At its annual spring semester presentation to the Board of Trustees, Smith College’s Student Government Association (SGA) brought issues of artificial intelligence, safety and accessibility to the Board’s attention, highlighting a variety of student-led initiatives.
SGA President Sirohi Kumar ‘26 said the meeting was a yearly opportunity to give the board of trustees, who have otherwise limited direct student interaction, a snapshot of what student life actively looks like.
“I like to describe it as a State of the College, à la the State of the Union,” Kumar said. “We use this time to articulate […] the large concerns and sentiments of the vibe on campus.”
The presentation is held over lunch every year, and this year was no different. Kumar mentioned that every year the meeting begins with brief prepared remarks before breaking into smaller discussion groups which have SGA and Board of Trustee members.
Kumar said that sometimes the lunch can feel a bit informal. “[Y]ou can tell that it’s lunch for [the Trustees] because they’re eating and are on their phones,” but she also emphasized that many Trustees, particularly alumni, are deeply engaged in student life issues.
This year, SGA aligned their meeting topics with the ongoing Strategic Planning Initiative, emphasizing two main areas of student concern: artificial intelligence (AI) and student safety.
Regarding AI, Kumar said, “The big question mark is what our approach is going to be, that really challenges what we are as a liberal arts college.”
Many students also have major concerns about their safety, especially in light of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) related killings and federal enforcement actions across the country, Kumar mentioned. “Students have questions not only about what the threats are, but also, if my safety is threatened, what is the college going to do?”
SGA Vice President Samantha Sondik ‘26 emphasized that this year’s presentation reflected a shift in how SGA allocates its time.
“This SGA has been so productive, this wasn’t something we spent an entire semester on,” she said. “We could focus on actually serving the students and then report back on that work.”
Sondik also mentioned that the board responded very positively overall to this meeting with SGA.
One particularly hot button issue was SGA’s push to install free menstrual product dispensers across campus. The project, part of a broader focus on student wellness, has already resulted in new machines in academic buildings.
Trustees, especially alumni, responded enthusiastically.
“So many of them said, ‘this never would have happened in my time at Smith,’” Kumar said. “It’s something we’re probably the proudest of this year.”
SGA leaders said they hope to expand the program and secure alumni support to sustain it long-term.
Kumar and Sondik both mentioned that the limited interaction between students and the board of trustees is a challenge.
“Students don’t know the Trustees really well,” Sondik said. “The estranged relationship is largely based on not knowing one another.”
SGA saw itself as an intermediary who can translate student concerns into conversations with the board.
“The college is governed less by the President and more by the trustees,” Sondik said. “If funding or dining are issues students care about, the origin points of those decisions come from the board.”
SGA planned to create more opportunities for direct, less formal interaction between students and trustees in the future.
During the meeting, SGA also brought up the topic of student organizing, ethical investment and Palestine. Trustees indicated that a related student-backed proposal is currently under review by the relevant committee.
“Students have successfully put that proposal… in front of the trustees,” Sondik said. “The committee is indeed considering it.”
Trustees also expressed support for the tone of student deliberation on the issue.
“They were really impressed with the level of civil, human conversation happening in the Senate,” she added.
Ultimately, SGA’s “State of the College” highlighted student concerns and the critical role of sustained, meaningful dialogue in ensuring those concerns translate into institutional action.
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