It’s 1:00 a.m. on a Thursday night and you’re finally ready for bed. Unfortunately, it seems your neighbors are having a raucous party next door. One guy in particular is just a little bit too loud. You know you’re supposed to knock on the door and quietly inform the group that it’s past house hours, the guy needs to go home, and you really need to get some sleep. But who really does that? Haven’t we as students gotten used to ignoring this behavior on our halls?

If that situation doesn’t sound familiar, perhaps you’ve been engrossed in a late night heart-to-heart with a friend who really needs someone to talk to. You glance at the clock and realize you were supposed to leave almost an hour ago. You feel a little bad about staying, but you want to continue your conversation and it would be awkward to take a break and move out into a “24-hour” zone.

Despite all we know about house hours and the reasons they’re in place, they’ve always been something of a touchy subject. Students certainly have a variety of opinions on the issue. You might personally respect house hours but still wish you had more control over them.

Dean of Students Dorsie Glen understands this controversy well. “What I have heard is that there are times when people don’t like house hours, but they don’t want to get rid of them.”

So, in a further effort to encourage self-government, Student Body Presidents Laura Buchanan and Ron Meyer are proposing a change. Specifically, they hope to address the issue of house hours so that individual boards can name and enforce their own. In a conversation with Dean Glen, Buchanan noted that the proposed change could give students “more ownership” of the rules set for this campus. She added, “I think students would be more likely to follow house hours [if they were able] to create them.”

Just to be clear, house hours will continue to play a key role in the Principia experience, even if the Office of Student Life (OSL) allows students a bit more leeway in the decision-making process. Glen reinforced this fact when she said, “If the choice was [for houses to remain open] 24 hours, I don’t think we would support that.”

For those who may not know, house hours currently exist at Principia as a way for houses to develop their own bond and enjoy some peace and quiet at a time when members of the opposite sex are temporarily asked to vacate. They also serve as a tangible reminder of the school-wide standard against premarital sex and cohabitation.

Maija Baldauf sits with Josh Sprague in his office to discuss house hours. photo / Alex Clapp

As a general rule, accountability and self-government are two of the biggest discernable themes on house boards across campus this quarter. Starting with house leadershops during Week One, individual house boards came together to write commitment statements to share with their peers. While boards chose to spotlight different issues based on the needs of their houses, each group seemed to stress the importance of being held accountable for one’s actions. Many students already express this sense of accountability through the use of the Matthew Code, in which students engage their peers in honest conversation about an activity that seems inappropriate or somehow violates Principia standards.

Based on recent history, there is some concern at the administrative level that encouraging students to actively enforce their new rules is easier said than done. OSL has been burned in the past in terms of allowing students more freedom to influence house hours. According to Glen, when campus-wide house hours were relaxed in the 1990s, OSL approved an enforcement policy that placed the responsibility of upholding house hours directly with the student body. Glen explained: “That fell by the wayside.” Looking into the future, Glen explained: “We have a picture of what [students] might choose, but we don’t have an actual commitment [to] what they’ll choose.”

Residence Director Josh Sprague brought up the point that a stronger willingness to enforce the current house hours policy could make the case for extended or changed house hours seem more legitimate. Sprague explained: “I would much rather see us demonstrating at a higher level that spirit of Matthew now so that we know that we’re ready to take that next step.”

Sprague continued: “We’re asking the question: ‘Okay, what’s really changed? Will the students actually hold each other accountable for house hours if we go in this direction?’”

At the same time, Glen acknowledged that students can be reasonable about house hours. She explained: “I would imagine that most houses like the fact that the house is closed at certain times.”

Buchanan reinforced this point by explaining that, at a recent Presidential Board meeting, each house president was asked to write down what house hours they would prefer if given the choice. None of them were told ahead of time that this information would be used in a practical way. According to Buchanan, “There was one quasi-radical answer, but for the most part they looked very similar to the way they do now, with small changes in one direction or the other.”

Buchanan added that many of the house presidents made a general request for current weekend house hours (2 a.m. to 10 a.m.) to be applied to all days of the week.

Maija Baldauf sits with Josh Sprague in his office to discuss house hours. photo / Alex Clapp

Sprague restated the fact that an official proposal for a change to the house hours policy has yet to be made. He added: “I imagine this conversation will result in some sort of proposal, because right now we’ve just been dealing in hypotheticals.”

Whatever happens with the house hours proposal in the near future, both Glen and Buchanan agree that student government and OSL will continue talking through the issues. Buchanan highlighted the fact that “It’s not a confrontation between student government and OSL at all. We’re trying to work together on it.”

Student Body President and senior Christian Richardson talks to the Student Senate members. Photo / Kelsy Brawn

The Student Senate is a new feature in Principia’s social and administrative structure. The student senators were elected by popular vote last spring. Rather than having one clearly defined responsibility, the Senate takes on various needs and activities as a whole, as individuals, or in small committees. The senators are an eclectic bunch, which makes for an interesting and well-rounded team.

Student Body Vice President and senior Bekah Charlston listens to sophomore Christine Nacewicz during the Senate meeting. Photo / Kelsy Brawn

The following is a quick overview of our seven senators:

Maija Baldauf, senior – “I am just learning to love Principia that much more, and I am learning how to work well with others. I just want people to really love this place and feel at home and feel like the transitions that we are going through right now are as easy as possible. If Student Senate can achieve any of that, we’ve done a good job.”

Baldauf, an English major, is also currently Editor-in-Chief of the Pilot. As a senator, Baldauf’s focus lies with the academic committees and contacts on campus. This includes regular meetings with Dean of Academics Dr. Scott Schneberger and serving as a student contact on the Scholastic Committee.

Liza Hagerman, junior – “I feel like a lot of times students are dissatisfied with Prin, because they don’t have control over a lot on campus or don’t feel like they have a voice … For students to have a voice is really important to me!”

As an English major and member of the spring 2011 Prague Abroad, Hagerman adds a lot of creativity to the job. Among other duties, she is the Senate’s link to Dining Services. She is currently working to help find solutions to dining schedule issues that came up early in the semester.

Fassio Elder, junior – “I am learning a lot about the community and about how Principia works. And that is something I’ve been interested [in] since I got here.”

Elder is well-known as one of the few vegans and ecological activists on campus. Representing the eco-head function on an all-campus level, Elder has several eco-related aspirations. Those include trying to ban plastic water bottle sales on campus and encouraging the use of electric vehicles by Principia staff.

Greg Ball, senior – “Prin has done a lot of great things for me. It’s so great to be part of something bigger than myself and be a part of a group of people that want to make a positive impact for Prin. And we have the power to do that!”

Being an athlete in various sports, Ball is in touch with Principia’s intramural program and athletic events.

Ifi Xifre, junior – “Our purpose is to be the connection between the administration and the students. We really want to be in touch. […] We’re there to help.”

Hailing from Uruguay, Xifre is the only international student on Senate. She is also a Tuesday CSO reader. Xifre’s primary contact is International Student Coordinator Bente Morse so that the Senate as a whole can develop an awareness of international student needs.

Christine Nacewicz, sophomore –  “I really like being that person who is the helping hand […] [and who is] there when someone needs [me].”

As the youngest member on Senate, Nacewicz is the contact for all the metaphysical heads on campus. In that role, she takes part in deciding the metaphysical theme for the week, as well as scheduling Thursday Quiet Time activities for the entire campus.

Sam Nickell, junior – “I want to see a renewed awareness by Prin students of their student government, as well as a reestablishment of the lines of communication between the Principia student body and their student government.”

Fresh off his abroad experience in China, Nickell connects the Senate to the Admissions Office and is also involved in updates regarding Principia’s Master Plan (see the Pilot article from spring, 2011). He will also help to organize Open Meetings between the student body and Senate later this semester.

Elder summed up their different backgrounds when he said: “It’s so neat that we have these different perspectives and that each of us is individually involved in totally different activities here […] They are just all great people doing wonderful things in all sectors of campus.” Nickell has a very similar feeling about the Senate’s make-up: “The group works very well together. We all get along very well and aren’t afraid of bouncing ideas around and talking about issues. There are multiple perspectives and ideas that everyone contributes and that is helpful. There is a good mix of personalities.”

Seniors Christian Richardson and Bekah Charlston lead the Senate as Student Body President and Vice-President, respectively. Both were elected by the student body popular vote during the spring of the 2010-2011 academic year. Though both might best be known as comedians in Principia’s improv comedy group ‘Lazy Zipper’, Richardson and Charlston know how to take their job seriously.

“Life is Good” for this Student Body President. Photo / Kelsy Brawn

Richardson said: “I love [this job]. It’s great! Being able to talk with all the faculty is amazing. Having weekly meetings with Dr. Palmer and Dorsie [Glen] is excellent. Being able to take the whole pulse of Prin and make decisions out of that [is great]. I just love it!” While having to deal with many decisions, ideas, changes, and possible issues, the presidents work from a clear foundation. Richardson continued: “One of our main things that we emphasized when we were running [for presidency] was practical Christian Science, and we apply it every day … [making sure to] get that morning study in, making sure we are using Quiet Time appropriately.” Richardson added that every decision made in student government is based not on personal sense but on prayer.

Charlston approaches her new role with a sunny disposition. Photo / Kelsy Brawn

This attitude definitely pays off. Senator Xifre noted: “This senate, of all the groups I’ve been involved with, is the most metaphysical […] Christian and Bekah have a very strong metaphysical basis that they bring to the Senate and to all the meetings, and I think that’s where we all are starting from.”

On an individual level, every senator balances his or her work with a close study and trust in Christian Science. Nacewicz said of her studies: “Metaphysical work really helps me to take a breather and realize that it’s God doing the work and not me.”

Like the others, Elder spiritually prepares for his duties as a senator: “Every time that something is brought up, especially…something that a lot of students are thinking about, I take significant time out of my week to pray about that.… And I bring that same support into the meetings. I am thinking metaphysically before and after the meeting about everything that’s been talked about.” And Senator Nickell listens to spiritual guidance as well: “I just keep my thought open and listen for God’s direction on how to approach issues and work out solutions. Knowing that God is in control helps tremendously.”

As stated previously, the main purpose of the Student Government is to help students feel that their voices and ideas are heard and linking them to the administration. Talking to the presidents and senators, one cannot help but notice the passion all of them have to be that link. President Richardson hopes students make use of that opportunity more often: “We have our office hours down here and nobody comes by! […] All in all, what we want to do is communicate with students. We want to talk to people and evaluate what we can do better!”

Elder speaks for the presidents and each senator when he says: “Anyone can talk to me anytime. Whether they want to send me an email or leave me a phone message…or come to me in person, I’m always willing to talk and willing to relay anybody’s opinions to the Senate and let them know what’s up. So, I am very open. Any suggestions, any concerns, any comments, you can come to me whenever.”

So, if you ever have a great idea for the campus, if you don’t understand or agree with something, or if you just want to hang out and have a good time, come and find any of the Student Government representatives. Seriously, it’s their job!

Student Body President Christian Richardson. photo/ Cameron Huber

Christian Richardson and Bekah Charlston ran for Student Body President and Vice President, respectively. These two Lazy Zipper teammates ran a strong campaign and were ultimately able to clinch the win.

Student Body Vice President Bekah Charlston. photo/ Cameron Huber

Richardson is a junior this year and majoring in mathematics.  He feels that leadership is one of the most important qualities a person can express. Richardson has personally had significant leadership experience. He explained, “I have been in a lot of leadership positions, including Head Counselor at Owatonna and President of Lowrey,” said Richardson. Richardson felt it was time to bring his leadership skills to student government.  Since the night the winners were announced, Richardson has been really excited to jump into his role as Student Body President.

Lazy Zipper teammate and campaign partner, Bekah Charlston, ran alongside Richardson for Vice President. Charlston is also a junior and is majoring in graphic design and pursuing a minor in religion. “I was really excited when Christian asked me to run with him,” said Charlston. “Christian and I work very well together as a team.” Charlston thinks that joining student government will be rewarding, and she hopes her contribution will help benefit the community. “I’m excited that we won, and it gives me confidence knowing it was the right choice to run with Christian,” said Charlston. “I’m really looking forward to accomplishing things while I’m in student government.”

The President and Vice President are not the only new faces we will see in student government come fall 2011. Seven Student Senate positions were filled by Christine Nacewicz, Greg Ball, Ifi Xifre Villar, Fassio Elder, Maija Baldauf, Sam Nickell and Liza Hagerman.

Nacewicz is a freshman this year and is currently the Anderson/Clara house president. Although she is a freshman and hasn’t yet declared a major, she feels she might choose to major in business administration, though her minor is undecided. “I love to be involved,” said Nacewicz. “I’ll do whatever the community needs me to do and whatever needs to be done.”  Nacewicz is really excited for next year and is ready to get involved and start moving student government forward.

Star Principia baseball pitcher Greg Ball was also elected to Student Senate. Ball is a junior mass communication major and theater minor. “I ran because I wanted to give back to Prin,” said Ball. “I want to be a part of the change.” Ball added that he is open to any ideas that anybody may have because he really wants to facilitate progress. “I’m really excited to be a part of student government,” said Ball. “I’m grateful to have a chance to work with the President and Vice President and be a medium for the students so all ideas can be brought to the table.”

Former Rackham House President, Ifi Xifre, is the third member of the newly formed Student Senate. Xifre is a sophomore and is majoring in political science (international relations track) and economics.  “I ran for Student Senate because it sounded like a great opportunity to give back to Prin,” said Xifre. “I have been in other leadership positions and I thought Student Senate would be a good challenge for me and a way for me to serve the community.” Xifre thinks that, through the Student Senate, she can help represent the students’ voice. “I am very excited for next year. The presidents and everyone that ran for Senate have great ideas regarding how to make our school better – a more open community, focused on metaphysics and reaching out to the outside world. I think getting to work with all of them will be a privilege, and we will help make a difference in our campus.”

Fassio Elder, another new member of the Student Senate, is currently a junior living in Buck House. He is a religion major and a philosophy minor. According to Elder, “I ran for Student Senate because I would like to think that I have a unique perspective regarding Prin. I have attended other colleges so I know the value of Principia as an institution.” He added, “I have also observed some things that other schools are doing which Prin is not, and many of them, I think, could help our community.” Elder has a passion for the environment and hopes to help Principia make the transition to a more sustainable future. “I’m really excited about next year,” said Elder. “I would love to hear your opinions and will keep them on my mind when I go into the Senate meetings. I will listen; all you have to do is speak up.”

Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Pilot, Maija Baldauf also won a spot amongst the seven open Student Senate seats. Baldauf is a junior English major with a history minor. “I decided to run for Student Senate because I have always been interested in student leadership,” said Baldauf. “I got involved in student government spring quarter [of] my sophomore year after Will Buchanan asked me to be the communications representative.” Baldauf did not have any specific items on her agenda when she decided to run for Student Senate, but having been on student government before, she hopes that her presence will benefit her peers and that she can address any concerns they may have. Baldauf is excited to work with the other six Senate members, along with the President and Vice President; she feels they will make a good team.

It takes dedication and time to run for a position in student government, but it takes even more time to run for a position while studying halfway around the world. This was the case for sophomores Liza Hagerman and Sam Nickell.  Both took the time, while on their respective abroad programs, to ask their friends to run their campaigns for them while they were gone. Both had strong speeches, presented by their friends at the Week 7 Student Senate Candidate Night.

Principia will be in the midst of significant change this coming fall semester, and these nine students will work their hardest to help make the transition easier for everyone.

Happy nearly-end-of-the quarter to you all! This will be our last Pilot column as we prepare to hand over the reigns to Laura and Esteban next quarter. We’ve been honored to serve as your student body president and vice president for the past three quarters, and are looking forward to seeing where student government heads in the near future. We are inspired by the progress that has been made in student government this year and look forward to seeing that continue with Laura and Esteban in charge. 

The recent student government elections had an unprecedented student turnout, with 69.4% of the student body casting ballots. Students had three excellent pairs of candidates to choose from, with an ultimate result of 41.1% voting for Laura and Estenban and 29.4% each voting for the two other pairs. Thank you to all the candidates for their excellent campaigns and desire to serve student government!

Student Activities Board positions have also been filled, with five election positions and six representative positions. Look for more information about the newly elected candidates on the student government bulletin board. 

Over the past year, student government has passed a new student government model, moved offices from behind the Pub to the first floor of the School of Government, sponsored talks on Principia’s history and purpose by Chief Executive Peter Stevens, initiated the community Go Bikes pilot program, held the annual club fair, passed a new free speech amendment, and regulated the Student Activities Fee budget. We’ve held weekly meetings with Presidential Board and Student Activities Board, met weekly with President Palmer and Dean Glenn, and had the opportunity to meet with many of you either through one-on-one meetings or chance conversations around campus.

Throughout all these activities our appreciation for the dedication, integrity, and energy of the students, professors, administrators, and staff at Principia College has continued to grow. Our meetings have often reminded us of Mrs. Eddy’s words in her first address to the Mother Church on May 26, 1895: 

“Beloved children, the world has need of you, – and more as children than as men and women: it needs your innocence, unselfishness, faithful affection, uncontaminated lives. …What grander ambition is there than to maintain in yourselves what Jesus loved, and to know that your example, more than words, makes morals for mankind!” (Miscellaneous Writings, 110). 

We have seen that the world does have need of Principia students. We are honored to report that from our vantage point, the past year has been full of evidences of Principians living out these pure motives. We humbly thank all of you with whom we’ve had the opportunity to work this year. The pleasure has been all ours. 

With gratitude,
Will and Chelsea

On Wednesday night at the last SAB meeting of the quarter, new Student Government members sat in to observe. - photo / Amber Dahlin

Buchanan added that she wants to make student government easier for students to relate to, “instead of just something that happens on the administrative level in the School of Government.” Along the same lines, Xifre said that he envisions weekly reports letting students know what the administration is thinking about certain issues and enabling more direct communication. Buchanan and Xifre both served as freshman house presidents in 2007-2008 and are now ready to give back to the community on a greater level. Xifre said, “We were both looking to serve, so this was a kind of natural progression.”

Junior Nate Hey will fill the position of All-Campus Meta Head. He said, “I’m ready to give to the campus.” He added that he wants to help create a deeper understanding of why we practice Christian Science here at Principia. He also said, “I would love [to shed] a new light on the importance of our pastor [and] show people how wonderful the books are and why we go to the books to read the Lesson.”

Junior Amelia Heron will be the new All-Campus Eco Head, and said she can’t wait to share her ideas with the campus. Heron said that initially she felt “impelled to act without a title,” but that when a friend suggested she run for election, her “thought motive redirected itself.” Heron said she hopes to provide a “drop of inspiration” that will ripple out to include others and their ideas. Among her first activities in the spring will be organizing an Earth Day celebration at the end of April. Heron added, “The environment is inclusive; it is us and it is each connection that creates a oneness. It is not the dreary facts of how our planet is being destructed … but rather looking at the solutions … and viewing each circumstance as an opportunity … to discover spirituality through pure organic ideas.”

Freshmen Liza Hagerman and Jessica Gealy will serve as the new Women’s Intramural Heads. Both spoke of their love for sports and said they are excited to share that with the campus. They said they would like to continue the popular weekly aerobics that current Intramural Heads Cristi Scheye and Jodie Maurer started this quarter. Gealy added that they want to hold intramurals during the week because many students leave campus on the weekends. Another idea Gealy shared was to hold a competition between classes, instead of just between houses, as a means of reuniting the classes after freshman year. Hagerman and Gealy also expressed interest in trying out new sports. Hagerman said that they hope to increase general attendance, and that they’re “trying to come up with creative ideas to get people excited.”

From left are outgoing Meta Head Grace Hathaway, incoming Admissions Representative Eric Pagett and incumbent Men’s Intramural Head - photo / Amber Dahlin

Freshman Robert Barnacle will join SAB as a Men’s Intramural Head, along with returning sophomore Brandon McKee. Barnacle said he would like to make intramurals “more of a unity thing, instead of just individual houses playing each other.” He’s also hoping to develop an MVP (Most Valuable Player) award that would carry over from quarter to quarter.

In addition to these positions, there are six new student representative positions, filled by students who will serve as non-voting SAB members.
Junior Theodore Lindsey will serve as the All-Campus Technology Representative. In the past year, Lindsey has helped develop the student government website. As an extension of his Tech Head duties, Lindsey started a Principia chapter of FreeGeek, a group that revamps old computers that would have otherwise be thrown out and gives them to students who don’t have computers of their own. He is also attempting to get the campus email server switched to Gmail, which is an ongoing process.

Sophomore Laura Ainsworth will be the first-ever Clubs Representative. She will serve as a liaison for all of Principia’s clubs and help them increase participation through advertising. Ainsworth said that, as president of Principia’s Amnesty International chapter, she sees that campus support for clubs is lacking, and “want[s] to do all that [she can] to inspire people to join clubs.” She hopes to create more communication between clubs and make it easier for students to start new clubs.
Sophomore Eric Pagett has been elected to the new Admissions Representative position. Pagett, who already works as an Admissions Ambassador, said, “I’m very business oriented and I have a lot of experience holding responsibilities in important job positions.” He has also worked in the Guest House, where he said he learned the importance of “Principia hospitality.” Pagett said he is excited to be the connection between Student Government and the Admissions Department, and that he sees himself working with the advertising department and helping college visiting weekends “reach their full potential.” Finally, Pagett plans to use the student body as an important research tool, because students have firsthand experience with the Admissions Department and are “a valuable resource.”

As the first Scholastic Representative, sophomore Amy Baldauf will serve as the only student member of the Scholastic Committee, which deals with scholarship renewals and academic discipline. Baldauf relayed the importance of this position in creating academic opportunities for students. She said, “I’m excited to be a student voice for the committee and see what I can do to help.”

Junior Mel Stein will serve as a direct link between Dining Services and the student body as Dining Services Representative. She said she ran for the position because she “[loves] working for Dining Services,” and that she has already received suggestions from students since being elected.
Sophomore Maija Baldauf will fill the position of Communications Representative. She will be responsible for updating content on the student government website, as well as updating the bulletin board in the concourse and advertising for certain campus events. She said, “I’ve been interested in [serving with student government] for a while but I didn’t really know where I might fit in until I heard about this position.”
As current presidents and seniors Will Buchanan and Chelsea Kendrick leave office, they look forward to seeing the new student government model put into action. Fortunately, incoming presidents Buchanan and Xifre are ready to make it happen. We wish them the best of luck in the coming year!

David Miller / photo

Student Body President Will Buchanan (senior) speaks with members of house boards in the dining room at his final Leadershop.

A lot of time and thought went into the proposal, and Buchanan said that the new student government model includes “several modest but important upgrades that will help student government more efficiently and effectively serve students.” The model includes a smaller, more focused SAB, made up of the president, vice president, and one all-campus ecohead, metahead, and diversity head. The all-campus positions are welcome to run as pairs, though only one individual will report to SAB meetings.

The model will include a budget committee of rotating SAB and Presidential Board members to eliminate all the time each board currently spends discussing budgets. The plan will eliminate SAB’s treasurer position, which is covered by the paid student funds administrator, and the all-campus social head, whose job is covered by paid social event planners. It will also move the scholastic and technology heads to representative positions outside of SAB, as neither has active participation at the house level.

Furthermore, the new model contains three new representative positions: a club representative, who will monitor club activities and budget use and serve on the budget committee; a communications representative, who will update the student government website and bulletin board, among other things; and an admissions representative, who will serve on the Application Committee and help involve student government with the college visiting process. These positions are independent and have no place on house boards.

Overall, the proposal irons out several weaknesses in the current student government system for better efficiency at every level. Buchanan added, “We’re very excited to leave a better student government model to the next generation of student leaders.”

We hope you’re enjoying the beautiful winter as much as we are. 

Your student government leaders will vote Sunday night on a new model for student government. This model is the result of a quarter’s worth of conversations with student leaders, RCs, and administrators, and it includes modest but important upgrades to the structure of student government. We believe this new model will prepare us for success in the semester system. 

We presented this model to the house boards at our third and final Leadershop, which took place on the Sunday night before the quarter began. We also presented the model to students at a Student Senate last Monday. Thanks to those of you who came out to support student government and participate in the process.

If you still have questions or comments about the model, this is your last chance to get in touch with your house presidents, your all-campus Student Activities Board members, or us to talk about the model. Please don’t hesitate to do so!

Last Friday, we held a successful and well-attended open house in our new student government office on the main floor of the School of Government. We are pleased so many students stopped by. We’d like to remind you that we will maintain office hours from 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Please stop by any time.

Finally, the election process for next year’s student leadership will begin next week. Please be on the lookout for forthcoming information on elected and appointed positions that interest you, and please consider nominating yourself to serve on student government. We can say definitively that working with student government has been a highlight of our Principia experience.

Happy Winter!

Will and Chelsea
Student Body Presidents

In our second column, we would like to share with you the two leadership tools we developed with the house boards at our spring quarter Leadershop. We believe that these tools will help us as a community to be more effective and efficient in our many endeavors. If these tools work for Student Government leaders, they will work for you too!

Our first tool is a checklist for better communication. A recent survey published in the Jacksonville Business Journal found that a lack of open, honest communication had the most negative effect on employee morale nationwide. This holds true for Principia, too. Abridged from resources at www.newconversations.net, our communications checklist reads: 

Begin conversations by explaining your reason for communicating.

Listen carefully and affirm what someone has said to you before you respond.

Express yourself completely so the other person doesn’t make erroneous inferences.

Ask open-ended questions so the other person has freedom to say what is important to him/her.

Make requests instead of complaining or criticizing.

Express gratitude and praise often, especially when making a request. 

Our second tool is the concept of operationalizing. This is a term we learned at the U.S. Military Academy when we visited for a conference there last fall. The West Point cadets loved this concept! Operationalizing is converting long-term goals into short-term, actionable strategies and tactics. Our question to the Student Government leaders on campus was, “How do we operationalize our spiritual duties as Christian Scientists into our daily duties and job responsibilities?” How do we incorporate Christian Science into all of our activities throughout our day? Please join us in thinking and talking about these important questions.

We encourage you all to join with us as we put these ideas into practice. As always, please feel free to call us, email us or stop us in the halls with ideas and questions, and please take our survey on ideas for the new Student Center next week!

Yours very warmly,

Will Buchanan and Chelsea Kendrick
Student Body Presidents

Last week, Student Body President Johanna Publicover notified students of upcoming student government meetings with College President Dr. Jonathan Palmer and Dean of Students Dorsie Glen about the daily schedule. She asked students to contact their government representatives and share their views about what the new daily schedule should be so that their representatives could effectively express the views of students at the meetings.

Publicover’s message shows that student government is committed to mobilizing student opinion and creativity and that they are taking seriously their responsibility to represent students’ views to the administration. Thanks to the activism of student government, students are finally being heard.

Publicover’s invitation to the student body also reminds us of the importance of having student representatives on all committees that are dealing with issues that affect students. Having student representatives on committees will give those who care strongly about these issues the opportunity to share the views of the students frankly without condensing them into numbers for a survey or losing them in the aggregation.

The administration soliciting information via student government strengthens its grassroots effectiveness. Student body representatives are ideally situated to provide two-way communication between administrators and students, and it is refreshing to see them using their position to put the daily schedule Tiger Team more in touch with student opinion. We hope students, especially freshmen and sophomores who will be at the college when the shift to semesters takes place, take advantage of this opportunity to weigh in on the shape of the new daily schedule.

In the past year, student government has been characterized by enthusiasm, open communication, and flexibility. The Pilot would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Student Body Presidents Johanna Publicover and Kenny D’Evelyn for all they have done to advocate for students. Additionally, outgoing house presidents, SAB members, and all other student representatives on campus have demonstrated grace and creativity while responding to their constituencies during a difficult period of transition. We hope that their accomplishments will be built upon by incoming student leaders to ensure that student opinion and initiative continue to be a powerful influence at Principia.

To best facilitate constructive discussion of these issues, students should turn to the one organ of Principia governance that can, according to its constitution, “represent … the interests, concerns, viewpoints and activities of all students enrolled at Principia College.” Student Government representatives should recognize the importance of their positions as liaisons between the student body and the administration and act accordingly.

The previous student government, in order to increase its visibility and accessibility, took the important step of proposing the movement of its offices to a more visible, centralized location. Their proposal is under consideration by the Trustees. We strongly advocate for the approval of this proposal. In spite of their generous open-office-hours policy, the current position of the Student Body Presidents’ office in the rear of the Pub discourages spontaneous community interaction and presents an obstacle to dialogue with the greater student body.

In light of the current budget crisis, as well as the multitude of major structural changes being proposed, the newly elected student government should advocate for student representatives to be included on all major committees. As Tiger Teams convene to discuss changes to the daily schedule and the restructuring of the Gen-Ed core curriculum, student government representatives should have their fingers firmly on the pulse of their constituency, representing to the faculty and administration the diversity of student perspectives. Student representatives will not only be able to convey clear and accurate information about processes and policies to the students they represent, but can add a unique perspective to the discussion.

Another major task for the new student government leaders is to work with the administration to identify the most effective ways to reach and engage students in the process. Once these are discovered, student government must find the means to capitalize on the creativity of the student body in a substantive way. This communication and cooperation could reap dividends for Principia in the students’ investment in the direction the institution takes.

In this vein, one very important avenue for communication is the newly created Principia Student Government web site. The site, while still largely in development, is designed both to gather student input and to inform the community about Student Government initiatives. It is the desire of Student Government that the website be more than just a list of documents — it should be a dynamic channel for communication and a center for community initiative.

In order to make the best use of this and other avenues of communication, student government must communicate to students the urgency and necessity of increased involvement. Lately, many student conversations on campus have involved retrospective grumbling rather than healthy debate. This behavior, while understandable, is not productive. The new student government can counter this most effectively by compelling the student body to contribute to the solution while actively creating a variety of venues for them to do so.

In this time of financial cutbacks, it is more important than ever for students to hold their government accountable for representing their financial needs. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure that money is flowing to those programs that resonate most keenly with the majority of students, and that process will be best accomplished through a grassroots process of community involvement rather than a compartmentalized series of top-down budget meetings.

In order to demonstrate tangibly its commitment to junior partner participation both in policy formulation and implementation, Dr. Palmer’s administration can clear the way for changes such as those mentioned above to occur. As we have discussed in this space before, it is vitally important for the administration to ensure that student voices are weighed appropriately in all facets of the process. Student government is in a unique position to encourage and ensure this, and should take full advantage of the opportunity.

The student government constitution can be read in full at http://prinweb.prin.edu/stugovt/constitution.htm on the Principia intranet. Comments and questions about the activities of student government can be directed to principiastudentgovernment@gmail.com. 

Visit the new Principia Student Government website (still under development).