Archivist Note: Originally published on the Elections wordpress site. Sep 18, 2015 @ 01:14, “CANDIDATES STATEMENT September Elections: Co-Faculty Representative”
Melanie Bahti & Erin Saladin:
Melanie Bahti ’16 and Erin Saladin ’16: Co-Faculty Representatives
Melanie: I am interested in holding the position of Faculty Representative in order to continue my involvement in SGA into my senior year, and to continue being involved in the Bryn Mawr community. The position of Faculty Rep is an important one for community building, since both students and faculty are members of this community but often find communicating with and understanding one another difficult. Erin and I both hope to use this position as an opportunity to serve as liaisons between students and faculty, and to provide information and opinions to both groups. I have experience working with faculty in my past roles as Member and Head of the Honor Board, and more recently as a student consultant as part of TLI. I have also worked closely with my peers in those positions, and as a TA and in DLT positions. I hope to leverage these skills and experiences to communicate effectively with both students and faculty, and to connect both constituencies in meaningful ways.
Erin: I think self-governance is exciting not because it gives us as students some kind of unilateral power, but because it allows us to participate in a community composed of students, alums, staff, and faculty. I am excited to work with Melanie to facilitate conversation among students and faculty to help maintain our campus community as a respectful and collaborative space. Like Melanie, I have worked with faculty and students in multiple contexts throughout my time at Bryn Mawr. Most recently, I worked as a summer research assistant. I have also acted as a student leader in various capacities, including as a club president, a student manager at the library, and a DLT member. Having co-held the position of Faculty Representative during the 2013-2014 academic year, I look forward to returning to both to the Representative Council and the specific position with new perspectives I have since gained through student leadership and closer working relationships with members of the faculty.