Running for Students in the Classroom
Something that I’ve noticed about previous campaign seasons for ENC’s student government, whether those elections are for SGA executives or for class councils, is that students’ experiences in their courses and classrooms are hardly mentioned at all. Instead, SGA seems much more interested in talking about other things.
Now, don’t get me wrong: planning events and supporting clubs and funding ministries is absolutely important. In fact, being able to reshape a budget that can help SGA do some of those things even better is a major reason for why I’m running for Vice President. At the same time, it’s essential for leaders on SGA to recognize that nearly every student on ENC’s campus will spend more time in classes and studying for classes than attending SGA-sponsored events or meetings.
We need a student government at ENC that is willing to advocate on behalf of students in the areas where they spend most of their time, in addition to planning events and programs that make our campus community stronger. My experience as a Supplemental Instructor at ENC’s Center for Academic Success has helped me see the need for a student government that is concerned with improving life for students in their academic work.
One of the ways that I plan to help ENC students in the classroom is by gathering the course schedules of some of the most highly-populated classes on campus, and then prioritizing funding for events and programs that don’t conflict with students’ need to study for major exams for those classes. In other words, if I’m elected, SGA will be more likely to sponsor events on days when students in some of our biggest classes aren’t having to write papers or prepare for major tests. Students shouldn’t have to choose between balanced social involvement in our community and excellence in the classroom; we need a student government that can support both of these things.
Some may think of the SGA Vice President’s role as having only to do with managing the finances of the entire student government; while that is a major part of the job, it isn’t the only part. If elected, I’ll also have the opportunity to work with administrators at ENC on issues related to academic life at our college. My work as an SI has prepared me to perform these responsibilities well, and my SGA experience at the class council level has helped me understand the importance of making sure that students are fairly represented when it comes to decisions about ENC’s academic environment.
Student government at ENC doesn’t have to be confined to helping enrich students’ social lives; our student leaders should also be advocating for us in our classrooms, where we spend a lot of our time. If elected Vice President of SGA, I’ll work as hard as I can with students at ENC to accomplish some real progress in this area.
If you believe that our student government has a role to play in improving academic life for our community, and if you want to help spread this message across our campus, then consider getting involved with this campaign! As I said in my announcement yesterday, this isn’t my candidacy alone. You can connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and here on Medium.
If you have questions about some of the ideas that you’ve read here, feel free to stop me on campus and ask, or reach out to me on social media. I’d be happy to talk with you about ways that we can work together to improve life for students in our classrooms.
