Pizza, pastries, and Pepsi: that’s what surrounded Barnard’s Student Government Association as they spoke with three members of the Barnard’s Board of Trustees and Dean Avis Hinkson. Emma Goss reports on ideas for campus renovations and new Barnard traditions:

• Solicitations: Board of Trustees chair Jolyne Caruso-Fitzgerald, BOT campus life committee chair Diana Vagelos, and BOT campus life committee member Binta Brown encouraged students to donate money to increase Barnard’s endowment. They said that the number of donors matters more to them the amount of money donated, adding that donating is a way to stay involved in the Barnard community post-graduation.

• Taking the ‘ew’ out of Hewitt: The BOT was open to taking suggestions from the council about campus renovations, and a major topic of discussion was revamping the Hewitt Dining Hall atmosphere. Council members said that they would prefer Hewitt to have a more “collegiate” atmosphere, similar to the Brooks Reading Parlor that was redesigned earlier this year. Council members also suggested that removing a wall from an unused hallway within Hewitt could  allow for more serving space for food and easier access to the food. The BOT was receptive to these suggestions.

• Food for thought: The BOT commended SGA on the work they did last week with the Greek Games, and said that Midnight Breakfast is a more recent Barnard tradition that is one of their favorites.

• Greek schism: Melanie Bryan, BC ’12 and vice president of the McIntosh Activities Council, was the club guest of the evening. She requested that, in the future, the Greek Games committee be autonomous from McAC and SGA. This would allow for more flexibility in membership and leadership, allowing for more students to get involved and for the Greek Games could become a larger event, she said. SGA said that they will continue this discussion in future meetings.

• Barnard ballots: SGA candidates typically post their platforms to eBear, but this year, candidates are also posting three-minute videos about their platforms to YouTube (update: you can see the videos here). Voting ends April 5 at 12 p.m., and the results will be announced April 5 at 5 p.m.

• First year flavors: The First Year Class Dinner is this Thursday, April 5, from 6-8 p.m. in the Diana event oval. The food and programming are international-themed.

• Talk of the town: SGA is hosting a Town Hall April 16 about understanding Barnard’s identity. Several alumnae will be speaking at the event, which is from 6-8 p.m. The location has yet to be announced.