Quinn Williams, Staff Writer—
The start of a new academic year at Denison University brings with it a fresh crop of students ready to make their mark on campus. Among them is a select group who have decided to represent their peers through student government. As the newest members of the Denison Campus Governance Association, these first-year senators are hoping to play a role in shaping the direction and narrative of the university community in the coming year.
“My highest priority is the freshman class,” said Khang Ngyuen ‘27, a first-year senator from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This seems to be a sentiment echoed by all the first-year senators when asked how they view their role in the senate. Juan Arevalo 27’, first-year senator from Chicago, went into detail about how a new student body who understands very little about the student government deserves to have senators who represent their views fairly.
These senators have already been pushing for change. When asked about plans for the future, Coloradoan Lily-Ann Smith ‘27 went into detail about the initiatives she had planned. She intends to improve Denison’s dining hall composting system as well as increasing funding for book clubs.
The senators are also aware of the more glaring issues with the state of Denison’s student government. Smith said she plans to have more frequent emails sent out to students in order to increase transparency and engagement with the student government.
In addition, Senator Sean Kim ‘27 from Kew Gardens, New York, plans to make his presence known. Kim, a self-described “extra-extrovert” intends to have daily conversations with his fellow first-years in order to increase awareness of the senate and its activities in addition to gauging student interest. “Even if the student body doesn’t take me seriously, I take them seriously,” Kim said.
Arevalo, already a member of the Public Relations committee in the DCGA, has plans to promote voting throughout the semester by tabling and designing flyers. Ngyuen, on the other hand, is taking a different approach to increasing engagement. The senator says he has plans to set up suggestion boxes around campus and inside residence halls in order to allow students to voice their opinions more freely. He also believes senators should be readily available to listen to students’ concerns.
These new senators also recognize that accomplishing some of these goals won’t be easy. Ngyuen admitted that being a first-year in a senate can be “daunting” at times.
When asked if there was any specific message for the student body they would want to end with, all representatives gave answers centered around the same topic. Ultimately, Ngyuen’s remark “My door is always open” sums up these new senators’ aspirations to create a more inclusive and open Denison.