Candidacy Statements
Quicklinks: President, BSG Affairs, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Facilities, Student Organizations, Treasurer
Download (PDF) descriptions of these positions.
President
Christian Adams '09
When I first came to Bowdoin I was handed a copy of “The Offer of the College” which mentioned the importance of losing yourself in “generous enthusiasms”. Since day one, Bowdoin's environment has allowed me to do just that. I’ve leapt at multiple extracurricular, athletic, and academic opportunities, and sometimes on weekend nights "enthusiasms" that have been all too generous. But a Bowdoin education is about more than the individual experience, it also includes cooperating “with others for common ends.” As such, being the President of the student body is about leading our government in a successful synthesis of faculty and student relations for the betterment of the entire Bowdoin Community.
During the past three years at Bowdoin, I have served on BSG as well as on multiple student and faculty committees. I was President of the officer team that first came up with the idea for class sunglasses and was a part of the Academic Affairs Committee that listened to student opinions and began pushing the administration to add Arabic to our curriculum. Want Hebrew? Want getting into a government class to be easier? Think the housing lottery could be tweaked? I do too, and I have the knowledge and experience to make these things a reality.
At Bowdoin, the sky is the limit if you are willing to go the distance and talk to the right people. Credit/D/Fail still has work to be done, because plenty of students are still not happy with the grading system in place. In the past, the faculty has shot down student suggestions for Credit/D/Fail, but by no means does that mean we need to throw in the towel on that issue, or any other we feel is important.
Bowdoin has plenty of resources, and I see no reason why people should be unable to get what they want out of our college. In the end, I wish to do nothing more as your president than work for you and future Bowdoin Students to create "the best four years of your life.”
Lynzie McGregor '09
HEY EVERYONE!!! My name is Lynzie McGregor and I’d LOVE to be YOUR next BSG PRESIDENT! Such a big position, I know, but I’m positive I’m the person for it!!! I LOVE Bowdoin and I love the people who go here, not to mention that I’ve served on BSG, been president of my class, and I’ve served as an influential leader in several clubs on campus. But I, today, am ready, willing, and able not just to continue with the organization of BSG as President, but also to bring more PERSONALITY and ACCESSIBILITY to Student Government. Do you know all the members of BSG?? Well, let’s get our officers out there, greeting pre-frosh when they come to visit Bowdoin, meeting first years and telling them more about BSG, visiting club meetings, having less intimidating meetings in the union (maybe on the couches and without microphones), having lunch and dinner with fellow students who we might not know, asking questions, taking suggestions, keeping students informed, NOT just via email, but through personal conversations!!!! Ever felt like you were completely out of the BSG loop or felt unconcerned with the issues that were being discussed??? Well, let’s change that!!! Let’s make BSG more relevant, more personal, and more efficient for the practical concerns of students. BSG was great this year and accomplished a great list of things, but there’s still room for more to happen and change to take place!!!! Let’s make that happen, okay? This year, I’d like to work heavily with VP of Student Affairs to get some cool, unifying programs happening for the school, bettering the efficiency of the counseling center for students, and more! I plan to work with the VP of Facilities to also make sure the new gym is sufficient for those who play sports, but also for those like me who just enjoy a nice run in the gym every now and then. I’d also work closely with VP of Academic Affairs to make sure that we continue to make our current system of faculty advising better and more pleasing to students. I’m also willing to listen to what you’d like to see happen on campus and make it happen! Because I’ve been a major campus leader for my 3 years at Bowdoin, I’ve had the great opportunity to form friendships and great connections with almost all the faculty and staff. Let me use my connections, my personality, leadership skills, and love for you to help Bowdoin become what you want and need it to be, okay! Vote for me for your next BSG PRESIDENT! I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!!!
Sophia Seifert '09
We talk a lot about the Common Good at Bowdoin. We capitalize it like a proper noun, stamp it on free t-shirts and dedicate a day to it, but no concrete definition exists. We recognize it in students' commitment to service or in the administration's socially responsible policies, but how often to we examine how it manifests in our community?
BSG is a mechanism of the Common Good, a community service organization that serves the student body. As President of the BSG, my role will be to ensure that we, the students, take ownership of our time here. We should question why things are the way they are and refuse to accept the status quo if we can offer a better solution.
For example, with the arrival of a new Director of Residential Life, we have an amazing opportunity to talk about the complications of upperclassman housing, the College House system and to examine the roles proctors and RAs play.
While this is just one example of the things that BSG can do to promote the Common Good of students, I also know the most important thing I can do as BSG President is to keep lines of communication open with every single member of the student body. Access to any and all members of the BSG and improved transparency is crucial to engaging students on the issues that affect our lives at Bowdoin.
As BSG President, I will loudly give voice to our positions and serve as a link between you and the administration, faculty, staff, and trustees. During three years of service on the BSG and through involvement with Vday, the College House system, the Writing Project, the Red Cross Blood Drive Committee, and Tour Guides I have forged relationships with key members of our community and learned the value of delegation and communal achievement. It is necessary to have a strong, representative voice for any body. I can be that voice for you. Together, we can work to promote our own Common Good.
BSG Affairs
John Connolly '11
As Vice President for Student Government Affairs this past semester, I have an intricate understanding of the day-to-day operations of the Bowdoin Student Government. I will use this experience to make the BSG more transparent, more responsive to student concerns, and less focused on itself in the coming year. It is to fulfill these goals that I seek re-election.
The VP for BSG Affairs must constantly make sure that the BSG is doing the best job it can to be the voice of the Student Body on campus. This means that the BSG cannot be focused on changing around its own procedures there simply are not enough weeks in the year to do both. To this end, I am proud to have presided over the shortest and least time-consuming Constitutional Referenda in recent memory. I plan to improve on this next year by not proposing any Constitutional Amendments at all. As the Constitution now clearly spells out an effective form of government, my job will be to make sure that everybody in the BSG is doing their part to represent the Student Voice to the Faculty, Staff, and Administration of the College.
I will also take up the responsibility of increasing the transparency and responsiveness of the BSG. This year, we made everything we did available on our website, sent out digest posts about our meeting times, had a weekly public dinner in Thorne, and sent out a newsletter via Campus Mail giving a summary of our actions. I will continue these actions along with pairing BSG members with incoming first-years during Orientation, holding weekly BSG Office Hours during which anybody may bring concerns to an Officer, and personally responding to every suggestion on the BSG Suggestion website. I will also compile a monthly budget report which will include an itemized listing of all BSG expenditures and will be freely available on the BSG website. In order to encourage responsible spending of money, BSG’s financial records must be easily accessible to the entire Student Body. Building on my semester of experience as VP for BSG Affairs, I know these things that need to be done, and I know exactly how to do them.
I have plenty of other ideas for improving student life at Bowdoin, but I’ll leave them for next year because the primary focus of the VP for BSG Affairs is on the BSG itself. If I fail to do my job to the best of my ability, the entire organization, and by extension the Student Body, suffers. It is imperative, then, that the VP for BSG Affairs is experienced and hard-working in pursuit of transparency and responsiveness. I seek re-election because these are my goals.
Ian Yaffe '09
I am running for Vice President for BSG Affairs in an attempt to continue my efforts making Bowdoin Student Government more accountable to the student body which it serves and most importantly, to make BSG more active in tangible and meaningful ways. During my semester abroad from the Bowdoin community, I’ve had time to reflect on what makes Bowdoin great and what we can do to improve the Bowdoin experience. With one year left before I graduate, I’ve had time to really understand the underlying systems that make Bowdoin work on a day-to-day basis and those same processes that make the BSG function. I hope to put this knowledge to work to reform those systems where they are overly restrictive, complicated, or complacent.
More so than obtain any particular goal, my vision for the following year is to do something that hasn’t been done since I’ve been at Bowdoin: make BSG truly matter to everyone. Here at the University of Havana, student government is a big deal and springs into action immediately when there’s a problem to be solved or an event to be hosted. BSG is supposed to represent the student body, but with less than 20% of students voting in a major recent constitutional election and similar numbers in last year’s officer election, I often wonder who is being left out. I’d like to create a better system of translating general student opinion into student government action and see the BSG take tough stances on important issues that may not necessarily align with the interests of the administration and not just on issues that are purely symbolic. The problems and solutions are already out there, it’s just a matter harnessing the power of the student body to achieve an even better community. With your help, I hope to make that possible.
Please email me (iyaffe@bowdoin.edu) if you have any questions. Please pardon my delayed response as email access is extremely slow and irregular.
Student Affairs
Isa Abney '11
Since coming to Bowdoin I have been extremely active during my first year on campus.
I Co-Chaired the Bowdoin Toy Drive, co-founded a new publication entitled Q (to be released on April 30th), and I have lead numerous programming efforts as including the upcoming Block Party. I am running to be VP of Student Affairs because I have the heart for the position. I believe that what Bowdoin needs is for everyone to reconnect with each other. I’m not speaking of rainbows and kittens for all, but rather I want to be an effective leader with policy and programming initiatives to bridge the gaps between us. Next year, I will continue to work to expand the Counseling Center making it handicap accessible and increasing office space. I will also work on campus life initiatives like improving housing, bringing back free birth control, organizing free shuttles to/from the airport among other initiatives. Students at Bowdoin have many problems that go unnoticed and they want solutions. I want to work with students, faculty, and administrators to find those solutions. Bowdoin needs a candidate with the passion and dedication for the jobÉthat person is me.
Vote Isa Abney for BSG VP of Student Affairs!
Carly Berman '11
As your Vice President of Student Affairs, my main goal is to redefine student affairs as a committee dedicated to policy making. After serving on the Student Affairs Committee this year, I see potential beyond the programming initiatives historically led by the VP of Student Affairs. My current involvement has given me great insight to the inner workings of the system and to the changes that could and should be made. I can help transform this committee into a group which has the ability to greatly improve student life here at Bowdoin.
Proposals:
(1) Improve and restructure the college house system to establish houses as distinct entities and to increase loyalty and encourage greater tradition within each house; bridge the divide between chem.-free students and students who chose to drink; increase the amount of centrally located chem.-free housing.
(2) Implement new Health Center policies such as daily open hours and an on-call service during nights and weekends; make Nicotine patches available; increase accessibility to better quality condoms.
(3) Improve and increase the number of wellness (i.e. yoga, aerobics, pilates, etc.) classes available on campus; ensure that the new gym space being built in Smith will be used to your advantage.
I’ve seen how this committee works, I know its history and I know what it can become. I really hope you will support me and my goals. Let’s make next year memorable! Please email me at cberman@bowdoin.edu with any questions!
Academic Affairs
Sean Campos '11
Concession Statement: Regretfully, I am announcing my decision to leave the race for Vice President of Academic Affairs. It is a difficult decision, though I trust it is entirely the right one. The position demands a great level of attention and dedication, and a caliber of experience that I don't believe I yet have. Next year will prove to be an especially busy one, and with my attention dispersed among so many fields, I feel I can not, in good conscience, let this job fall between the cracks. I have been in no way pressured by any members of BSG to make this decision -- in fact, it has been much the opposite. Dustin, Sam Dinning, and everyone else I have worked with have been phenomenally supportive, and I only hope my career here at Bowdoin is populated with more people like them.
After listening to the other end of the debate last night, I fully believe that Sam is a perfect candidate for the job. He has the experience and the connections needed to do good things, and I trust his decisions in the upcoming academic year. I wish him the best of luck, and look forward to what he comes up with.
Thank you all for your support, and I eagerly await what next year brings.
Sincerely,
Sean Campos
Through my work as an officer in LASO, Students for Peace, the Quill and the Q, the one thing I have experience in is working with people. Whether it is students, faculty or staff, I have a strong ability to converse and try to the best of my ability to accommodate others. I am running for Vice President of Academic Affairs to give what I can back to this school, and to the department that most directly affects our lives as students. While it is true that we as a student body have lost the Credit/D/Fail fight, that does not mean we can not interact with our academic trajectory. I want to see a more diverse Bowdoin Curriculum, fleshing out the big accomplishment of Arabic Stud-ies, and expanding the Latin American Studies Program. I want Bowdoin to extend its desires for multiculturalism to the faculty, and not only its students. I want to see Academic advising im-prove, turning it into a program that lives up to its expectations for students. I want to see an open dialogue between professors and students, reforming the course selection policy and ensur-ing that faculty feel as comfortable with students as they do with faculty.
Bowdoin is a phenomenal academic institution, but I believe we can make the next year about fine-tuning and reconsideration, taking our accomplishments in stride, and preparing for a new age in education. Thank you so much for you consideration and I strongly urge you to vote Sean Campos for Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Sam Dinning '09
This year as Vice President for Academic Affairs, I led a team that made great strides in answering the demands of students. We ensured that the student voice was heard in the decision-making process, opened dialogue with faculty, and forged connections with the administration in ways that were never before possible.
One of the things I devoted my energy to this year was the instruction of Arabic at Bowdoin. Responding to the concerns of students, we worked closely with the administration and faculty to ensure that students’ needs were heard. These discussions proved successful, as next fall Bowdoin will begin offering a course in first-year Arabic. Additionally, I have been an active student voice in the reform of academic advising, which will now include a pilot program of peer advising where upperclassmen help advise first-year students.
Despite such progress, there are still improvements to be made on many academic issues. Next year I hope to take peer advising to the next level, instituting an independent system of peer advisors that is led almost entirely by students. I will also continue the discussions of Credit/D/Fail reform, fighting for a system that will allow students the greatest control of their own education. Finally, I will continue the ongoing dialogue with faculty and administrators about improving the distribution requirement system in a way that provides students flexibility while still fulfilling the goals of a liberal arts education.
As Vice President of Academic Affairs, I am excited about the great progress we have made this year, and optimistic about the room for continued success next year.
Facilities
Mike Dooley '10
As a knowledgeable Bowdoin Student Government veteran and a rising junior here at Bowdoin, I know that I have the skills and experience necessary to lead our student body if elected to be the BSG Vice President of Facilities. During my first year at Bowdoin, I was appointed to be an At-Large Representative on the BSG and for this year, I served as the Vice President of Facilities, a role that I am seeking to hold again for the coming year. Throughout this year, I have worked to empower Bowdoin students in my areas of work, and to make our lives as students more pleasant, convenient and sensible. Some of the projects that I have led this year include changing the cable TV channel lineup, maintaining the shuttle, night taxi and airport shuttle services, offering discounted movie tickets and managing Bowdoin’s newspaper services in the dining halls and Smith Union, among other things. I have worked especially hard to make sure that Bowdoin students know to contact the BSG with questions, comments or suggestions. As a result, many of the programs I worked on this year were initiated by non-BSG input, a trend that I hope to continue to expand upon. Two of the programs that I’d love to lead work on for next year include the introduction of the use of Polar Points at off-campus venues and working to make campus life as unaffected as possible by the fitness center construction that begins this summer. If elected to this office, I pledge to continue my dedication to the student body as a whole, and to make sure that every Bowdoin student has a voice within the Bowdoin Student Government. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions and I thank you for your time.
Greg Tabak '11
I am running for VP of Facilities because I feel that I can create the positive change that Bowdoin needs. I believe that Bowdoin is a great place to go to school, and I am committed to improving the aspects of it that are not quite perfect yet. I want to increase Bowdoin students’ access to the facilities at Bowdoin while making them better at the same time. One of my main goals would be to work to convert the gym into a self-sustainable entity Ð one in which the gym equipment would create the power for the very gym itself. I feel that we as students deserve more access to food at late hours, so I would push for more food at Super Snacks (French Fries, Sandwiches etc) as well as later Pub hours. I want to improve the Smith Union common areas, getting more and better coaches, chairs, and study tables. I think that there is a great need for better transportation options into Portland, and I would work to make a weekly shuttle that would take students to and from Portland and Freeport. I would also like to make a more accessible online database for student activities; I think that the Digest emails are becoming ineffective at giving information to the campus, and I would like to find a better solution. I would like to create a breakfast and coffee/tea to go for those early morning classes Ð no one likes fighting through crowds at moulton to get a cup of coffee and a muffin or piece of fruit. I would also like to create an IT help desk that would be available in the library until closing time.
I will work tirelessly to better the Bowdoin experience for everyone, and I hope that I am given the opportunity to be your VP for Facilities.
Student Organizations (SOOC)
Hannah Bruce '11
What’s up Bowdoin,
My name is Hannah Bruce and I am a member of the class of 2011 and I would love to be your Vice President of Student Organizations for next year. After attending numerous club events and interacting with club leaders on a regular basis I recognize the importance of our campus organizations. A fundamental part of our experience here at Bowdoin is the extracurricular activities we engage in. I understand the necessity to ensure that a diverse range of organizations continues to flourish. As a member of the Student Organizations Oversight Committee (SOOC), I know what works and what doesn’t in the leadership of a club and what needs to be changed with the SOOC. This year the SOOC has had a problem with abrasiveness and my first priority will be to make the SOOC a friendlier and more approachable organization. As the only candidate with experience on the SOOC and demonstrated commitment to the student body, I hope you will support my bid to change the SOOC for the better.
Let’s make it a fun year.
Samantha Scully '09
HI!
I am SAMANTHA SCULLY and I want to be your VP of STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS! I am running for the position because I want to support present and future clubs and their leaders. In my 3 years on campus I have been a member and leader in several student organizations, like the UNITY Step Team. I also know what it feels like to have a great idea for a club and try to start one. I have had the experience of filing for Charter 1 status, writing mission statements, keeping membership rates up, organizing on and off campus events, and figuring out how to lead a group of students. The student organization committee I will lead will have students from every grade helping me guide clubs through the charter process, but most importantly we will help clubs sustain themselves successfully. Ever wonder if a club was still active, who to contact and when they met? I have gone through that! My team and I will first figure out which clubs are still active, then we will asses the needs of those clubs and help them attain previous and future goals. The 2nd part of this position is to enrich the campus with new ideas and organizations. We will have information sessions for club creation and implementation. It is also my goal to have club life more present on campus. Sometimes we end up in one club and never explore the others or their events. More event collaborations and less scheduling conflicts can boost student turnout at events and is another focus of mine. I will emphasize the resources established for our clubs, like the student web portal, and explore new ones like a monthly news letter. A lot of students are in clubs and the Bowdoin experience is greatly impacted by what we offer students through those organizations. Vote for me SAMANTHA SCULLY if you want more CLUB OPPORTUNITIES, EVENTS, and SUPPORT!
Treasurer
Ugo Egubinike '09
My name is Ugo Egbunike (Class of 2009) and I'll be running for BSG Treasurer. I look forward to carrying on the newly invigorated mission of the SAFC to work closely with club leaders, and most importantly making the SAFC more comprehensive and welcoming to both new and established clubs on campus. As SAFC chair, I hope to work closely with the SOOC chair in addressing some issues I've noticed over the past year as a member of the SAFC concerning clubs and funding. The issues I allude to include changes in club leadership that leave new leaders unaware of policies and procedures leading to a lack of proper funding. In the past clubs have also failed to utilize their contacts within the SAFC, which is something I wish to make known and available under my tenure as chair. In turn, I plan on cutting down my class schedule in order to make myself more available to hear about the campus' needs and ideas pertaining to ways that the SAFC can bring about new events and programs to campus. As chair, I wish to make myself just as available to individual students as well as club leaders. I hope voters will find in me the characteristics of a candidate worthy to run for BSG treasurer and I look forward to meeting with students and discussing my ideas for next year. Thank you.
Arden Klemmer '09
After sitting on the SAFC for two years as class treasurer, I know its strengths and weaknesses well. Should I be elected BSG Treasurer, my goal will be to make the SAFC as efficient, fair, and "user friendly" as possible. Of course, I will also continue Nicole Wiley's positive, inviting attitude. The SAFC should not be a scary place. I will hold office hours weekly and set up private meetings with club members, because I believe that the better club treasurers understand the SAFC's guidelines, the more they can do with their funding. I will also keep the blue and yellow books in the Student Activities office up to date (which has been a problem in the past). I'm considering moving the meeting place back to Smith Union because of it's proximity to the Student Activities office, but that depends entirely on the reviews I get from club and SAFC members when I return. I also hope to look into computerizing the request process, ie filling out the request form and signing up for a timeslot online and receiving confirmation and reminder emails. I also think that the blue and yellow books online should be made interactive, so they can be used as a reference on the go. My hope is that coming to the SAFC will no longer be seen as an inconvenience, but rather a quick, easy process. Finally, I'd like to point out that my experience sitting on the SAFC is a major qualifying factor. I know when to expect a higher volume of requests. I know the major events that occur each year, how successful they were, and how much they cost in the past. I have a good knowledge of event planning from being a class officer, and I will be able to help clubs with organizational problems. Of course, I'm aware of Bowdoin traditions, but I'm very open to starting new ones, and I will try not to favor the old over the new. I believe that the Treasurer must be someone with experience, someone who is forward thinking, and someone whose main concern is to help each club get what they want. Next year will be a success for the SAFC if it is an active and successful year for every club. As BSG Treasurer, I believe that I can make that happen, so remember to vote Arden Klemmer for Treasurer, for a efficient, fair, and "user friendly" SAFC.