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Opinion - page 6

Bathroom Break

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Edition 02

Alcock First Floor: ★★★★

Dear reader,

It has long since been customary for one to require some sort of reading material to accompany them on particularly long trips to the loo. In decades passed, the frequent choice of entertainment was the daily paper. With the advent of the modern day telephone, that practice has faded into obscurity. However, it has become no less important for one to be educated in the variations of restroom quality, so that one can make the vanguard selection for location to do said business. With that in mind, we have taken it upon ourselves to present to you, dear reader, our rankings of the most proper, and the most horrid, of all the restrooms on this fine establishment’s property, so that you may have the best bathroom experience possible. 

As some of the oldest dorms on this hallowed establishment, the humble halls of each building in the Frolicher trio contains water closets which are, to be blunt, sad. However, the ground floor loo in Alcock, while quaint, has a warm, wholesome, homey feeling to it. To be clear, this loo is not without its quirks. Its four sinks contain mismatched faucets. The stalls are located around a hidden corner (providing privacy, at the very least) and are narrow. There is also a disturbing lack of Wi-Fi and cellular service for one using these facilities. There is a peculiar shelving system that, despite consisting of cubbies that are too narrow to use efficiently, takes up an entire wall of yet another narrow corridor. The showers only have one curtain, making it impossible for one to change without literally standing in the shower, and, for some reason, there is a full-sized bathtub. 

Despite these (admittedly many) oddities, one can’t help but be charmed. Perhaps it’s due to the delightful amount of natural light emanating from the full wall of fogged-glass windows. More likely, it’s due to the housekeeping efforts of Tina, the intrepid overseer of this shabby building, who keeps things clean with a vengeance, and has a penchant for decorating with an overabundance of wall-hangings containing inspiring messages, a plethora of air fresheners, and a stunning amount of live houseplants, which she tends to with a passion. Whatever the reason, these loos, which are objectively run-down, feel almost like home. 

On grounds of size, accessibility, cleanliness, and privacy, we rate the Alcock first floor bathrooms four stars.

By “Little John” Flusher 

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Goucher Students Weigh In On Concerns Over Campus Safety Communications

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As the year progresses, one of several concerns raised by Goucher students has been the speed and urgency at which the Office of Campus Safety communicates issues to students. These concerns range from Campus Safety not addressing serious issues that affect the entire college, such as the recent contamination of the water supply, to sending alerts to students regarding issues that are more specific to a single dorm or area of campus. 

Tiffany Justice, Director of Campus Safety, says that her office has not received any specific complaints regarding how they communicate. She notes that there are multiple methods that her office uses to communicate, including “Timely Warnings, Emergency Notifications, [and] Goucher Alerts”.  According to Justice, each of these options can be sent through both email and/or text, and also have the ability to be made utilizing various screens on campus. Regarding the threshold for a problem to warrant warning the entire campus, she says that, “this is considered on a case by case basis.  Some requirements and or thresholds are established by the Department of Education.”

Meanwhile, a survey of Goucher students* shows a mix of opinions on Campus Safety communications. 50% of students each agree that there have been times when there has been a major issue, either campus-wide or in their dorm area, and Campus Safety has failed to acknowledge/inform the community about it, and that there have been times when Campus Safety has sent a campus-wide alert over a relatively minor issue; the rest either disagree with the statement or are uncertain. More specific concerns include not responding quickly enough in time to an emergency, especially one that brings emergency vehicles to campus, as well as a “condescending tone.”

When asked about how they would change the way Campus Safety communicates with students, most agreed that the office needed to be faster in sending out information about emergencies, more honest and open, and not leave out important information. Meanwhile, one student brought up the CampusShield app, which they noted was underutilized by Goucher’s Campus Safety Office. They noted that if more people downloaded the app, “it could be worthwhile and useful for a way to securely report information to Goucher students.”

*Disclaimer: The survey discussed in this article was not sent out to a random or comprehensive sample of Goucher students, and therefore is not intended to be representative of opinions of the student population at large.

This piece was published as a student’s op-ed submission. The Quindecim is a space for all students within the Goucher community to express their views and beliefs. These pieces are released in the name of journalistic integrity and not in an attempt to antagonize or reflect the institution of Goucher as a whole.

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Getting To Know Towson!

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While headed up York road, you may be wondering if there’s any place worth stopping for. Well, if you’re driving along past the Tropical Smoothie Cafe or the Snow Cloud Bubble Tea shop, you’ll spot a quaint looking diner with a parking lot that’ll usually range from relatively busy to completely packed, especially if you go on a weekend. This is the aptly named Towson Diner, open since 1957, 7 days a week, from 7 am to 9 pm.

The diner specializes in American-Greek comfort food, serving up classics like silver dollar pancakes while also delivering amazing Greek dishes like spanakopita or souvlaki platters. They also have sections in their menu dedicated to seafood, chicken, and pasta dishes. However, what they’re most known for is their all day breakfast and their specialty burgers, which pairs nicely with one of their house crafted shakes, or if you’re over 21, a cozy cocktail. 

I’ve eaten there several times, and I have my fair share of recommendations. This diner has crispy mozzarella sticks that don’t skimp on the marinara sauce. The piña coladas are light and creamy without tasting too citrusy or boozy, though that isn’t to say they’re light on the spirits. Of their many milkshakes, I always go for the Caramel Brownie Explosion, which is thick and has the perfect brownie to chocolate milkshake ratio. My friends always get their Love Potion – a chocolate shake with nutella and strawberry syrups mixed in. 

For my meal, I often end up ordering either their belgian waffle or french toast bites – both come with strawberries and whipped cream. Although if you get the french toast bites, be ready to conquer a beastly feast, as these are probably intended to be shared with a table. If you’re more in the mood for burgers, though, their Godfather (with mozzarella and tomato sauce), California (which adds a sriracha aioli and avocado), All-American (which doubles the patties and adds bacon and mayo), or Steakhouse style (with blue cheese, bacon, and fried onions) are the go-to. Or if you’re feeling picky, you can always build your own burger. 

Source: Google Images

Prices for food items usually range from 8.99 to around 29.99, depending on if you want a simple item like their breakfast sandwiches, or a full dinner entree like their flounder francaise. Shakes are 8.99, and the cocktails range from 8.50 to 9.25, so if you don’t want to pay that much for a drink, perhaps consider a coffee or hot chocolate instead, which is much more affordable at 2.99. 

The service and waitstaff are incredibly polite, and are very accommodating to your dietary needs. Although, currently they have been short-staffed, so please be patient, especially during the weekends, as that’s when they’re most busy with the brunch rush. 

Overall, this is a lovely place when you’re in the mood to escape campus, get a good bite to eat, be cozy on a lazy weekend, and/or spend time with your close friends. With a range of prices to cover everyone’s budget, and a variety of good eats, if you’re wanting to know Towson, you’re going to want to start here. 

By Katelyn Krapf ’24

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Getting To Know Towson!

As we move into the latter half of the semester, we come across a common dilemma that college students face

Getting To Know Towson!

As the temperature slowly begins to wane, and as the days get shorter and shorter, we can safely say goodbye

Attendance Policies in 2023 Are Weird, Right?  

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In August at the start of the semester, Goucher rolled out the new and improved attendance policy for the 2023-2024 school year. The first week after being back on campus there were murmurings between both students and professors about the success and necessity of the policy to begin with. The new policy details that faculty is now recording attendance in all classes, per class, unlike last year where it was sporadic and varied by a professor’s personal affect towards the matter. The policy also states the possible excused absence protocols like various serious health problems, a death in the family (though unclear if this also extends to non-familial deaths), ACE and Title IX accommodations, etc. All require some form of proof submitted to an administrative office in a fairly timely manner.

Showing up to class is an obvious necessity for a college campus, it’s the thing we pay thousands of dollars worth of tuition to do, but the policies in place are both vague and frigid. Some Goucher professors still grade attendance over participation as well. This begs the question of in our current atmosphere, are attendance policies at institutions like Goucher are needed and relevant. Is it different between the institution and the individual professor?  

Among the few complaints made by students at the start of the semester, there was one overwhelming response – why should we be punished for attendance when we pay to be here?

This argument is undoubtedly the strongest against the policy. If students and their families are shelling out the money to be here anyway, what does it matter if a student misses class? Parent readers might disagree with the idea but those parents who went to college know the struggle of sleeping through a class after an all-nighter or getting a mysterious campus sickness as we delve into the winter months.  

Attendance policies might also be outdated because we live in the world of COVID-19. As a community, we are all ready for the virus to be gone from our lives forever but it’s simply not the case – COVID is here to stay and will affect immunocompromised students every semester in the near future. Policies around the sickness exist but what about the other effects of the virus, like becoming a caregiver, long covid, and priority shifts when the family gets sick back home? 

The policies are also outdated because we live in an era of mass communication. If you miss a lecture, someone will have notes, if you miss a lab, someone will have data. You can meet face-to-face with your professors, but even more conveniently you can do it from your bed via Zoom or Teams. There are thousands of hours of YouTube videos on any given collegiate subject taught by professors and Ph.D. candidates. There is no lack of communication and resources for students to catch up more easily. Of course, this isn’t the same as the in-class experience, but it can come close.  

Attendance policies also inscribe a strange limbo for independence versus obedience for students. Although not as extreme as some professor’s policies about not allowing bathroom breaks or food in class, telling students when and where to be somewhere is a bit parental coming from the institution.

For perspective, many students are taxpayers, most can serve in the military, some have off-campus jobs, and some of our older students even have children, the policy is a strange way to treat adults. It’s not as if this is preparing students for career attendance. In fact, workplace attendance policies are quite different and can vary, and most importantly, you are being compensated to show up to your job – not the other way around. In terms of individual professors who grade attendance over participation, the “real world punishments’ for lack of attendance materialize naturally, via a bad quiz grade or the need to make up work, not for the absence itself.  

It’s unclear what the projected effect of the Goucher attendance policy and individual professor syllabi will shape out to be. This is not a gross mass advocating for students to miss class on a whim from some highly politicized independent newspaper, but we can ponder the importance and significance of these policies for institutions like ours and if they are relevant in the modern college climate. It is worth it for us to weigh the importance that students take a mental health day with their friends or fully recover from an illness, then be concerned about the consequences of a few missed lectures.  

* Disclaimer: This piece was published as a student’s op-ed submission. The Quindecim is a space for all students within the Goucher community to express their views and beliefs. These pieces are released in the name of journalistic integrity and not in an attempt to antagonize or reflect the institution of Goucher as a whole.

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Want to Ensure Goucher Maintains a Diverse, Quality Student Publication? Compensate Student Journalists.

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After over 100 years in print, The Q didn’t publish any editions during the Spring of 2021, and had been printing sporadically in recent months leading up to that, with a very minimal digital presence. 

Virtual learning flipped every club on its head, and caused others to simply cease to exist. It’s one of many changes Goucher is still recovering from, even though many pretend we’re “back to normal.” 

In the case of the Quindecim, the lapse of publications is not entirely the fault of our past editors. The time it takes to set up meetings, pitch and assign articles, communicate with fellow editors and writers, edit and fact-check articles, report and write one’s own stories, obtain and use club funds from SGA, coordinate print editions, upload articles to the website for online editions, and make social media posts promoting our content is incredibly taxing and seemingly impossible in addition to being a fulltime student who is not compensated for any of those tasks. The cherry on top is virtual learning’s lingering effects, which like many other clubs, left a gap in intergenerational knowledge and newsroom rhythm that was typically passed down from each editor to the next, meaning our current staff had to start from scratch and learn as we went. 

This year, I’m proud, relieved, and excited to say we did a full 180. However, if my financial background was different and I had to work to support myself during school, The Q’s resurgence would not have been possible to this degree on my watch. 

It’s important to note that this goes beyond The Q, and that I believe all club leaders should be compensated for their labor and service. I am simply speaking from my experience and my work with The Q. Student leaders across different clubs put in countless hours to put on events on an otherwise desolate campus, as well as provide community and social opportunities to their members. 

In the last half of this semester, we’ve seen this come to fruition with Goucher Black Student Union’s (GBSU) Student Showcase, Al-Jalia Arabic Club’s Foreign Film Festival, Independent Music Club’s monthly concerts, the 1021 Hip Hop Team and Dancers of Color Coalition’s (DOCC) Dance Festival, and The Cookout – an event collaboration between Movimiento Estudiantil Hispano Americano (MEHA), 1021 Hip Hop, DOCC, and Goucher Women of Color Circle (GWOCC), just to name a few. 

The various positions within the Student Government Association (SGA) recently became paid. There’s funds set aside for senators to be paid $14.50 an hour, even though some of those positions are vacant and available to apply for on Handshake. Why not pay students who are already doing the work in different student organizations? 

The Quindecim’s origins date back to January of 1916, when it was called The Goucher Weekly. The paper predates Goucher’s co-ed status, the move to the Towson campus, and even the purchase of the land that Goucher is currently on. 

At any higher education institution, student publications are as essential to collegiate life as a student government or having residential assistants (RA’s) in each dorm. Virtual learning created a huge blow to The Q, The Goucher Eye, and Goucher Radio. The Eye simply doesn’t exist anymore, and Goucher Radio is still trying to make a comeback. This issue is urgent, and is something I don’t think those in leadership positions are paying enough attention to. 

Small liberal arts colleges typically do not have journalism-specific majors or academic programs, making student publications the place to be for any student with a passion for or desire to explore journalism. This opportunity is made inaccessible to students who have jobs in addition to their course load. Several of our current reporters have to miss weekly meetings due to their work schedule, making it harder for them to work collaboratively with the team and stay engaged with the paper. 

Goucher Magazine ran a story last fall on half a dozen alumni who are working in journalism, all of whom credited some of their success to the time they spent at The Q and mentorship from our Faculty Adviser, David Zurawik. The Q is an asset to the college, and to ensure that it not only survives, but thrives, and becomes more accessible to low-income students, editors and staff should be compensated. If not by hourly pay, then by a stipend. If not by a stipend, then through course credit. 

Since Goucher does not offer a journalism major, minor, or concentration, working at The Q is one of the best ways for students interested in reporting or professional writing to gain experience outside the classroom. The Q’s lapse last year not only disadvantaged the Goucher community, but left aspiring writers with limited options to work outside of the classroom. For many reporting, communication, or writing internships, experience with a campus publication is a bare minimum qualification. I myself ran into issues getting a reporting internship last summer, partially because I did not have enough published writing samples to submit or robust experience in a campus newsroom to meet eligibility requirements. Last year’s “newsroom” was then-closed Alice’s, and operations were random and informal, and some of the articles I submitted were never published. 

What would the Goucher community be if administration was the only source relaying information to the students? What if there was no outlet for students to voice their opinions, provide accessible news updates to the community, or put their writing skills into practice?

When a hate crime occurred on campus in 2018, The Baltimore Sun reported on it. Last semester, however, neither The Sun nor the new Baltimore Banner published stories about the hate crime in Heubeck Hall, meaning Goucher community members who are not in our email threads were not directly informed of the incident. But The Q reported on it, and continued to provide updates on the situation to the best of our ability, giving current students, faculty and staff crucial information and analysis, as well as extending the channel to alumni, trustees, and parents. Our coverage of the hate crime and the developments that followed it, such as the Board of Trustees sit-in this past March, are some of our most-read stories this year, showing how important it was that this topic not be ignored. 
The Quindecim has proved itself as relevant and important, though we shouldn’t have had to get to that place to begin with. This paper is a cornerstone of student life, Communication and Media Studies, and Goucher as whole. To recognize the work our members do, maintain the paper’s quality and guarantee longevity, and make it more accessible to students from all backgrounds, we should be compensated.

* Disclaimer: This piece was published as a student’s op-ed submission. The Quindecim is a space for all students within the Goucher community to express their views and beliefs. These pieces are released in the name of journalistic integrity and not in an attempt to antagonize or reflect the institution of Goucher as a whole.

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BCoPD Presence on Campus Will Cause Additional Harm to Students (Opinion)

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Baltimore County Police (BCoPD) presence on campus has been one of the proposed solutions following the racist, anti-Black graffiti found in Heubeck Hall just before Winter break and the general rise in vandalism last semester. If implemented, this plan will disproportionately affect Goucher’s Black community, the very people meant to be protected, and create a hostile environment for all groups who are systematically targeted by police. 

On January 20 of last year, nearly a month after the crime initially happened, an email titled “Safety & Security Communication Series” was sent to all official faculty, students and staff detailing the crime and the efforts administration has been making to keep our community informed.

BCoPD was briefly mentioned in this email as “leading the investigation into each incident and working closely with our office of Campus Safety.” This is not an unfamiliar occurrence, since BCoPD also led the investigation for a similar crime that took place in 2018.   

On February 15, a Community Conversation was held to address several issues facing the Goucher community, including this hate crime. At this Community Conversation administrative officials confirmed that Goucher is considering inviting BCoPD to patrol the Loop in addition to their daily rounds of the Towson area. Despite immediate pushback from students present at the community conversation, administrators seemed adamant to go through with this plan. 

Additionally, on February 23, a sit-in at a Board of Trustees lunch was carried out by student protesters in an effort to gauge trustees’ awareness of the hate crime that occurred and communicate what students felt was a lack of transparency between administration and students regarding their plans of action. The overall consensus among students present at both the community conversation and the sit-in has been overwhelmingly against BCoPD presence on campus. 

According to Police Scorecard, a nationwide public evaluation of policing in the United States, BCoPD has more racial disparities in deadly force than 71% of other Maryland police departments, and 68% of people murdered by this department are Black. Black people in America have historically been the targets of over policing and excessive police brutality. Bringing in a group that has such a long local and national history of enacting violence against the very group that Goucher claims to be attempting to protect is counterintuitive at best, and has the potential to create unforeseen violent consequences.  

To subject Black students on campus to further trauma and psychological unease will only worsen the feelings of danger and distrust that already exist within Goucher’s marginalized communities. While it is entirely logical to increase security on campus in order to keep students safe, the presence of the BCoPD will simply pose more problems than it will solutions. Rather than an immediate jump to outsourcing police presence, measures of public safety such as having someone monitor the gatehouse and actually keeping the gates down are a good start.

Despite the argument that the increased trend in crime on other nearby college campuses points to the future possibility of crime on Goucher’s campus, the addition of the BCoPD remains an irrational solution. Schools like Towson University and Morgan State University already have police presence, which unfortunately has not stopped violence from occurring on their campuses.  
If the administration wishes to familiarize BCoPD with Goucher’s campus in the event of emergencies, rather than have them patrol the loop they could simply start by giving them a tour. If an in person tour isn’t feasible, virtual tours are available for viewing on Goucher’s website.

By Calder Brown and Dom McKinney

* Disclaimer: This piece was published as a student’s op-ed submission. The Quindecim is a space for all students within the Goucher community to express their views and beliefs. These pieces are released in the name of journalistic integrity and not in an attempt to antagonize or reflect the institution of Goucher as a whole.

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Increased Surveillance and Potential Police Presence Raise Questions About Goucher’s Values (Analysis)

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A community-wide email detailing new security measures being implemented on campus was sent by Erik Thompson, Goucher’s Vice President of Campus Operations on January 20. The email cited last semester’s discovery of vandalism including racist, anti-Black graffiti as the reason for the increased security, and listed the installation of additional security cameras as one of the new safety measures being taken. 

At the Community Conversation on February 15, administrative officials confirmed that Goucher is considering inviting Baltimore County Police (BCoPD) to patrol the Loop in their daily rounds. Goucher, an institution that prides itself on its progressive and innovative outlook, has never heightened security to this degree – some would argue that it has been the college’s mission to not do so. 

“There are over a dozen cameras that are being installed as we speak,” Thompson said, “In addition to that, we are probably going to put in dozens of cameras this summer, as a ‘phase two.’” 

Thompson confirmed that cameras will be placed in public spaces only, which includes such spaces in residence halls. Some of these cameras will be labeled with signs, indicating their location, while others will be more covertly placed. Thompson believes these cameras will serve as a strong deterrent and resource to catch potential bad actors.

“There are instances where someone will ignore [the camera] and [break a rule] anyway, or feel like this is a location where they can do something and no one will know,” he said, asserting that these potential rule-breakers “represent the antithesis of what drew students to Goucher, and drew [him] to Goucher, and we need to remove them from our community.” 

When asked whether this punitive approach to campus safety was in line with Goucher’s progressive ideas, Thompson said, “we have to change. And some of those changes might mean that some of the policies, procedures, or views of things as ‘progressive’ might have to change to be something else.”

Thompson alluded that unpopularity regarding these decisions from students alone might not be enough to impact the final call. 

“Unfortunately, some decisions like that, it’s less of a vote and a community agreement, and more of taking input… from the community, and making a decision that’s influenced by [those community inputs],” he said, “But it might not agree with all of those.”

According to Thompson, the idea began in December after a fire was started in an occupied building, threatening the safety of community members. BCoPD presence on campus, however, is not a done deal. 

“We haven’t started the practice… something like bringing the Towson or Baltimore County police on campus, I didn’t see a pressing need to do that without actually getting some input,” Thompson said. 

Despite understanding the potential psychological impact the added police presence could have on students, especially Black students, Thompson believes the ends would justify the means. If implemented, the police would be instructed only to leave their vehicles if there was life threatening danger, leaving it to the discretion of police officers on whether or not to intervene. 

“It opens up the possibility of human judgment on what’s happening at any particular instance, but it still moves us a little closer to the level of safety we need,” Thompson said. 

Essentially, the police cars are intended to serve as a deterrent against potential bad actors – a fear tactic to make sure students are kept in line. Goucher has always marketed itself as a progressive, highly innovative institution. The fact that we have lesser surveillance and zero police presence on campus is a part of the fabric of Goucher and its enduring academic mission. 

Thompson acknowledged this, and said, “seeing a Baltimore County police car on campus, I mean, that’s so far from what Goucher was, or wants to be.” 

The concerns regarding the safety of students are genuine, but to add police and highly increased surveillance across campus is reactionary and could potentially endanger Black, Brown and disabled students. Thompson said that he hoped there would be a better alternative presented before adding BCoPD to campus. I see plenty of alternatives to implement before considering police: constructing sidewalks across the entirety of the Loop so cars are no longer barreling towards students as they walk around campus, installing lights throughout Van Meter Highway and the Loop so that students do not have to walk in the dark along campus roads, and implementing community organized security, where honest and faithful students work together to ensure that their peers and Goucher’s public spaces are safe. 

It is easy to look at some of last semester’s events and think that police and cameras will make us safer, and to just decide that it is the school’s mission that needs updating. But if we question the mission, aren’t we really wondering what the school’s underlying values are and contemplating its authenticity? These decisions must be made with deep-thought and consideration of every option. We must approach these issues with open minds, and listen to the community of students wholeheartedly, these students who do not just attend Goucher, but in fact are Goucher. It is their opinions that matter the most. 

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Why I Recommend a Non-Goucher Study Abroad Experience

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Trying to plan a study abroad in the midst of a global pandemic was no easy task. The class of 2023 was away from Goucher for over a year, and by the time we came back in Fall of 2021, it was already time to plan out when we were going to take off again. 

In my case, I needed to find a program or university in the same field as my major or minor that worked around my Fall sports schedule and did not take me away from my position as Editor of The Q. To graduate on time and plan around other academic commitments, such as summer internships, a winter break program made the most sense.

Goucher only offered one 2023 J-term Intensive Course Abroad (ICA), which was Arts, Music, and Culture in Bali, Indonesia. While it sounded like an amazing program, it was not my area of study, and I’m sure airfares to Bali in January are another obstacle.

Several of my friends had gone abroad through Goucher last Fall, and none of them had good reviews about the additional study abroad course students take through the Office of Global Education (OGE) – I heard assignments were unclear and time consuming, taking away from their time abroad. 

All these factors pointed me to non-Goucher study abroad organizations that had J-term programs in closer countries and within my field of study. Eventually, I stumbled across the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), which has great reviews and a vast array of programs.     

I ended up choosing their J-term program in Berlin, Germany and taking a course called Interreligious and Intercultural Tensions in Germany at Humboldt University to count towards my minor in Religion and Justice. Long story short, I learned an incredible amount in just three weeks and had a blast! 

AIFS has staff in Berlin who help students get acclimated, provide recommendations of places to go and things to see, as well as taking the group on educational excursions (which are included in the program fee). My AIFS group consisted of students from all over the country, and in my class at Humboldt I met students from all over the world – a global experience I would not have gotten through a Goucher ICA. 

My advice to all students trying to navigate studying abroad while dealing with the pressure of an ongoing pandemic and OGE building back from the period of remote learning is to not limit yourself. If Goucher doesn’t have the experience you’re looking for, look elsewhere! The world is truly your oyster.

Feature Image: Chatterjee on the roof of the Bundestag (Germany’s Parlaiment building) at night. Above from left to right: a view of Museum Island and the East Berlin TV Tower at night along the Spree River, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Sunset in Charlottenburg, and views from Tiergarten on a cloudy day.

Jeff Castro Swears in as Student Government President

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For many people, the new year is an important symbol. It represents a fresh start, an opportunity to put the past behind us and hope that the upcoming term will be different. Better. I’m often reminded of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and motto of “hope and change.” 

Here at Goucher College, as finals are starting, and the days are growing colder, many are finding themselves struggling with the workload and the pressure put on students this time of year. The sun sets earlier and earlier. Through all of that fear, people are grasping for an anchor to hold on to. That’s where Jeff Castro and Olivia Reichardt come in. 

Castro and Reichardt were voted in as the new president and vice president of the Goucher Student Government a few days before Thanksgiving. Their duties officially started just one week later, when they attended their swearing-in ceremony on November 30. It was an understated affair on a dark and cold Wednesday night – there were no adults or officials in attendance, only a handful of students gathered as the newly-elected said their vows. As we waited for the ceremony to start, Castro and Reichardt made their rounds. 

Castro, who was dressed in a simple black suit with a crisp white shirt, greeted me with a warm, firm handshake. We chatted for a few minutes, amicable despite never having met before. Reichardt, in a casual green dress and heels, brought a camera, and kindly took photos of her own event, when she found out that no photographers from the Q would be able to attend. 

There were no speeches given, or introductions made. Rather, the two simply stood in front of the small group, Castro first, then Reichardt, and raised their right hands, as they made a solemn vow to uphold the Goucher constitution. They each promised to protect and preserve the values of the college, and in a matter of minutes, the ceremony was completed, and Goucher had a new student administration running. 

The next day, I sat down with the new leaders to discuss their plans for the school. The fall semester saw recursive complaints about the SGA, after many clubs lost funding early in the year, and a lack of communication left many students feeling disconnected from those in charge. 

For those who felt former President Ty’lor Schnella’s take-charge attitude had grown stale, Castro and Reichardt offer a sharp relief. 

They beat me to our rendezvous spot, and were chatting as I arrived. Each greeted me with a warm smile (and another firm handshake from Castro,) and they continued to chat as I set up for the interview. It was clear that the two were friends; they made small talk derived from follow-up questions to events that had previously been discussed; updates on tests and swim practices. As I started to ask them questions, they kindly turned that friendly attitude towards me. Hope and change indeed. 

Both have been interested in politics for a while, citing high school classes as the nexus moment that piqued their interest. For Castro, it was the AP Government class and for Reichardt, civics. 

As he took his class, Castro became interested in the topics he was learning, along with “all the things that come with that,” like volunteering on campaigns and helping people register to vote. At the same time as the class, he worked on a campaign for a small state race for Maryland Delegate. 

“I was chief field strategist,” he recalled, “so I was working fifty hours weekly coordinating volunteers, doing field work, running numbers.” 

I asked him if that work paid off with a win, and he laughed. 

“The delegate did not win. But I’m still proud of that race, because that runner was a nobody, and… still won 6,000 votes… with nothing but a collegiate field team.”

 Similarly, Reichardt came to Goucher to work in D.C., after her civics teacher introduced her to progressive news outlets when she was fifteen. After that, she said she “got into researching different ideas and backgrounds, and started figuring out my own beliefs, because they are different from my parents.” 

They both joined the Goucher SGA last spring. 

Then, in late September, the previous president was chatting with Castro about the upcoming elections. 

“I wasn’t trying to, like, poke the bear to get him to endorse me,” Castro emphasized, “Honestly, I wasn’t really considering it.” 

But once the suggestion was said, it made a lot of sense to him. 

“I was the only one in the past administration who isn’t graduating [in the spring],” Castro explained. 

Besides, he was “intrigued by not the grandiose parts of the job, like public speaking or being on the podium, but more putting my head down and working.” As the idea to run sat with him, he started to believe in it more and more. 

“I thought about it for, like, a week, and then I was committed,” Castro said. 

The first step was to find an excellent running mate. Reichardt was the head chair of the Ways and Means Committee at the time, which was, according to Castro, “the most active committee,” because it was in charge of handling all the finances. 

“She had experience and had knowledge of how to get things done in SGA… she was one of the first people who I asked to run with me,” Castro said. 

For Reichardt, at first the idea was “a little stressful and crazy,” but like Castro, “the more I thought about it, the more it made sense,” she explained, “I had already contemplated trying to move up in the future… It was just the right next step.”

The pair spent the next week in the office of student engagement with a whiteboard. 

“We spent hours making lists of who would be in the cabinet, on the board, what initiatives we could start with admin,” Castro recalled, “The board was just covered in arrows because there was so much that we wanted to get done.” 

Reichardt added that at first, the discussion was “very broad. We discussed key issues first, then logistics. The first step for us was to start with identifying problems.” 

When asked about what those issues are specifically, Castro’s eyes lit up. He proceeded to give me a list of over half a dozen topics his administration wants to focus on, including improving disability and accessibility services, improving facilities within residential halls, and making the offices of Campus Safety and Residential Life more connected with students. 

Reichardt summarized: “The two main focuses we have are, one, to improve student experience, and two, disability and accessibility.”

Tackling the issues within SGA is a different beast. The fall semester saw low involvement in SGA, and many of the changes enacted faced serious fallback from students. 

“It’s gonna be a big project to fix the internal dynamic and make it more efficient,” Reichardt said. 

Castro agreed, explaining that “there are no perks to keep [people involved] dedicated… There are lots of people in the forum, but not a lot showing up.” Luckily, as with everything else, the pair is already thinking of ideas for how to fix that issue. 

Obviously, the pair’s issue-oriented plan is important. But as a writer, the most important thing I noticed about these two is how substantially their attitude shifts my perception of the SGA. These two breathe a spark of new life into a largely dysfunctional organization. Castro and Reichardt’s easy friendship and casual, warm openness are enough to immediately set people at ease, and their passion towards the issues they are championing is relaxed, but focused. 

As the school careens into finals, and prepares to shut down for a long winter break, rest assured that pieces are already moving behind the scenes, setting the stage for improvements when we return. Hope and change; Reichardt and Castro deliver it, working to shine a warm light across the frosted Goucher campus. 

Feature image of Jeff Castro swearing in by Olivia Reichardt, edited by Reese Finnigan

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The 2022 Midterms: 18 to 29 Year Olds Showed Up in Large Numbers

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This past election day, youth voters turned out to the polls in great numbers; numbers that haven’t been seen many times before. According to Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), it is estimated that 27% of youth (ages 18 – 29) cast a ballot in 2022, which made this the midterm with the “second-highest youth voter turnout in almost three decades.”

It is also estimated that youth voter turnout was even higher in battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin. 

Nina Kasinunas, Faculty Chair of Goucher’s Political Science Department, said that Goucher-specific data on voter turnout will not be available until next fall.


“The data we receive about Goucher student voter turnout comes from our participation in the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, or NSLVE,” Kasinunas said, “the researchers with NSLVE will take out student data and match them to state voting records, which are publicly accessible. Because there are more than 1,100 colleges and universities who participate, it takes time.”

Feature image at top courtesy of pexels.com.

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