It’s a brand new school year which means a brand new student government. SGA election results were announced Sept. 10 with three senatorial positions in each class being filled as well as the offices of junior and freshman class presidents. The junior president position became vacant after Jason Yoo stepped down during the summer. Rachel O’Connor is glad to have the fortuitous chance to serve the student body again.
“I decided to take the chance of running again this fall because I feel committed to student government in the long run O’Connor said. Student government is the main thing that I had hoped to invest my time in this year and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to do so”.
The annual revamp of student government is an exciting time for everyone in the Pepperdine community as SGA decisions affect the livelihood and culture of the entire school.
Saturday Sept. 11 the new SGA took a weekend retreat to bond and begin constructing a vision for the 2010-2011 academic year. The words “community tradition” and “two-way dialogue” were emphasized by members as they began to formulate concrete plans for the year.
With a new class of freshman sophomore students abroad and juniors and seniors scattered throughout Malibu establishing a firm sense of community on campus is a difficult task.
O’Connor specifically wishes to counter the alienating affect of going abroad.
“I would like the junior class to be able to say their transition back into Pepperdine culture after sophomore year was less stressful and more welcoming than they expected O’Connor said. I would like to continue the theme of developing community on campus as well as the vision for a year of legacy and tradition.”
Sophomore Senator Kyle Montplaisir wants to ensure that sophomores who didn’t go abroad still feel involved in the Pepperdine community.
“Staying in Malibu all four years is often seen in a negative light Montplaisir said. But our opportunities to get connected with the student body and our campus are unmatched by any International Program”.
These Pepperdine ideals of legacy and tradition resonate among SGA members including sophomore senator Patrick Flesher.
“My vision is two-fold Flesher said. I hope that we can accomplish things as a Senate this year that will be looked upon favorably by the students and the administration that will leave a legacy and at the same time I want to lay the groundwork for great things to happen in the future.”
Junior Senator Simon Baker not only wants to focus “on the here and now… but to prepare and start laying groundwork for future opportunities future students and future plans.”
This year’s SGA also boasted varying level of experience in the political arena. Some served as presidents of their past classes at Pepperdine and some at the high school level but for others this year’s SGA will be their first foray into the political world. O’Connor will call upon her service as the sophomore class president to guide her through her junior year term. Flesher stayed involved with student government in high school and this will be Montplaisir’s first political position since the sixth grade.
While it is too early for SGA to release concrete plans for this coming year the group appears passionate poised and unified in their goals for the coming year. Freshman class senator Sarah Houston supported this claim.
“I ran because I genuinely love the idea of changing the school for the better Houston said.
With the pillars of community, legacy and tradition to guide them as well as genuine excitement for politics, the student body can expect great things from the 2010 – 2011 SGA.