One of the fastest plenaries ever occurred on Sunday, March 26. Quorum was reached at only a little after 12:30 pm. The quorum was maintained throughout plenary. Opening the meeting, Mindy Strinberg, the departing secretary, began Plenary by explaining the way in which Plenary works. Each resolution is allowed ten minutes for presentation, including the reading of the resolution, followed by arguments by the presenters. Following the presentation, ten minutes are allowed for discussion. During discussion, comments for and against the resolution are heard, and amendments may be proposed. If the presenters agree with the amendment, it is added as a friendly amendment. If they disagree, then it must be voted on by the assembly. After discussion, the resolution, including any friendly amendments, is voted upon. The options for voting include yes, no, abstention, and no vote, the last of which effectively removes the individual entirely.
The first resolution was 'Reaffirmation of Self-Government,' submitted by the incoming Executive Board. There was no discussion, and the resolution was easily passed. While the votes were being counted, Meera Ratnesar, incoming President, raffled off the first of the door prizes.
The second resolution was presented by Erin Dawson and Jennifer Nissly, the current Activities Co-Heads. The resolution, entitled 'Title of Activities Head to be Changed to Elections Head' clarified the title of the position, the purpose of which is to run elections, not activities. The resolution passed.
The third resolution was also presented by Erin Dawson and Jennifer Nissly, now Elections Co-Heads. It provided further clarification of the position, as in the Constitution there are passages which discuss the duties, most of which involve interactions with groups or positions which do not exist, or are in actuality part of other positions. Aside from some clarification regarding the fact that ESPN used to be what SoCo was called, the resolution passed quickly.
Resolution number four, 'Making Martin Luther King Jr. Day A Bryn Mawr College Holiday,' presented by Deborah Hyams, Latanya Ingraham, and Anu Yadav, afforded some heated discussion. The resolution proposed that the College give staff and students the day off so that they could participate in community service activities. The first major concern was raised by Samantha Foster, regarding how the staff would be able to given the day off. While she stating that she supported the resolution, she stated that if students are on campus, a minimum level of staff is required. The presenters stated that the resolution was a recommendation to the administration, so details would have to be worked out on that level.
Another concern was raised by Ruth Czarnecki regarding the fact that other holidays were just as deserving as Martin Luther King Jr. Day for recognition by the College. An amdendment to extend the resolution to all holidays was proposed, and deemed unfriendly. It was negated as an addition by the assembly. Concerns regarding calendar issues were raised by Kimberly Kosmenko. She discussed the way in which Bryn Mawr works with Haverford and Swarthmore to create compatible calendars, and how students would not use the day for the ends which the presenters desired. Latanya Ingraham responded that no one would force students or staff to participate in these activities; they were simply recommended.
Courtney Elam proposed an amendment to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the second Monday of second semester, so that the spirit of the holiday would be honored, but there would not be issues with shopping period. The amendment was deemed unfriendly and did not pass.
The discussion was ended, after the question was called by Kay Chanda, and the assmbly voted in favor of it. Many people who were in line for speaking for an against the resolution. However, as the calling of the question had passed, the discussion was ended, and the resolution was voted upon. It passed with sixty-two percent of the vote.
The fifth resolution was entitled 'To Increase Student Representation on the Board of Trustees.' The presenters, Leah Samaru-Charles, Brooke DeWitt, and Deborah Hyams, stated the purpose of the resolution was to increase the representation of students on the sub-committees of the Board of Trustees, while there would still be two representatives to the Trustees Meetings on Saturday. There were several amendments regarding stronger wording, as well as the addition of an open panel with the Trustees in addition to more student representation and the posting of minutes. All amendments were friendly. The resolution passed.
The sixth resolution was regarding divestment in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Presented by Chu Hui and Anne Yereniuk, its purpose was to recommend divestment in Burma over the next three years. There were several friendly amendments regarding stronger wording, as well as some points of clarification. Students voiced support for solidarity regarding the issue, as well as recognizing the historical precedents, such as South Africa and the end of apartheid, in which college student activism has had an effect on ending a tyrannical regime. The resolution passed.
The last resolution, presented by Emily Bogner and Kara Goodwin, was entitled 'Urging Bryn Mawr College to join the Worker Rights Consortium.' Essentially, the resolution called for the College to become a member of the Worker Rights Consortium, an organization which is a watchdog for human rights and wage violations. There were a number of clarificatory questions, from which it became apparent that there would be no change in the garment companies used, but instead, there would be an increase in surveillance of those companies' practices. The resolution passed.
Meera Ratnesar thanked everyone for coming, especially the Plenary Committee for organizing the events, and the counters for doing their job. Libby O'Hare, the departing president, thanked everyone for coming and maintaining quorum throughout, which shows the commitment which the school has to self-government. She ended by stating that we have the oldest student self-government association in the country and that we should be proud of it. The Plenary ended slightly before three in the afternoon.