By L. Kincaid Holmes
In the second virtual student town hall meeting of the semester this afternoon, student government leaders and Maya Dietz, dean of students, held a general Q&A session in which the uncertainties of the times were on display: 11 questions out of 32 were answered “not sure.”
Student body president Sophia Hathaway opened the Zoom meeting, attended by 45 participants, with the apt reading of Mary Baker Eddy’s definition of Gethsemane: “patient woe, the human yielding to the divine, love meeting no response but still remaining love.”
The most time-sensitive issue Hathaway and student body vice president Matthew McLeod Warrick raised were the elections for their replacements – student government president and vice president – which open in an online survey for 24 hours starting tomorrow (Wed., April 8). In that same survey students can make nominations for Teacher of the Year. Student senate nomination letters are due Friday at midnight and nominees were asked to include what position(s) they are interested in; and elections for the senate will be held Thurs., April 23.
The quick list of notices made at the meeting includes:
• House reveal for first years is this Friday.
•Club budget requests are due this Friday
• CSO Testimony Meetings are held every Wednesday at 11 a.m. CDT, over Zoom
• House Transfer Applications are due this Friday at 5 p.m. CDT – including the first ever gender inclusive housing applications.
• Comedian Justin Rupple will give a private virtual performance for Principia students this Saturday.
• A rapid-turn-around student survey on the future of Principia – including the pilot admission program – will be issued Friday, and results will be discussed at the next town hall meeting.
• RC’s should be reaching out to each of their house members now.
• Continue to check Watercooler, Principia emails, and hopes to discuss the survey on the Principia’s future at the next town hall meeting
In between long silences in the hour-long meeting, questions ranged from money issues (how much and when students will get it back refunds on semester bills) to updating the Watercooler announcement system to logistics of graduation (which will be held at Homecoming, Oct 16 and 17).
For graduation, Dietz said the priority is the seniors and their housing for the events and that’s why Parents’ weekend for next year has been moved to Spring 2021. Dietz also noted that new updates on graduation logistics may not be known for “a couple of weeks.”
Dietz said Katie Schiele, director of financial aid, will answer questions at next week’s town hall meeting. If there are questions about room and board refunds, possible tuition deductions, possible partial refunds on parking passes, the chance to ask them is at the next town hall at 4:30 pm (CDT) on Tues. April 14.
•Feature image at top by Drew Beamer at Unsplash.
