By Christian Welker
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, The Student Council will hold Elections for the 2023 Fall semester.
After replacing the Student Government Association in the Fall of 2021, the Student Council has acted as the voice of students to the University’s Administration. The Council consists of 11 representatives: 1 for each Class (4 total); 1 Academic; 1 Athletics; 1 Diversity and Inclusion; 1 Resident Life; 1 Spiritual Life; 1 Student Organizations, and the Student Council President.
The Student Council Representatives meet weekly with their respective administrators, bringing concerns to their attention and discussing potential solutions that would benefit the student body as a whole. Additionally, they invite the administrators to Council meetings, in which the wider student population can ask questions and give feedback about changes and practices of the University.
Academic Representative and Junior Cody Johnson stated, “Through Committees and relationships with administrators, we can speak into things that many students do not know about.”
This open communication with Houghton’s Administrative team allows the Student Council to create effective changes on campus.
To Johnson, one of his favorite things about working with the Council is that “you can create policies and programs that will still exist long after your graduation.”
Over this semester, the Student Council has worked on several projects for the benefit of the Student Body. Class of 2024 Representative and Junior Kat Wojsiat commented that one of her semesterly projects is getting a food vending machine for Chamberlain. Along with Wojsiat, the Council has worked on improving building hours, increasing signage around areas such as parking lots, and providing student perspectives on the upcoming strategic plan.
The Representatives also expressed their excitement for the improvements that the Student Council hopes to experience throughout this semester and the next.
Student Organizations Representative and Junior Anna Catherman commented that she “would love to see more engagement [between the council and] the student body.”
Similarly, Athletics Representative and Senior Ali Wisniewski stated that she would like the Council to “get the students to feel more comfortable coming to us with their concerns, this would help us make sure their voices are heard.”
As the Elections Approach, The Student Council is looking to build next semester’s team. Petitions to run for a representative position are open and due on Monday, Feb. 20. Every Representative interviewed commented that they would love more candidates to get involved.
Class of 2023 Representative and Senior Kathyryn Evans states, “It’s an amazing opportunity to be involved in the “behind the scenes” side of the school.”
Wojsiat added, “If you feel strongly about advocacy and/or improving the college, I highly recommend running next year!”
Elections will take place via email, and the results will be posted on Friday, Feb. 24. If students are interested in hearing the candidates speak, there will be speeches during the scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20. ★
