Avsar leaves record of action as SGA president

In the year since Lara Avsar, BC ’11 and outgoing SGA president, took office, Barnard’s Student Government Association recognized sororities, approved a campus-wide smoking ban, and instituted a universal meal plan.

Avsar said she focused her term on making Barnard’s Student Government Association more accessible to the student body—a goal that students said was met with mixed success.

“My direction for this year was to make sure that people understood that SGA did have a role on this campus, and could enact change and if they wanted something to happen,” Avsar said.

Avsar said that their efforts ranged from formal surveys, to approaching random students for opinions in the Diana Center, to tabling outside of Liz’s Place.

Sorority recognition was one of the most controversial decisions of the year, with Barnard students voting 768-577 in favor of recognition. The SGA board voted 14-5 in favor.

Avsar emphasized that the board took student opinion into account through its own task force, and though SGA voted internally, its decision was based on the student survey and a town hall.

But in terms of flyering to get the word out, Lauren Mecca, BC ’11, said that it was other groups that really pushed the sorority recognition issue.

“They [flyers] seem to be from students in sororities and student groups. I wasn’t pushed to take the survey by SGA, but from other student groups,” Mecca said.

Avsar said the smoking ban was handled in a similar manner, after an administrator approached SGA to solicit student opinion.

“We just send out a survey and the same way that we’ve been trying to listen to the student voice on campus,” Avsar said.

More than 300 students, only about 10 percent of the student body, completed the survey, compared to the 57 percent of Barnard students who completed the sorority recognition survey.

Some students said they felt that while SGA did reach out to students, more could still be done to increase student knowledge.

Mecca, for one, said she took the sorority and smoking ban surveys only by chance.

“The only reason I knew about the sorority survey was because I went on eBear,” she said.

Mecca explained that since the switch to gBear, students don’t check eBear, where SGA posts its information.

“Let me put it this way—I go on eBear once a semester to check my programming things,” Mecca said.

Even though student participation in the surveys varied widely, Astrika Wilhelm, BC ’12 and current junior class representative, said she feels there’s been an increase in student interest.

Both student representatives and students not affiliated with the governing board were more informed, she said.

“I wasn’t as aware of policy changes my first year, but what I really liked about this year is that there have been more policy issues and they advertised them well,” Wilhelm said. “Even as not a member of SGA I knew what was going on and I didn’t seek it out.”

Another part of Avsar’s legacy is Barnard’s mandatory meal plan, which she began working on in her sophomore year.

“The meal plan I felt was kind of like my baby,” Avsar said. She recognized the backlash after the plan was unveiled, but said she had received little negative feedback.

“I think for the most part people really enjoy being able to run into their friends at the Diana and know that they have points that they can go use at Liz’s Place or on the second floor café,” she said.

As for student government participation, students acknowledged that it’s always an uphill battle.

“It varies from student to student,” Christina Chao, BC ’13 said. “The majority of people don’t pay attention unless it personally affects them.”

karla.jimenez@columbiaspectator.com