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PLATFORM

In two steps, here is what I aim to accomplish as President of Student Government, the first step under the headings of RATIO. Each policy is followed by step-by-step explanations and action-plans to execute them in practice.

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Step 1: Overhaul - Forging a Government That Works for All Students

  • Representation – Student Government has distanced itself from its essential representative duty and, more importantly, from the student body which it is supposed to represent. We must remind ourselves that our chief duty is to represent students and their interests throughout the year, not just at election time. We should be known to our peers as their representatives and should be active, visible advocates for them who listen to and act in their interests.

    • Codify the Listening Campaign in the Student Government Constitution.

      • Even without legislation, at least a third of the Senate, including Executive Officers, have participated in the Listening Campaign – either being “trained” to visit clubs, signing up to visit clubs, and/or visiting clubs and reporting back to the Senate.

      • Visiting student organizations, listening to their concerns, and reporting those concerns back to the Senate should be the general duties of all representatives.

      • The Listening Campaign will be synthesized into a bill of amendment to the Constitution and voted on by the end of this semester.

    • Establish the Committee for Community Outreach and Concerns.

      • At Wake Forest, we regularly refer to one overarching community which includes us all, but in reality, that community is the sum of many smaller communities, especially among students.

      • It is necessary for Student Government to have a general committee of representatives responsible for reaching out to and collaborating with community leaders to strengthen community ties and to make our various communities feel heard. For this purpose, a partnership will be made with the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which can help this committee identify our various communities and their leaders. Committee members will then report on what they heard from and what they are working on with those communities in Senator Reports during Senate.

      • No formal mechanism, aside from the personal initiative of individual representatives, exists for the gathering and addressing of constituent concerns. The committee will also be responsible for constituent concerns and all the means through which we receive them – committee meetings, Senate meetings, the Listening Campaign, Pit and residence hall tabling, office hours, suggestion boxes/notes, etc. It will collect all constituent concerns every week and develop action-plans for those concerns, reporting its progress to the Senate during Constituent Concerns. Action-plans will include delegating concerns and tasks to the appropriate standing committees.

      • The Public Relations Committee will assist the committee in assembling constituent concerns. All representatives will be responsible for reporting all constituent concerns to the committee.

      • This committee will be established immediately by executive order as an ad hoc executive committee. All representatives will be welcome to apply for appointment.

    • Partner with the Resident Student Association and the South Forest Area Council to represent the residential population and help settle disputes with administration.

      • The Resident Student Association is responsible for representing all residential students. The South Forest Area Council is solely responsible for South Campus halls.

      • Even though the responsibilities of RSA and SFAC overlap with those of Student Government, it has not been until recently that that overlap showed any promise of a meaningful relationship between the organizations.

      • Just last semester and continuing into this semester, RSA and Student Government have been working together to acquire a ping-pong table for Babcock Residence Hall.

      • In addition, students frequently have ongoing disputes with Residence Life & Housing. RSA is the ideal mediator in these disputes, but it could benefit greatly from the added advocacy of Student Government.

      • It is time for Student Government to officially coordinate with both RSA and SFAC as residential leaders and to work out the terms of a long-term, mutual commitment to exercise coordinated student leadership between the residence halls and the Senate. In this way, common concerns of residential community living and its improvement can be more effectively shared and settled through combined advocacy and representation.

      • Biweekly meetings will be set immediately between representatives of all three organizations to establish a baseline of commitment for next year and the communication necessary to that end. The Student Government delegation will consist of members from the Public Relations Committee, the Physical Planning Committee, eventually the Committee for Community Outreach and Concerns, and Freshman Senators at large.

    • Invite students to Senate.

      • The simple facts that the Senate meets on Tuesday’s at 7:00 in Greene 162 – and that all students are welcome – are probably unknown to most students. We had success asking representatives to bring friends to our second forum this semester; the same success can be replicated each time we meet as a Senate. Weekly emails will inform students that all are welcome at Senate and representatives will be directed to invite new friends to Senate every week.

    • Gather constituent concerns.

      • To complement the Listening Campaign and aid the Community for Community Outreach and Concerns, there need to be spaces other than Senate meetings where students can register their concerns.

      • Aside from Senate, committees, public meetings, tabling at the Pit and residence halls, office hours, and the student leadership summit and council (see below), there will be a permanent suggestion box at the Student Government office (Benson 304) and an online suggestion box on the Student Government website. It is true that an online suggestion box does already exist on WIN under InfoCentral, but this box is little, if at all, used and is for all intents and purposes obsolete.

      • Both suggestion boxes will be made and managed jointly by the Public Relations Committee and the Committee for Community Outreach and Concerns.

  • Accountability – Student Government needs to be aware of its position on campus as the official channel of the student voice. We need to provide opportunities for students to know our purpose, developments, and plans so that they can hold us accountable to them. Students should know that we are at all times accountable to them and that it is the students’ will that we are obliged to serve.

    • Host regular fora or public meetings each semester.

      • The Public Relations Committee has already hosted two public meetings. During these meetings, constituents were informed of Student Government’s initiatives and were given an opportunity to have an issue-based conversation with representatives.

      • At least once every semester but hopefully twice, there will be a forum at which all students will be welcome and encouraged to learn about Student Government, ask questions, raise concerns, make suggestions, and break out into small groups to discuss issues with individual committees.

      • In this sense, public meetings are “accountability sessions.”

  • Trust – To facilitate representation and accountability, there must be an atmosphere of trust between Student Government and the student body which enables an efficient system of feedback and ensures the best possible leadership. We must show students that we are willing and determined to actively represent them and to be the best possible representatives for them.

    • “Tour” every residence hall.

      • For PR Week, Freshman Senators held office hours in their residence halls. This practice can be easily expanded to include all classes and their residence halls.

      • In addition to partnering with residential leaders in RSA and SFAC, Student Government will have a table in a different residence hall every other week – alternating with Pit tabling – for representatives to interact with students in their living spaces – to introduce themselves, take concerns and suggestions, and ask what Student Government should be doing or what it should be doing better.

    • Table in front of the Pit.

      • For PR Week, representatives (including myself) set up in front of the Pit to take concerns and suggestions.

      • Student Government should have a table in front of the Pit every other week – alternating with residence hall “tours” – to continue this practice started by PR Week. Students should be able to see their representatives in a public setting and have their voice heard directly by their representatives.

  • Inspiration – Student Government has the potential to be a hub for student leadership on campus, a leader of leaders, if you will. In representing, being accountable, building trust, and being open, we can serve as an example of student leadership, but we can also learn from other student leaders, join forces with them to tackle wider community issues, and inspire each other to be better leaders along the way.

    • Convene a student leadership summit and create a student leadership council.

      • This was brought to Student Government’s attention at the first forum last semester by Ben Weekley.

      • Similar meetings of student leaders have been initiated and held by Jack Garvey.

      • Student Government will call for student leaders to attend the Student Leadership Summit at the beginning of next semester.

      • One night (or several, if necessary) will be designated for a dinner at the Magnolia Room. Student Government will host the dinner and lead a discussion of campus issues, points of collaboration, and leadership.

      • Any student leaders who wish to continue meeting will be included in the Student Leadership Council, which will submit its findings to Student Government for consideration by the Senate.

    • Hold a regular leadership conversation.

      • It has been common practice for the Senate to invite guest speakers to give brief talks at the beginning of Senate.

      • Student Government will continue to invite guest speakers to talk about leadership such as Dr. Michael Lamb or Dr. Kirt Gonzales.

  • Openness – Student Government cannot be anything – representative, accountable, trustworthy, or inspirational – if it is not transparent. Our most grievous problem, and where we saw our greatest improvement this year, has been public relations. Students know so very little about us or what we do. It is imperative that we continue to push a robust PR strategy so that we reach as many students as we can so as to be as accessible as possible. Without accessibility, our efforts become less and less about the “Student” and more and more about the “Government,” a scenario which we should strive to avoid.

    • Design, compose, and publish a monthly Student Government newsletter.

      • It has been a goal of the Public Relations Committee to make a Student Government newsletter since last semester.

      • Public Relations and the Secretary will collaborate to produce a newsletter of monthly accomplishments and initiatives by the first month of next year, at the latest.

      • The newsletter will be published for all students to access on the Student Government website by Public Relations. The link to this page will be marketed by Public Relations.

      • I will push for the newsletter to be sent to students every month via email in coordination with the Office of Student Engagement.

    • Hold weekly office hours.

      • Every week, in addition to tabling at residence halls and the Pit, Student Government needs to hold and publicize official office hours for all students to meet and talk to a representative.

      • Weekly office hours can coincide with either hall tabling or Pit tabling, but they should be held in the Student Government office to make that space more inviting to students generally.

    • Publish Senate minutes in the Old Gold & Black.

    • Publish committee meeting-times and locations and the contact information of all representatives.

      • The first point was suggested by Treasurer Sydney Packard.

      • All students should know, or rather should be able to know, when and where the committees of Student Government are meeting. Such times and places will be posted on the Student Government website along with the contact information of all representatives by the Public Relations Committee.

 

Step 2: Governing - Using RATIO to Bring Good Government to Students
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  • Parking

    • I will push the Parking & Transportation Committee to reduce ticket prices and add more parking for students.

  • Diversity & Inclusion

    • I will fight to reduce the financial burdens on students with disabilities in collaboration with Disability Services within the Learning Assistance Center.

  • Security

    • I will, with the recommendations of students, faculty, and staff provided by the end of this semester, work with Campus Police to make Wake Forest safer for all students.

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