ROBERT NEITHART, Special to the Denisonian—
In an impressive feat of efficiency, with just a single-day turnover between the announcement of candidates and election results, the Denison Campus Governance Association welcomed six freshman senators for the 2022-2023 academic year, three of whom shared some insights on their agendas and motivations that underpin their interests.
Sophia Rosenberger, a native of Portland, Oregon, initially sought to run for a position on class senate in the interest of community engagement, articulating that class senators fulfill an invaluable role in the Denison community as a middle ground between students and the administration, acting as individuals “accessible for their peers to come to with their issues.”
A lover of nature and advocate for the environment, Rosenberger voiced concern for the protection of Denison’s green spaces and environmental awareness on campus, saying that the campus community ought to emphasize “better education on how to recycle,” citing the goal of implementing composting bins in the residence halls, as well as establishing a dedicated recycling dumpster behind Shorney.
Rosenberger also expressed a deep care and concern for promoting inclusivity on campus; explaining the uniqueness of a small liberal arts community and the potential that exists for meaningful connections between peers, advising her classmates to not harbor contempt for others based on reasons outside of their control, in the hopes of fostering a more inclusive environment.
Azalea Biteau, a resident of Dayton, Ohio, came to her position on senate under serendipitous circumstances; saying that she didn’t come to Denison with the intent of running, but was encouraged to do so by sophomore class senators and her community adviser.
Having lived in France for five years before relocating to the states, Biteau brings a valuable global perspective to the Denison community and class senate, citing care for international students to be among her top priorities.
She explained the double standards and unfair discourse that exists within colleges and the broader U.S. landscape, saying that international students are expected to adjust and acclimate to American conventions while little is “done in the other direction.”
Biteau seeks to address this imbalance through the hosting of activities and events on campus, facilitating dialogue, and allowing students from the U.S. to better get to know the cultures and languages of their international peers.
She says that Denison is a community far too unique and diverse for students to maintain a close-minded perspective, urging her classmates to be “open to hearing others” in the interest of creating an educational experience that’s as fulfilling and knowledgable as possible.
Sophia Scime, an international relations major from Buffalo, New York, believes that senators should be the voice of the class, bringing ideas to the table that support and uplift their fellow peers.
Coming into Denison from a gap year in Lüneburg, Germany, in which she served as a youth ambassador for the U.S., Scime was exposed to an environment starkly different from the one to which she had grown accustomed, affording her a sense of sympathy for international students.
She voiced that inclusivity and thoughtful consideration, irrespective of one’s gender, sexuality, race, disability, or lived experiences, to be among her most important goals as a class senator, urging her peers to “promote inclusivity, not just diversity,” in the interest of fostering a school culture that values the acceptance of different individuals as much as it does their presence on campus.
Also important to Scime are the issues of sustainability and the environment, encouraging students to remain mindful of the consequences of their actions and to “care for [their] campus,” saying that she hopes to implement a recycling center on campus wherein students can donate used items to avoid unneeded waste.
As much as there is to praise about Denison and our school community, there always exist issues needing of amelioration. Class senators are the ticket to the enactment of meaningful campus-wide change. Recognize the value of your voice and speak up; policy has to start somewhere.
