Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Yongjun Heo ’09, President
Dear Swatties,
First and foremost, I would like to thank both Randall Johnston and Paul Apollo. From the very beginning, all three of us had the same goals in mind–to better our community. I would also like to thank the current Student Council for all their hard work and those who supported me. In the past few weeks I have been meeting with student organization leaders, and I will continue to do this in order to learn as much as I can about student concerns before the academic year ends. I will also meet with a number of deans and current Student Council officers to discuss the agenda for next year. I want to make sure that your concerns are heard now for the 2008-2009 year so please email me with any questions or concerns at yheo1. Good luck during the finals week, and congratulations Seniors!
Ayanna Johnson ’09, Educational Policy Representative
I am thrilled to have been elected to serve as the Educational Policy Representative for the 2008-2009 school year. Although running unopposed, I am glad that the student body chose me to fill this position. I hope to make admirable strides in my first semester in office to achieving some of the goals I outlined in my platform. The first initiative I hope to get completed, is the updating of the Course Syllabi on to Blackboard. Although time consuming, this task is fairly simple and consists of teachers emailing me the syllabi for the courses they teach on a regular basis. I plan to be in constant dialogue with professors and Departments to figure out ways to make this idea feasible. Additionally, I plan to be in constant communication with the Provost and Registrar over the summer to hopefully have this site up and running close to the beginning of the new school year. I have already been in contact with the current Educational Policy Rep and am quickly learning how to be an effective advocate for student body concerns within the special committees and to the administration. I hope to make positive changes this coming term. As always, feel free to contact me at any time with comments, suggestions or concerns!
Chris Green ’09, Student Groups Advisor
My term begins next year, but the job begins now. Over the rest of this semester I intend to meet with the new members of next year’s Council to gain a personal understanding of which issues are important to them in their own focus, so that next year’s council, both old and new members, can work together effectively to accomplish the goals of the student body. One of the first things I will implement is a plan already in the works with the current Student Groups Advisor to create a “defunct groups” list for groups that have charters but no active members — people who love a club and don’t want to see it die can then easily find and revitalize these groups!
Andrew Scott Taylor ’09, Campus Life Representative
I’d like to say how grateful I am to everyone who supported and encouraged me during this election process. As Campus Life Representative, my first duties will be to revamp and update the Parrish Board to ensure that the student body is informed about Council’s initiatives. I also hope to soon institutionalize a system where members of Council can meet with all student groups to discuss issues that need to be raised to the administration. To hit the ground running, I’ll be reviewing Student Council minutes from the previous semester and will also be meeting with the current Campus Life Representatives to educate myself on the work they have been doing. Thank you again, and together I look forward to a positive year on Student Council!
