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.
Hi, my name is Aya Ibrahim, Class of 2015, and I am running for the position of Social Outreach Coordinator. The position requires a good understanding of social media, specifically Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr (the platform for the Student Council website). Social media is not just something I am comfortable with but, something I have used frequently in various groups I have either been a member of or part of the leadership. It is an excellent tool for organizing events and reaching out. Recently, Student Council has aimed to tackle specific concerns of students (mainly seen in the Small Steps Initiative) and engagement through social media is essential to this. It has become counter-productive to attempt to reach the student body via email but our input is important and must reach council one way or another.
Conversely, its use helps to maintain transparency in regards to the various processes and conversations taking place within council. It is a means of holding council accountable to the promises it makes while providing direct suggestions from students that council can include in its dialogues, both internally and with the administration and campus at large. Facebook informs students of meetings and important events taking place while the Twitter feed can provide live updates of discussions taking place.
I would come into this position with a semester of experience as Student Events Advisor. The position has since been eliminated with much of the responsibility shifted to the then, newly created Social Outreach Coordinator position. The position still entails representing Student Council as the liaison on the Social Affairs Committee, as I did last fall. While on SAC as the StuCo liaison, I also served on the committee as Secretary which required getting in contact with all groups or students who had submitted proposals and informing them of SAC’s policies and the amount of funding they had received. The other major responsibility I had was sitting on the group chartering committee which approves charters and secures funding for new groups.
With my experience on Student Council, student committees, groups on campus and my general knowledge of social media, I promise to fill this position to the best of my abilities and continue engagement and ongoing dialogue with the campus.
