Indeed— the 2020 elections are rapidly approaching, and will be upon us before we know it. But don’t worry, I’m not talking about the elections you’re thinking of, and they will hopefully be less controversial. These elections are for your Student Body Senators.
This March, elections will take place for Student Body Class Presidents, Residence Hall Presidents, and for the first time ever, the Multicultural Liaison. Packets will be released on Monday, March 2nd, so by the time you’re reading this you may have noticed your friends and peers soliciting signatures from you. Debates will take place on Monday, March 23rd, and election day is Tuesday, March 24th.
The elections that took place in the fall for Executive Committee (Student Body President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Communications Director) and Campus Activities Board (CAB) Director was the first major election in over four years to attain over half of the student body vote at 61% student participation. The same desire exists for this upcoming election, with a repeated goal of over 50% participation.
On the elections as a whole, Student Body Vice President Cammie Messer ’21 said, “My hope is that Spring Elections will bring forth eager candidates, competitive races, and an unprecedentedly high voter turnout. My goal is that every race — every Resident Hall President, Class President, and the Multicultural Liaison— would be contested. The vision is to have an engaged and educated Student Body that cares about the candidates we are electing.”
Perhaps the most notable position in this semester’s election is the newly-created and first-ever Multicultural Liaison.
In case you need a refresher, let’s take a step back in time. On October 29th, Student Senate voted unanimously to propose a constitutional amendment to the student body that would increase the number of senators from fourteen to fifteen to include the Multicultural Liaison.
That amendment was put to a ballot and passed by the student body on November 20th, making the 2020-21 school year the first to have a Multicultural Liaison to serve on the Senate.
Student Body President Erik Peeples ’20 describes the excitement that surrounds the position saying, “It’s the first role that works with another student program with actual voting power which is exciting— real things can get done through this position.”
The Multicultural Liaison is history in the making by its very nature. Each senator has the opportunity to make their respective position his or her own, but the Liaison is uniquely able to shape this brand-new position into what it can be in subsequent years with the support of fellow senators and the Multicultural Program.
The Multicultural Liaison basically acts as a catalyst, offering nuanced perspective to the Senate. Peeples says, “I think this position will help unify two very distinct but similar programs for as long as Covenant continues. I think long-term, as the campus grows, this role will be needed in helping the Multicultural Program, Senate, and the administration understand and alleviate the growing pains that will ensue from the growth of the student body population.”
The responsibility of the Senate is to represent the student body, which is accomplished through the election of senators to represent its specific factions— like class presidents and residence hall presidents. The Multicultural Liaison will represent a faction of the body that is often underrepresented or unheard.
Peeples’ hope for this position is that five years down the road, the Senate and Multicultural Program look different as a result of the unified front this new position provides.
For those interested in becoming the first-ever Multicultural Liaison, there are some things you should know. It is not required for you to be a member of the Multicultural Program, though you must be approved by its leaders and you may not be an existing leader of the program. Once you receive that approval, you will participate in the normal election procedures thereafter.
If you would like further information on the decision-making process, the Senate maintains an archive of meeting minutes on the Covenant College website at the bottom of the Student Senate’s page that document the conversations had during meetings. You may also reference a Bagpipe article published on December 5th by Mya Bosgraf titled: “Student Senate Introduces a New Position: A Multicultural Liaison.”
Students are invited and heavily encouraged to attend the debates on March 23rd to hear from future representatives about their unique initiatives and goals for their respective positions. Students may cast their votes on March 24th to contribute to the effort of increasing student participation in elections.
The location of the debates has yet to be determined, so follow along on Instagram @covenantsenate for updates. Rumor has it (i.e. the Vice President told me), there will be Mr. T’s pizza available for debate attendees.