1. College announces changes to the Academic Policy.
Rather than checking off classes in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, incoming first-year students will be expected to take classes that fall under the new domains of Meaning, Interpretation and Creative Expression; Analysis of the Social World: Individuals, Institutions, and Cultures; and Physical and Natural Processes, Mathematical and Computational Constructs. Other requirements, like the language requirement and writing seminar, aren’t going anywhere.
2. New Club Budgeting Process Announced.
Another change coming to campus in the fall involves the way funding is doled out to clubs and student organizations.
3. Winter Formal Cancelled by SECS, citing safety concerns following Halloween Dance.
Four alcohol-related illnesses and acts of violence at the Halloween Dance help explain why the Special Events Committee for Students (SECS) cancelled Snowball, Haverford’s annual winter formal.
4. Lunt Cafe was closed in the fall. But it reopened in the spring semester.
The administration shut down Lunt Cafe in the fall. Student workers were promised a wage of $15/hour, but when Students’ Council found that out, there was lots of confusion even after the cafe closed. It’s another example of the lack of communication and transparency between the two groups.
5. Protest marks Fall Plenary.
#AllStrugglesOneCode protesters highlighted issues with the Social Honor Code and issues that marginalized students on campus face by sitting outside the GIAC at the start of Fall Plenary.
6. President Benston rejects resolutions that students passed at Fall Plenary.
At Fall Plenary, students passed a Financial Aid Policy resolution, which encouraged the College to increase support for financial aid, as well as the Community Day of Engagement Resolution, which sought to promote conversations about identity. The President rejected both resolutions, prompting conversations between students and the President, and larger questions about student agency.
7. College debuts LIFTFAR, financial assistance program for low-income and first-generation students.
The new program, which the College rolled out in October, offers financial assistance to low-income and first-generation students for some of the expenses that aren’t covered under financial aid. The program even made headlines in the New York Times.
8. Students left with unanswered questions about new storage policy.
After the College got rid of most of the free, on-campus storage, many students, including international and low-income students, have to jump through more hoops to store their items over the summer.
9. The library finds a new home in Founders.
While Magill is under construction, the library has moved to Founders Great Hall, leading to some changes in how students get books. At the same time, student workers at the library are also shifting gears.
Bonus: If you want a behind-the-scenes look at Magill, check out this photo essay which documents the move.
10. Special Plenary and the new Honor Code consume campus this spring.
The saga began in February when the Honor Code failed to be ratified. Students held a Special Plenary and rewrote the Honor Code, but even more challenges arose when the administration said they could not implement it, the old Honor Code expired, and legal concerns abounded. But after a controversial Digital Plenary, students got a new Code, albeit a slightly different one from the one they had proposed.
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