Moving Forward...

I think the most important issues this past year was resolving the ethnic and racial conflict that occurred on campus at the end of last year. As a result, Cabinet and College Government knew we had to address those issues by instituting Culture Shock, a week-long program of talkbacks that covered an array of topics such as socio-economic status, why there isn't a cultural organization for everyone, and many more. In addition, this past year, Unity, a group of student leaders on campus including all the House Presidents and the members of Cabinet, have been working on issuing a Code of Ethics for the entire faculty. This Code of Ethics is incredibly important because it addresses the fact that there are some instances when faculty members will make students feel uncomfortable about their dispositions inside and outside the classroom. What it comes down to is that it really is a matter of respect and this should be and WILL be institutionalized at Wellesley.

The second issue this past year was the lack of communication between the student body and the administration. You may be asking, what does that mean really? It means that there have been pitfalls of the administration's behalf in communicating to Wellesley's student body and telling us exactly what they discuss. Enough of this "political correctness" and "carefully phrasing it so that it's receptive to the student body." They need to tell it to us straight out so that an occurrence like the new Health Services proposal doesn't develop like the way it has or how the administration and the staff respond to recent occurrences, because it ultimately affects the student body.

This will be a huge undertaking on my part and I will ensure that CG will step up on the communication part, because this has been an issue EVERY single year that I've been here at Wellesley and this will continue to be an issue next year. But, so long as we can work on it, things CAN improve and they WILL. Next year is going to be crucial because we have a new Dean of Students arriving at Wellesley to work with us. I have been here this past year working with the interim and new administration, so I know how important it is for CG to communicate the student body's issues to incoming members. I have been in contact with President Bottomly and I will make sure that the new Dean of Students is well-acquainted with Wellesley's specific student culture.