services that students will like and connect it to the Pub, I think we will really improve the social life on campus.”

In an interview, Out of Bounds manager Ricardo Jordao stated that this project is a great idea and one that will substantially increase the attendance at Out of Bounds/Student Center. “I think [the switch] is going to increase attendance and create a playful atmosphere for Out of Bounds … Even the students who don’t go down to Out of Bounds tell me it will be really cool to have Out of Bounds next to the Pub.” This new Out of Bounds/Student Center will contain some of the same attributes as the current Out of Bounds such as a ping pong table and a pool table, but also a satellite TV so students can watch sporting events and keep up with their favorite television shows. 

The main issue with this move is where the Bookstore will go. In an interview with Bookstore manager Cheryl Craft, she expressed her desire to have the Bookstore be moved into Perry Lounge instead of Out of Bounds. As Craft put it, “I am totally open to [moving the Bookstore's location]; I am a firm believer in what blesses one blesses all.” It is true that this move will cause some challenges for the Bookstore, but nothing they feel they cannot overcome. In order to fit into Perry Lounge, the place of choice by all involved, the Bookstore may have to downsize by offering a smaller selection of products. 

As Craft said, “it’s not what you put into a space or where the space is; it’s what you bring to it.” This holds true for this move … which will ultimately benefit the entire school. The students will finally have a place close to the Pub where they can watch television or play ping pong, and the Bookstore will still exist and be around for the necessities. There is no specific timeline regarding when action on the topic will take place; however, $50,000 has already been approved by the Trustees to move the Student Government Office. Some of these funds may end up contributing to the relocation of Out of Bounds and the Bookstore.

Hello Principia community! Your new student government is excited to be serving you for the next three quarters. We’ve been busy these last few weeks.

We are in talks with the administration, the Bookstore, and Out of Bounds management about a potential switch of the locations of the Bookstore and Out of Bounds. Our goal is to convert the Bookstore’s current space into a Student Center, which would be highly visible and central to Prin’s social scene. We hope to move the game tables from Out of Bounds to this Student Center, which will also have TVs and Pub deliveries for students. We also hope to move the student government offices into the Student Center (where the cash registers are currently in the bookstore) so we can convert the current student government office in the back of the Pub into a 24-hour convenience store. We’ll be getting a survey out in the next few weeks to gather your thoughts on all of this.

In addition, we are in the process of revising and producing new standards for free speech on campus. We need to have better conversations and discussions about important student issues, and these guidelines are intended to clarify the principles of free speech – such as balance and tone – that are Principia’s expectations for campus-wide discussions. Presidential Board has considered a student draft of the policy, and has passed a motion of intent to pass these policies after certain revisions are made. Stay tuned for progress!

We are also moving forward with a program for fifteen community bikes that will be painted gold by Campus Democrats and distributed around campus for free public use.

Chelsea has been working with Palmer Aguirre, the Student Body Treasurer, to prepare the Student Activities Funds budget. They will hold meetings over the next few weeks with every club on campus and prepare a budget for approval by Presidential Board and Student Activities Board. If you are a club representative and you have not turned in a budget request, please get it in right away!

Again, our goal is to remain in good communication with you. Never hesitate to call or email us, and please participate in our upcoming surveys and Student Senates.

Yours very warmly,

Will Buchanan and Chelsea Kendrick
Student Body Presidents