SOFC presents on publication cap
The Student Organizations Funding Committee (SOFC) recently announced that it will be implementing a publication cap for all non-guaranteed percentage publication organizations, including Counterpoint and The Wellesley Review, for the spring of 2015. The publication cap has been set at 300 copies a semester, with the opportunity to appeal for 100 extra. After pushback from the leaders of the affected organizations and the student body, SOFC reconsidered its decision but ultimately decided to maintain the publication cap. SOFC representatives explained that the cap was decided based on previous proposed caps and the number of locations where publications are usually placed. Editors from The Wellesley Review and Counterpoint also spoke at Senate about the publication cap. The Wellesley Review editors suggested a subscription service in addition to physical copies on campus and Counterpoint requested more copies. SOFC will meet with publication organizations at the beginning of next semester.
Wellesley 20/20 representatives to spread awareness on admission barriers for transwomen
Students from Wellesley 20/20, a group dedicated to the inclusion of transwomen and non-binary students at Wellesley, spoke about the current admission policy and how it served as an obstacle to transgender students. The admission policy currently states that all documentation submitted to the College, such as birth certificates, official ID and teacher recommendations, must declare the applicant as female. This could be problematic especially for transwomen who identify as female but whose official documentation identifies them as male. They may face social barriers as well when admitted. Furthermore, teacher recommendations may not be sensitive to their situations. Wellesley 20/20 representatives say these requirements could potentially put transwomen who have not come out as such in danger. Other women’s colleges have had open discussions on the issue, and some have even adopted policies to accommodate transwomen. Wellesley 20/20 hopes the College will follow suit. Questions about Wellesley 20/20 should be addressed to the Gender Advisory Committee or brought up at Wellesley 20/20 open meetings. The Gender Advisory Committee will also soon announce the results of the survey results they have been collecting on the perception of gender on campus.
Students seek to divide historian position into two separate jobs
The House Council historian currently documents student events and submits records to be preserved in the Wellesley archives. Students are deliberating on whether dividing the position into two separate positions would be beneficial. College Government President Hana Glasser ’15 was in favor of the idea, saying it would direct each student’s attention to either the past or present. The “historian of present” would be responsible for documenting current events for the archives, whereas the “historian of past” would go through past archives. Historians are currently allowed to record Senate meetings, but Jessica Shin ’18 proposed buying a camera for this specific purpose instead of having to rely on borrowing from Clapp Library or using personal cameras.
