by The Cowl Editor on March 18, 2021
Congress Updates
by W. Cole Patno ’24
Student Congress Representative
On Feb. 16, Dean Tiffany Gaffney and Dr. James Campbell came to the Student Congress meeting to answer questions from Student Congress members regarding Title IX.
One member asked about any updates or future developments regarding the Culture of Respect committee, a group working towards stopping sexual violence on Providence College’s campus. Gaffney explained that, due to COVID-19, Culture of Respect meetings have taken a backseat because, given current restrictions, the group’s size prohibits effective meetings.However, they intend to start again when things get back to normal.
When asked if their offices had any initiatives planned for Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, Campbell and Gaffney said that they would have started planning events sooner in a typical year. Women Will intends to host events with other clubs and organizations, and their offices will partner with them for such events.
Finally, they were asked if their offices would be willing to publish the statistics on Title IX reports. The student said that these quantitative reports would allow people to understand the campus climate better. Campbell and Gaffney said that they would be happy to share that information once they compile it at the end of the academic year. They also expect the numbers from this year to be lower than years prior due to COVID-19. In regards to the pandemic, Gaffney stressed the importance of remaining diligent in following COVID-19 protocols.
Student Congress thanks Dean Gaffney and Dr. Campbell for taking the time to come to our meeting and answering our questions.
Members of Congress and attendees were also reminded of the Board of Multicultural Student Affairs and Student Congress’ showcase of nominated Black students, staff, and faculty members in lower Slavin for Black History Month.
After announcements, the Mind Over Matter Club presented and was unanimously approved as an official club by Student Congress. The spring elections calendar was also approved, and there was a Student Congress and BMSA Executive Elections Review on March 4, which was mandatory for those interested in running. Legislation regarding allocations for clubs was also given its first reading.
The following meeting on Feb. 23 was much shorter as there was no guest speaker. At this meeting, Student Congress approved the allocations for clubs, and the Friends of Medecins Sans Frontieres Global Health Club gave their first presentation.
Finally, Student Congress announced that we would be teaming up with PC Democrats and PC Republicans to spotlight outstanding women in the PC community for Women’s Week in Slavin starting March 3.