Student government delegates put sexual abuse, dining options, grading policy and other issues on the table when they gathered Nov. 10-12 for the fall Ivy Council Conference. This year's three-day conference in Chancellor Green Rotunda drew 75 representatives from seven universities across the Ivy League.
The conference provides "a forum for student government leaders and representatives to come together with the mission of facilitating knowledge exchange and problem-solving strategies," said Princeton head delegate Sunshine Yin '08.
Yin was responsible for planning the event along with Lauren Barnett '08 and conference president Jennifer Mickel '07. Since its inception in 1993, the Ivy Council has hosted conferences biannually at one of the member schools.
Delegates arrived Friday for a ceremonial gathering and then enjoyed an evening of socializing before the main business of the conference on Saturday. During the Saturday session, delegates divided into breakout sessions and share information exchange ideas, policies and best practices. After the conference, the Ivy Council presented the conclusions of the conference to the USG.
"The meetings blew me away," said Paige Bernick '08, who participated this year. "It's nice to see other kids from other universities and to hear their opinions."
Bernick was also appointed co-chair of Ivy Community Outreach Projects (IvyCORPS), a community service program the Council founded in 1998. IvyCORPS works "to increase volunteerism, strengthen school and community ties, and foster lifelong connections with service groups," according to the Ivy Council website.
"I was really excited," Bernick said about her appointment. "I think the IvyCORPS position is very important."
Aside from the breakout sessions, students concentrated on two specific policy issues. Princeton representative Graham Gottlieb '07 spoke about the University's Pass/D/Fail policy to spark debate about grading systems. A University of Pennsylvania delegate gave a similar talk about downloading music on campuses.
For the first time, the conference also distributed a newsletter highlighting recent events and achievements of student governments at participating schools.
To facilitate these non-policy aspects, delegates enjoyed scheduled time to socialize on Princeton's campus.
"This year's conference was indisputably a success," Yin said.
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