PRESIDENT

Gabriela Capone

Hello! My name is Gabriela Capone (she/they) and I am running for SGA President. I am a member of the class of 2022 and a political science major. I am currently serving on the EBoard as Co-Treasurer and have been greatly involved in SGA since my first year, during which I was a Student Finance Committee representative and first year representative in RepCo. I am running for President because I love SGA and want to continue to dedicate myself to serving the Bryn Mawr community.

Over the past year, I have worked not only on the treasury and budgeting, but on many other SGA projects and student needs. During our term as Co-Treasurers, Ellen and I have simplified the reimbursement process and worked diligently to keep clubs operating safely during Covid. The club guidelines are thorough and sometimes confusing, but I have worked hard to help clubs understand and abide by them to continue hosting meetings and events. I have also taken initiative to lead Plenary, help keep SGA organized and moving during the stress of covid, and advocate for students directly to administration and the Trustees. I believe it is vital that the SGA President be someone with a great amount of previous SGA experience and a relationship with administration, particularly while going into a second year of the Covid-19 Pandemic and holding the College to their commitments on the Strike demands.

Priorities for SGA in 2021-2022:

• Continuation of Covid-19 safety
• Ensuring administration fully enacts their commitments in response to the Fall 2020 Strike as well as push for increased response to BIPOC needs
• Prioritize accessibility in administration conversations and push for rebuilding in the Access Services department to truly accommodate disabled students (ie, staff with backgrounds in accessibility, more and full time staff)
• Begin efforts to research the history of Bryn Mawr Traditions and rebuild them to be more inclusive and welcoming of BIPOC and Jewish students
• Regain access to the SGA blog and update it (I know this seems silly, but it is outdated by about three years and a website is important!)

Over the next year, SGA needs to advocate for each of these three things the most to ensure the safety of students and to improve student life. Bryn Mawr claims to be a safe and inclusive campus and I want to lead SGA in pushing for that to be unequivocally true. My first priority will be to advocate for BIPOC and ensure that their needs are advanced over the next year. SGA needs to be the main force in holding administration accountable to their response to the strike demands as well as increasing support for BIPOC on campus. The College’s handling of Covid-19 will also be a large concern for me as I want to ensure that administration will continue appropriate testing and safety measures in the next academic year. I want to increase communication with the student body as well. SGA is meant to be a means for students to discuss with each other about their needs and concerns so that change may be enacted and I want students to know that they can come to the EBoard and their President with anything. SGA should be an avenue to voice everything that students need help with or want changed. To do this, I will ensure that I am accessible to students and effectively communicate and advocate for their needs to the appropriate people. I want to increase meetings with administration (Kim Cassidy, Jennifer Walters, and Ruth Lindeborg) from the current once a month to two or three times per month. We currently do not have enough access to them as an EBoard and we need to speak with them more frequently to effectively work for the student body.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions about my plans or ideas via email (gcapone@brynmawr.edu). I hope that you will vote for me for SGA President so I can continue and increase my work for Bryn Mawr students!

Sarah Keane

Hi Bryn Mawr! My name is Sarah Keane (She/Her/Hers), Class of 2022. I am a first-generation college student of immigrant parents, and I am running to be your next SGA President.

My activism began in middle school, feeding the hungry, singing at local nursing homes, and sending care-packages to troops overseas during the holidays. Recognized by my local congressperson, my passion for activism evolved through high school by serving on Student Council, leading days of silence in honor of LGBTQ+ individuals and hosting sit-ins and organizing walkouts centering against gun violence.

Currently, I serve as the Class of 2022 co-president and I volunteer with Free for the Frontline Tutors providing tutoring services for children of COVID-19 frontline workers. I serve as Vice President of the Mawters for Mental Health club on campus that evolved in light of the stresses imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a member of the BMC XC/T&F teams, I facilitate Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion workshops and am a mentor in the Leadership Academy for scholar-athletes. In April, I will facilitate a BMC Strike Collective Teach-In on anti-Black racism in Germany.

 

Being SGA President has been an aspiration of mine since 2018 while I was still a prospective student. As President, I will focus on improving diversity, accessibility, and connectivity – paying particular attention to international and remote students. As president I will seek to:

– enact a Sexual Assault Awareness and domestic violence campaign to open a dialogue around topics perhaps challenging to discuss

– I will raise awareness around the importance of mental health for all students, a critical component of wellbeing in this time of struggle and uncertainty for many

– I will re-build the Body Positivity Project on campus through collaboration with the Athletic Trainers and Wellness Staff

– I will work directly with leaders of the Bryn Mawr Strike Collective and the Athletic Alliance to uplift the voices of BIPOC individuals and to keep the administration on task to uphold the Strike Demands set in the Fall

 

Through this work, I plan to expand SGA. I want student attendance to be a culture on campus. We must lead by example to encourage everyone to take an interest in institutional action. I am running for SGA President because I want these concrete enactments to have the largest impact that they possibly can, next year and beyond. My vision is for every student leaving Bryn Mawr to be able to say not only that they earned their degree here, but that it was here they stepped into their authentic selves while earning their degree.

Let us acknowledge the progress made, while recognizing that there is still much hard work to be done as we endeavor to weave the fabric of our vision for a more inclusive and healthier reality for everyone. As SGA President, I will not take this responsibility lightly and I vouch to uphold an open, respectful, and consistent community dialogue.

 

I thank you in advance for your consideration, and I respectfully ask for your vote. I am excited for this opportunity, and for our future. Thank you.

Together, let’s make change happen!

 

Owl Love,

Sarah Keane

 

Questions? Please e-Mail me: sakeane@brynmawr.edu, or DM me on Instagram: sarah_0018

 

 

Jennifer Ngyuen

Hi, I’m Jennifer Nguyen (she/her). I’m a junior Sociology major running to be your SGA President for the 2021-22 year.

As president, I promise to do my best to protect the best interests and livelihoods of all students who are at Bryn Mawr. I’ve spent this year serving as the president of Zami+ and working as an AMO Coordinator at the Pensby Center. In these roles I am engaging in ways to offer resources and community spaces for QTPOC and BIPOC students. Serving as president, my priority will be  continuing to find ways for the members of Bryn Mawr to connect with each other through the pandemic and feel seen and represented.

 

When I came to Bryn Mawr, I wanted to transfer immediately. I felt this school was too White, too small, too suffocating to be at for four years of my education. It’s hard to believe I went from that mindset to now running for president. I would not have gotten here if not for the sense of welcome from the people I’ve met at Bryn Mawr and the strides made by fellow students to forge a more socially just school environment. I hope to hold these values of community and social justice close in my role as president.

 

Sincerely,

Jennifer

VICE PRESIDENT

Andreanna Papatheodorou

Hi, everyone! I’m Andreanna (‘22), and I am running for SGA Vice President. I have enjoyed being involved in SGA through my multiple roles, especially while presiding over the plenary committee for the past year. Through planning multiple plenaries with her, I’ve worked closely with and come to admire Junie, our current VP. I have also spent countless hours working alongside Rem, our current SGA President, reaching out to students, admin, and faculty, in order to bring back the credit/no credit policy that was instituted in Spring 2020. I value collaboration and prioritizing student voices, and have grown familiar with the duties of VP. I feel ready for this role, and am excited for it—as it will allow me to further my goal of advocating for students, and highlighting our voices and opinions. Thank you!

 

SECRETARY

Sophie Khanna

My name is Sophie Khanna and I am running for SGA Secretary. I am currently a first term junior majoring in political science. I am running for SGA Secretary because I believe our student government to be one of the most important parts of maintaining community and working towards a more equitable future for Bryn Mawr students. I believe I am a good candidate for this position because I am very organized and communicative, which are essential to this role. In addition, I have worked in a fast-paced environment and as a team in the past, which allows me to use my past experiences as a tool to helping and engaging our community. I would be so honored to have your vote and I promise to do my best work if elected.

Daisy Shepherd

What’s up my name’s Daisy, I use any pronouns, I’m a junior Environmental Studies major, and I’m trying to be your SGA Secretary. The Secretary position asks for someone who is organized, responsible, and experienced to set the RepCo agendas, be an expert on the Constitution, uphold attendance standards, keep minutes, and act as the communicator between E-Board and the community at large. I have been on several SGA committees since first year, serving on the Plenary Committee, as a Seven Sisters Representative, and on the Constitutional Review Committee, of which I am now the head. I was part of a three-person total revamp of the Bryn Mawr Constitution and have therefore literally written sections of the Constitution as it stands today. I have missed a grand total of three SGA meetings in my three years at Bryn Mawr, so I know quite well how to set an agenda. I have held a position as personal secretary for the president of a game company for two years, meaning I feel comfortable managing an overflowing inbox, sending wide-ranging emails on time, and keeping tabs on a fast paced workplace. I’m in my second year as a Peer Mentor, which has allowed me to become very comfortable being responsible for a larger section of the BMC community, being available and accountable, and am able to balance a big workload. I want to bring back the SGA instagram, so we can connect outside of our dreaded Outlook inboxes, bring some good music to our weekly meetings, and handle this job like a pro.

 

TREASURERS

América Nájera and Rania Dali

Hello! We are Rania Dali (she/her) and América Nájera (she/her). We are both juniors running for the positions of SGA Co-Treasurer. For the past two years, we have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of SGA in different capacities. America currently serves as the treasurer of mujeres* and economic policy and society. Meanwhile, Rania has served on the student finance committee as well as a club treasurer. Overall, we feel that our positions have well prepared us to take on this role and we are committed to doing our best.

 

We understand the importance of properly administering SGA funds to all clubs and organizations of the BMC community and we are committed to making that as easy of a process as can be. We plan on hosting many workshops and providing access to virtual webinars that go over the reimbursement/cash advance processes that are accessible at all times. Our priority is to ensure that every club is equipped with the resources and funds they need to host events and activities as club participation is a vital part of student life at Bryn Mawr. Thank you.

 

HEAD OF HONOR BOARD

Liz Burke

To the Bryn Mawr College Community:

 

My name is Liz (she/her). I am a two-year representative to the Honor Board from the Class of 2023 and a candidate for the 2021-2022 Academic Year Head of Honor Board position.

I seek this position as a labor of love for this community. I believe all community members have the right to a conversation, access to a space to openly tell their story, and to a resolution that will guide the confronted party and the entire community towards restoration of broken trust. I am interested in taking up the responsibility to defend not only the metaphorical values of this community, but each and every individual member.

Like others, I am heartened by the code’s restorative aims, but believe in advocating for more transformative readings and interpretations of the Code. While the Board is limited in its resources to truly initiate transformative justice, I implore each person who has been involved with an Honor Board resolution to commit to the responsibilities laid out in their resolution and work very seriously towards restoring trust with the community. I also encourage others that are called in to participate in Honor Board resolutions to ask questions about what more they can do to help in the process if it is not already clear to them. Each head of the Honor Board sets the tone for that year’s Board, and the board I will serve with will be pushing for more transformative, comprehensive resolutions. Additionally, I am going to try for more transformative methods, I call the entire community to step up to this challenge with me.

I believe in the mission and ongoing work of strike leadership, and as head of the Honor Board, my first course of action would be to guarantee that anti-bias training for all Honor Board members is scheduled with one of the recommended organizations and is completed before the start of the next academic year. I will communicate with the Black Students Liberation Coalition throughout this process. Additionally, if the Honor Board is the administrative body through which restorative justice in our community is facilitated, then its head must have a positive, working relationship with all justice-oriented organizations on campus. In my view, it is the duty of the head to forge and maintain these positive relationships.

I value transparency, which is why I will ensure that at least one secretary to the board is appointed. Avalon Vanis and I serve as co-secretaries this academic year. I believe in the power of teamwork and collaboration because I know that I do not have all of the answers within myself to do this necessary work initiating the repair of trust among community members. I value the contributions of Honor Board heads past, who have done incredible work of maintaining this institution with integrity and fairness.

I am ready to have conversations about the ways in which the Code is outdated and prepared to take actions towards updating the code, if it is deemed necessary. As many others before me have said, we must change the language of the Code to represent our entire undergraduate community, especially with respect to the college’s admissions policy on gender identity. Secondarily, I think there needs to be more specific language that will guide the Board for cases that deal with the challenges posed by learning and living as a community in the 21st Century. We need to have community conversations about surveillance, as it is a form of policing on campus, and if the Honor Code should include more specific language on this topic to guide cases in the future.

If you have any questions or what to have a conversation with me about my platform, please reach out to me at lmburke@brynmawr.edu.

 

Rania Hammami 

My Name is Rania Hammami (she/her), class of 2022, and I am running for head of honor board. I have been involved on campus through my new project peer health educators on campus. It has been such a rewarding experience, where I got to work closely with admin to ensure that we have a safe semester while maintaining and caring for the wellness of Bryn Mawr students. Being the new head of the honor board would allow me to contribute more to the community by upholding the values of the honor code.

As your next head of honor, I plan to:

• Continue the work of the past head of honor board to make the honor code less daunting, more inclusive, and accessible for all students.
• Minimize the impact of the honor board decisions on students’ mental health and make sure that BIPOC and international students are not disproportionately affected by such decisions.
• Ensure a fair process that takes into consideration the students’ circumstances to get a full understanding of the situation in question.
• Promote positive confrontation on campus, accountability, and commitment to ensure that our Bryn Mawr community is a place where we can have a respectful dialogue with each other.
• Hold students and Faculty accountable to the honor code, prevent any party from weaponizing it against any other party.

I would be honored to serve as the next head of the honor board and be part of the SGA e-board for the upcoming academic year. Your vote is very appreciated and thank you for your time and consideration.

 

CHAIR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY

Marianela Luna-Torrado

Hello! My name is Marianela Luna-Torrado (she/her) and I’m running for Chair of Social Justice and Equity. I am honored to have been considered for this position and have accepted the nomination for a few reasons. First, as a BIPOC first-year, I would like to see Bryn Mawr become a more equitable and anti-racist institution during my time as a student. Being a part of SGA would allow me to work alongside various members of our college community towards this goal. Second, I’m an effective communicator and known for looking at issues through an intersectional lens due to my unique life experiences. Lastly, I have a history of advocacy work in predominantly white communities. Just this past fall I edited multiple written pieces for a student-run organization that campaigned to dismantle systemic oppression.

 

Know I value your voice alongside your vote. If elected, I will be an accessible and passionate leader. Feel free to contact me with any thoughts or just to say hello at mlunatorra@brynmawr.edu. Thank you for your consideration.

 

Fatmata Sesay

Hello! My name is Fatmata Sesay, and I am a sophomore here at Bryn Mawr College. I am running to be Chair of Social Justice and Equity. Being that I am a first-generation college student coming from a low-income household, I notice that there are many students on campus coming in from all over the globe. That being said, everyone is coming in with their own set of experiences, values, and ideas. Although this is significantly a good thing, it can lead to chaotic results. Therefore, it is crucial to have someone working as chair of social justice and equity that understands the value of diversity and inclusivity from all communities on campus. I will make a great candidate for this position because of the overall end goal I have in mind, balancing and putting forth every unique idea and approach of members at the college. This means carefully looking at each community’s desires and working to find ways that those desires can come to a reality.

 

A google form will be emailed to you in order to cast your vote. Remember, voting begins on March 5th, 2021 and ends on March 7th, 2021. Any information on other candidates can be found at http://elections.blogs.brynmawr.edu/ and if you still have any other questions, please contact information for the Elections Heads at elections@brynmawr.edu

 

ARCHIVIST

Aaliyah Joseph

Hi everyone,

My name is Aaliyah Joseph. I’m a Junior class of 2022 and I’m running to be your SGA Archivist. At the heart of interest in being SGA President is a desire not only to be a historian but to link this campus with its mission toward social justice and anti-racism, with Philadelphia and the global world, and most importantly with one another so that as a campus we can engage in the necessary long and rehabilitation processes need to acknowledge Bryn Mawr’s history, present, and future.

As archivist my campaign will emphasis that changes does not begin with “good” archivists but with a leader determined and dynamic. After much consider, I’ve decided to ask the Bryn Mawr community in trusting me to be that leader going toward.

My history of involvement here at Bryn Mawr over the last few years has evolved in terms of the degree in which I’ve participated in groups like Plenary committee, Social Justice committee, History major representative, Curriculum committee, CDL planning, the Perry House Oral History Project, and more. But my passion for doing has stayed consistent preparing me to take the lead of documenting and preserving Bryn Mawr history.

I hope I have your vote for Archivists.

 

ELECTIONS HEADS

Bharati Ganesh and Shreya Bhutani

 

Hi Bryn Mawr Community! Our names are Bharati Ganesh (she/her) ‘22 and Shreya Bhutani (she/her) ‘22 and we are running for re-election as Co-Heads of Elections.

 

Since arriving at Bryn Mawr, we have worked together as Treasurer and Diversity Equity Chair on the BMC Mock Trial team’s Executive Board, and as Co-Presidents on the Dharmic Students Association Executive Board. If re-elected as Co-Heads of Elections, we would continue a long tradition of successful, efficient and innovative collaboration. Our vision for Elections involves greater accessibility: from before nominations start throughout the voting period. Bryn Mawr has a unique history of participation in student government and we want to promote that by bringing more people into the elections process. Additionally, we want to ensure that elections continue happening as smoothly as possible despite the challenges and limitations of the pandemic. As the first Elections Heads to conduct a virtual elections process, we are excited to continue making elections accessible and approachable.

 

As a Political Science major, Bharati has been interested in elections since high school, having volunteered on many political campaigns. The experience of working on campaigns provided her with a great understanding of how elections work and what rules candidates need to follow. She is very excited to run for re-election as Co-Head and continue being part of the elections process. Bharati currently works in the Bryn Mawr Writing Center, where she developed a passion for working with students on their communication skills.

 

Shreya is a Growth and Structure of Cities major and is incredibly excited to run for re-election as Co-Head! She is fortunate to have served in multiple leadership positions at Bryn Mawr and plans to continue applying the skills that she has learned to this role. She currently serves as President of the Bi-Co Train Club where she has had the experiences of running an election, working with multiple perspectives, and delegating work responsibility. She is also working as an AOA, and has collaborated with other DLT members to create a welcoming environment. She would also like to note that she is OBSESSED with making Google Forms so serving as Co-head of Elections has been a great experience for her.

 

Our experiences have made us capable of managing elections at Bryn Mawr and working closely with candidates and SGA. If re-elected as Co-Heads of Elections, we plan to:

 

• Continue advertising upcoming elections on various social media platforms— this widens the pool of candidates and foster greater accessibility and transparency. So far, we have posted graphics illustrating the positions up in each election on Facebook. 
• Update the official Elections Bylaws to better serve the community’s needs during the pandemic and reflect the virtual nature of campaigning. As your current Co-Heads, we have already drafted a clearer set of rules for online campaigning that are being piloted in this election. 
• Do more Q&A sessions on available positions before nominations start so that students have a better understanding of what they are running for.
• Link the elections website to our social media marketing more effectively. During the summer, we gave the website a major overhaul to make all of the information there more readable and easier to update. 
• Continue promoting broader community attendance at Candidates Forums so that students learn more about the candidates. During our May Candidates Forum last year, over 35 students were in attendance. 
• Hold office hours before and during election periods
• Create promotional material and incentives to increase voter participation in elections.

 

We hope to have earned your vote as Co-Heads of Elections. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us about anything: bganesh@brynmawr.edu and sbhutani@brynmawr.edu

 

HEADS OF SOCIAL COMMITTEE

 

Darpan Chahal and Ritzy Davidson

Hi! We are Darpan Chahal (she/her ‘24) and Ritzy Davidson (she/her ‘24) and we are running as Co-Heads of the social committee!

We both have experience in leadership positions and we’re passionate about helping every Bryn Mawr student find ways to get involved and build connections here. It’s crucial to find ways to be social while being socially distant that isn’t just another zoom meeting. As co-heads of the social committee it is imperative for us to continually find ways to build community. We are dedicated to ensuring every student feels heard whether they are on campus or not.

We may be first-years but we would not be running if we were not ready to listen and learn from our peers and upperclassmen. As first-years we are very aware that we are not familiar with what Bryn Mawr social life felt like pre-covid. However, we think this makes us better suited to find creative ways to stay connected as we are not trying to recreate past experiences but create completely new memories. We are ready and willing to adapt to our new normal and make the most of it! We love the sense of community that we have found here at Bryn Mawr and we want to find ways of strengthening it.

We are currently living through unpredictable and stressful times; therefore, it is our utmost priority to find any and every way to make student life easier. The pandemic has taken such a toll on mental health and has limited social interactions, so it’s important to us to find ways of correcting and combatting this. We have a lot of potential ideas to bring everyone together that we are excited about. For example, we’d love to enact spirit days with different themes such as pajama day or color wars.

We are excited for the opportunity to help create a fun and supportive school for you!

Please feel free to contact us with any and all questions and concerns at dchahal@brynmawr.edu and rdavidson@brynmawr.edu

 

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Spencer Auerbach

Hi everyone, I’m Spencer Auerbach (they/them), class of 2024, and I’m running to be an SGA Member at Large. In high school, I was the president of my temple youth group for two years. This taught me important skills in delegating, planning, and executing tasks and events. I’m a member of Mock Trial, so I love a good discussion. I’ve been involved in activism, both through letter writing campaigns to elected officials and volunteering to help underserved schools access school supplies. Besides my qualifications for the role, I also have a vested interest in improving Bryn Mawr through SGA. I have a chronic medical condition that requires accommodations, so I sympathize with the struggles many students, my friends and I included, have with accessibility issues on our campus. I want to do everything I can to change that. As a nonbinary person, it is very important to me to make sure trans voices and needs are heard and understood. Since Bryn Mawr is a historically women’s college, there are certain assumptions and language about the student body that do not reflect the gender diversity on campus. As a Member at Large, I want to make Bryn Mawr the most inclusive it can be, for every student.

Natalie Petersen

My name is Natalie Petersen (‘23, npetersen@brynmawr.edu), and I am running for the position of Member at Large. Being a member of SGA would be an opportunity for me to get involved with the behind-the-scenes work of campus and really give back to this community. I would love to take a more hands-on approach to the betterment of the student experience, and to be more involved in the democratic process of this campus. It is a privilege to have an association such as SGA fighting for our student benefit, and I would be honored to be a part of that.

Kyle Blesdoe

Hi everyone! My name is Kyle Bledsoe, and I am a current first year student here at Bryn Mawr. I was very honored to be nominated for the Member At Large position. I am running for this position because I want to have a positive impact on our community, and I want to continue to make meaningful change at Bryn Mawr. I am currently a part of the Health Center Advisory Board and Adelante and taking part in SGA will allow me to have a larger reach to make a positive impact. In addition, the challenging, vital work done by the Bryn Mawr Strike Collective has brought a lot of change, but we cannot stop there. Bryn Mawr is always changing with new students every year and new issues that arise, and we must continue the work to improve our community. As someone who is both non-binary and disabled, I want to advocate for groups who have been mistreated on campus. Two of the main issues I wish to address if elected include holding the administration accountable to follow through with the demands of the strike, to listen to the voices of BIPOC students, and to dismantle the racist systems that are in place as well as working to improve accessibility and Access Services on campus. Thank you for your time and consideration and please reach out to me at kebledsoe@brynmawr.edu if you have any questions.