February 8, 1984

              Skidmore News
Saratoga Springs, New York
Volume 66/Number 1
Wednesday, February 8, 1984



Inside: New Feature, CGA Today page 4 
Godspell Review...pg 6



Bill Bagdon Seeks To Change CGA
by Caley O'Neil

Last semester Bill Bagdon was elected to succeed Ken Kaufman as CGA President. In this interview, Ms. O’Neil previews his plans and goals for the semester.

Skidmore News: How does it feel to have only half a semester to do your job? Bill: When I first ran for president back in December, I never saw the job as an attempt to unify CGA and get it back in order. As it reads in my platform, I intended to make CGA into a more progressive type of organization, and the fact that I did not begin until the second half of this school year does not have much weight to it. I simply assumed it was September again, and no matter how much time I did have I would do my best to make the most of it.

SN: What are your thoughts about the first semester; was it a bad first semester? 

Bill: The first semester of this year was the first time that I became deeply involved in student government. The elections for a North Quad Senator weren’t held until the middle of October, which really started things off slowly. And after witnessing what happens in the Senate for the first time, coupled with Ken’s resignation, well, I wouldn’t call it chaos, but there certainly wasn’t much order to it. In fact, I don’t know what was being done; I know what was proposed in Senate - the things that were proposed were mostly from myself and the first vice-president. It was a shame that Ken did resign to cause such disarray at that time, because it had never happened before. That was the biggest problem. The constitution did not provide much guidance in that area. A lot of research had to be done to find out just what to do in a situation such as this, what the procedure should be.

SN: What are your goals?

Bill: There are always the goals that have been hashed around for years, one of them is the wish for extended library hours. That’s certainly a goal of mine, to make sure they are actually extended for the first time. I’d like to establish a television room in the Saratoga Room, and work toward this is going very well at the moment. I hope that students, if they do want the television room, will call Mr. Steve Harran at extensions 123 and 124 to express their support, and to also sign the petitions which will be circulated this week. Hopefully, at least two televisions will be located in each corner of the room so everyone can see. The problem is where to put the disc. It’s not the most attractive looking thing, and the Campus Environment Committee is worried about how it will appear on Skidmore’s campus. We must try to convince the Committee that the educational gains of having the televisions is certainly going to outweigh any threats to the aesthetic beauty of the campus. Another very important goal is the voter registration drive. This year, I hope CGA will take on the responsibility of administering voter registration, with the help of the dormitory floor representatives, who can, during study breaks, give information to students about candidates, issues, and how to obtain absentee ballots. This could be a great service to students who have had to rely on SPSN in the past. I feel this more organized and far-reaching approach will be more efficient. SPSN is going to Boston this weekend to a three-day conference on how to administer voter registration and all of the other factors involved. I hope to have a meeting with them when they return so they can let me in on what they’ve learned.

Another thing that’s very important is the need for a system that will effectively distribute information among the students. I think I’ve put my finger on 

Continued on Page 8


Bill Bagdon in his CGA office
Photo by Paul Caliandro





V.D.: Was It Ever Romantic?
by Daria M. Ciaputa

Did you ever wonder why Valentine’s Day is in February? The only things this particular month has to offer are ice and leap year. It simply is unromantic to ask your love for a date skiing and having frostbite for the next week. For centuries love has been associated with the spring season and rightfully so. The ideal situation would be for the two of you to take a ride into the countryside with a picnic basket full of wine, cheese, and poetry. Instead, in February, your perfect “10” transforms into the Abominable Snowman wearing a down coat and gloves toting along a skiing manual and hot chocolate.

If the cold does not get to you, the name will. Valentine’s Day often is abbreviated as V.D. Can you imagine opening up a card and it reading, “Happy V.D. Sweetheart!” That would kill all and any romantic interest in two seconds flat.

Ladies, didn’t you always think it hypocritical that men always happened to drop hints about those few extra pounds you have gained and then turn around and present you with two and a half pounds of chocolate for Valentine’s Day? And if you don’t get the candy, a bunch of fresh flowers are dropped off at your door. What ever happened to permanency? Flowers usually die within three days—hopefully they are not also representative of your mutual love.

Who is St. Valentine anyhow? His name does not come up all too frequently in political discussions or religious services. In the attempt to totally twist the meaning of this “holiday”, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that, “St. Valentine’s Day as a lovers’ festival, the choice of a valentine and the modern development of sending valentine cards has no relation to the saint or to any incident in his life.” Is this all a farce? St. Valentine was a Roman priest who suffered martyrdom. Strangely enough, when I think about loving, the image of a priest is about as far from my mind as any single thought can get!

The present customs associated with Valentine’s Day stem from the pagan Roman festivals which took place in the spring. Again, I am compelled to ask why Valentine’s Day is in February.

At Skidmore a tuck-in service will be available on the fourteenth to commemorate this day. I don’t think this group understands the possible consequences that could arise from such a service—having someone other than yourself tender your loved one in bed. February 15th could easily be voted as the official Single’s Day in light of this.