The Barnard Student Government Association passed a resolution Monday night pushing for further clarification of the ever-perplexing relationship between Barnard and Columbia.
The resolution, approved at Monday’s representative council meeting, urges the administrations at both institutions to “clarify, communicate, resolve, and improve” their relationship. The resolution proposes that the schools release public statements, adopt universal swipe access, and revise the New Student Orientation Program to help integrate students on both sides of Broadway.
“Enough is enough,” said Francesca Procaccini, BC ’10, SGA’s representative to CCSC and author of the resolution. “The Barnard-Columbia relationship is not clear, not stated, not defined, and not being improved. ... We don’t want to live in this ambiguous sphere of Columbia anymore.”
According to the resolution, the SGA perceives “numerous ambiguities” in the relationship. “We have access to the same libraries, but not the same dorms,” Procaccini said. “That limits our interactions with peers in our most intimate environment.”
In addition, the SGA resolution calls for a reworking of NSOP, which Procaccini said “is in complete disarray and does nothing for our four years here.”
“The community feels too split up because there aren’t many times when we’re all together during orientation,” Jamie Prem, junior class president, BC ’09, said at the meeting. SGA recently formed an NSOP committee to work toward implementing changes in the program that will foster what the resolution calls “further integration” among all University students.
Trustees have also worked to clarify the distinction between Barnard and Columbia, and recently extended the Intercorporate Agreement, a document that governs the affiliation between the two schools.
Because the Intercorporate Agreement is confidential, the relationship is “not as transparent as it should be,” Procaccini continued, adding, “We don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. ... We have a right to know how our money is being used.” Procaccini said that the administration should be more public about the nature and envisioned future of the BC-CU relationship.
SGA President Laura Stoffel, BC ’08, said that SGA has been working to clarify the BC-CU relationship all year. As part of the effort, Stoffel worked with Associate VP of Communications Elizabeth Gildersleeve to craft an informative brochure on the topic that will be sent to all accepted students this year.
“We’re taking strides in every possible way,” Sarah Besnoff, SGA Vice President, BC ’09, said. “This clarification is a serious goal because we want to empower our students.”
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