Grace Lukens, Staff Writer


Emmanuel Rodriguez ‘27 could never have expected that his four years at Denison

would come to a close as the student body president.

On April 24, Emmanuel Rodriguez was sworn in as the 2026-27 President of Denison Campus Governance Association (DCGA), taking the position of the 2025-26 DCGA President Norah Carter ‘26.

For Rodriguez, this achievement has been a culmination of his last three years on the Hill but one that only recently became a goal.

“This has all been a bit crazy for me,” Rodriguez said, referring to the recent whirlwind weeks that culminated in the election.

Rodriguez struggled a lot with feeling “not enough” for many of the identity spaces when first arriving at Denison. “It just kind of made me isolate myself, which then kind of made me get into my first leadership position as a CA.”

His Community Advisor application was encouraged by his first-year roommate, Graham Dewitt ‘27, and Rodriguez realized that leadership on campus was something that interested him. He remembers Dewitt telling him “‘Why not be the change you want to see?’”

“I think that’s kind of what every POC has lived through,” said Rodriguez. “And that inspired me to go for leadership [positions].”

After becoming a CA, Rodriguez dove headfirst into the clubs and organizations that he was passionate about, including becoming the President of Here Us, the Vice President (and subsequently, President) of Outlook, Denison’s queer-student organization, and a Dance Fellow, working with a diverse group of dancers to bring male, POC, and queer voices to the Eisner Center.

Rodriguez only joined DCGA in 2025, in response to Department of Justice orders which threatened crucial aspects of Outlook, such as the use of rainbows in their club branding. “I was able to do as much as I could as Outlook president, but I wanted to do more, so I decided to apply to be a [DCGA] Senator, because I saw how involved you can be when you’re in DCGA.”

Rodriguez became deeply involved in his work as DCGA Senator, participating in the Honorary Degree Committee to honor notable alumni, contributing to the ResLife Committee to fix issues in Denison’s residential halls, and spearheading C3 initiatives targeted towards diversity in education. DCGA became a place where Rodriguez could make tangible impacts on the issues that he was most passionate about.

Rodriguez’s bid for presidency was simply an extension of his previous endeavors. “You can look at my platforms and it’s all the same thing. It’s wanting to promote representation and inclusion, but also to have everyone become one community.”

The idea to run for president took root in September 2025, as a response to the positive feedback he received from his position as senator.

“Norah [Carter] and Ashwin [Krishnamurthy] called me a ‘firecracker,’” Rodriguez said with a laugh. “Senate [meetings] can be a little more reserved, but I’m not going to sit and be quiet. I’d rather use my voice.”

In January, he asked Zacc Greene ‘27 to run on a ticket as his Vice President, respecting his commitment to leadership and outspoken advocacy.

After building the campaign together, Rodriguez and Greene were able to campaign, from April 13-17. When asked if he was nervous during campaign week, Rodriguez nodded rapidly. A full week of dress rehearsals for the Dance Department Spring Concert meant he was nervous to be “outcampaigned” by opponents.

“Campaigning was definitely nerve-wracking in the sense that I wasn’t able to be outside at all times like ‘hey, vote for me!’ But at the same time, I think a lot of people were speaking for me on my behalf,” Rodriguez said.

“It was kind of shocking,” he admitted, “but also heartwarming. It felt like all of the work I’ve done on campus actually meant something.”

One week later, on April 24, Rodriguez was officially sworn in as DCGA president, “trading positions” with Carter.

When asked about his first act as president, Rodriguez already plans to extend Senate seats for athletes and Greek organizations, saying, “I want everyone to actually be there and be represented before we implement any policies.”

Ultimately, this campaign was Rodriguez’s attempt to bring together parts of campus that don’t necessarily coexist often.

“I’m just someone that doesn’t like to be boxed off into one section of my life,” he said. “I think there’s something so beautiful about having someone that may not necessarily have grown up in the same background as you and end up understanding you, and form new bonds that create a big community. And that’s what this has all been about.”