"The most important thing is for students to be able to talk to students," SoCo Advisor Jim Kenny said. "I'm glad the opportunity was there."
The forum's purpose was "to let everyone on the campus have the opportunity to give constructive criticism and any feedback whatsoever," SoCo Secretary Meredith DeMeules '02 told The Student. "We thought that if someone thought email or a phone call wasn't enough, he or she might want the forum to talk to us in person."
SoCo Chair Erica Hewes '02 began the discussion by pointing out that SoCo's general membership is open to everyone and that SoCo co-sponsors "alternative" events to TAP with various theme houses and interest groups.
SoCo is allotted about $38,000 a year-about half comes from the Student Finance Committee (SFC), of which only half may go to TAP-related events, and the other half comes from dorm fees.
"This year, especially, we're looking for people who would bring more diversity to the Social Council," Hewes said. "I don't think people who don't know us personally can say that we don't reach out ... The problem isn't that we don't want a diverse group on SoCo. The problem is that we aren't getting diversity, and we can't go up to people who we think are 'diverse' and say, 'You should be on SoCo.'"
Several students said they wished SoCo would approach outside organizations rather than waiting for those organizations to come to them for funding.
"We're always scrambling to put together our own alternative events," said Amber Young '01, co-chair of the Chicana/o Caucus. "We wish SoCo would come to us."
Young suggested that SoCo appoint an officer to coordinate its activities with the various affinity groups, expressing her hope that SoCo would provide more than just financial support.
DeMeules said that, in terms of "going to the minority groups, our greatest difficulty is that we don't have the greatest ideas out there."
Hewes said that SoCo, which is in the process of recruiting new members, would like to "meet somewhere in between" with affinity groups in the event planning process.
SoCo Vice Chair John Frechette '02 said that many organizations "come to us at the last minute and ask for money, and a lot of those events have worked out well."
But Marisol Thomer '02 said many students complain about SoCo's "lack of diversity in terms of who it appeals to."
"SoCo is just giving money," Thomer said, referring to its co-sponsorship policy. "There's nothing else involved. The relationship to affinity groups can be more positive if SoCo comes up with ideas that will appeal to another group. That's why there's a low minority [turnout] for events, even events that are well populated."
Thomer recommended that the co-sponsorship application be changed to suggest that SoCo will be more than just financially involved in sponsoring an activity.
Ben Armour '01, who is treasurer of the Student Government Organization (SGO), said he thinks that SoCo "has used co-sponsorships as a front for diversity."
"You seem to be saying, 'We sponsor these groups, look at us, we're diverse,'" he said. "But people come to you for money only. And that's not your mission at all. ... SoCo is not intended to be a piggy bank. People should co-sponsor for manpower and expertise in planning events. ... You should be hands-on involved in an event you're co-sponsoring."
Several students also expressed disappointment in the fact that SoCo never apologized after being charged with discrimination for Computer Dating TAP.
SoCo officers said that, because students filed complaints "behind their backs," because they were denied the opportunity to meet with the complainants in person and because they felt that the complaints were "very personal problems," they didn't owe the Amherst community or the Queer Union of Amherst College (QUAC) an apology.
"The approach taken was adversarial to us," Hewes said.
"I feel as though we were tricked," DeMeules told The Student. "[QUAC] knew we were having Computer Dating TAP and [knew] the format of it three weeks beforehand and still didn't tell us they had a problem with it. So it's almost as if they wanted us to have the event in a way that we discriminated against them so they could have a reason to file complaints against us."
DeMeules added that SoCo "felt manipulated ... since we had no idea there were problems until afterward, and even then it was through the deans and not the individuals."
Frechette told The Student that if QUAC had "come forward-organization to organization-that would have been different."
Haynes, who found SoCo guilty of discrimination, would not comment about whether or not SoCo should apologize.
Eric Osborne '04 said that TAP is "just the same thing every single week" and that the music doesn't follow the themes. He suggested that SoCo sponsor a campus-wide formal or several "really good parties" throughout the year.
DeMeules said that the problem with a formal is that, "Amherst College doesn't like to dress up like other schools do." Frechette said that when the officers used to ask the DJs to play a selection that adhered to the theme every three or four songs, they got "just as many complaints as [they] do now."
"We catch crap for TAP all the time, but every Thursday and Saturday night, there are 300 people there," Frechette said. Several students said TAP caters to the same 300 people every week, however.
Area Coordinator and Diversity Advisor Joel Estrada '00 said that SoCo has "to be sensitive to the reality that [many] students ... see common characteristics among those who atttend TAP. They see the recycling of the same 300 or so attendants."
Estrada also suggested that SoCo "recognize and appreciate what affinity groups do on this campus. It is difficult to disagree with the claim that affinity groups spearhead and organize the bulk of alternative programming on this campus," he said. "Affinity groups should not have to pick up the work of the Social Council-not completely."
Hewes said that, while TAP might cater to those "who choose to be social," events like SoCo's Who Wants to be a Millionaire do not necessarily "cater to one particular crowd."
"[Because] Amherst is so diverse, it's really hard to create an event that 70 percent of Amherst is going to want to go to, because people have so many different interests," said officer Ryan Seelbach '03
DeMeules said that she wondered why more students of color didn't attend the forum if they are often the students with complaints toward SoCo.
Peer advocate Betty Lin '01 said that the peer advocates would be willing to work with SoCo to address complaints they received about Computer Dating Tap and their "car-bashing" activity over Homecoming weekend, in which a car was placed in the Valentine Quad for students to bash.
Hewes added that SoCo has received an "overwhelming amount of positive feedback" about the car, adding, however, that the car-bashing should emphasize spirit more than violence in the future.
Armour said that he thinks the car-bashing is "perfectly legitimate" despite the fact that "some people find it offensive."