By Alexandra Oh
We are now afew weeks into the second semester, and The Sundial Press decided to catch up with our student representatives to find out what they’ve done so far and what they have planned for the rest of the year.
What do student representatives actually do? Antony Rossi, a first year Euram representative, says that their role largely consists of listening to student concerns about everything from academic to just general campus information, and conveying these concerns to the administration. According to Rossi, the role of representative is the role of a mediator between the student body and the administration.
Antony Rossi, 1A Euram
The current student representatives have accomplished a lot already this year. Gender neutral bathrooms have been a goal since the beginning of the year, and they were recently implemented across campus. Kelan Murphy, the exchange representative, has been working to formalize office hours, and the difference between home institutions and Sciences Po can be jarring at times to newcomers.
Kelan Murphy, Exchange
According to Loriane Henninot, a 1A Euraf, Euraf students have mostly been concerned with the new Act II reform, and she and her fellow representatives have acted accordingly and spent a lot of time discussing the Act II reform with the administration. The tradition of having student representatives is relatively new for the Euraf program. Last year, only two candidates presented themselves as candidates. However, their role is just as important as their Euram counterparts, and as they become more involved, interest in being a student representative grows as well; this year, five first years sought election.
Loriane Henninot, 1A Euraf
In order to create solutions to student concerns, student representatives must work closely with the administration. Leana Cazenave, a 2A Euraf representative, and Benedetta Schiavon, a 2A Euram representative, both mentioned the frequency of email communication. In person meetings are more intermittent. One or two meetings with all representatives and the administration are held each semester, with more meetings within each cohort. However, Campus Director Tilman Turpin has apparently taken a larger role and is encouraging more frequent meetings. It can be difficult at times for the administration to balance student concerns with what is actually feasible given the curriculum and decisions of other campuses, but the student representatives voiced their support and confidence in the administration. Schiavon referenced the quick implementation of the gender neutral bathrooms to back up her support.
Evy Thoyer and Leanna Cazenave, 2A Eurafs
So what’s next for student representatives? What can we expect for the end of the year? Campaign week is fast approaching, and the role of student representatives is yet undecided. Previously, representatives were on the electoral committee that oversees the election, but they weren’t last year and their presence this year is not guaranteed either. Schiavon also mentioned that the student representatives want to create a charter like the other bureaus on campus to spell out their mission and their role as well as creating an election process for the future. Rossi brought up several ongoing projects: a student lounge is being installed under the glass hallway, the possibility of having Russian language instruction on campus, and ensuring that the brand new Health Center will provide contraception to students. Murphy’s main goal is to be more involved on campus this semester, and has tentative plans for a St. Patrick’s Day blowout to let the student body blow off some steam. Evy Thoyer, a 2A Euraf representative, wants to change the role of student representative for the Euraf program. She wants to build it into a more present and important role, and is trying to send a message to the 1As to take the role seriously and encourage future students to take part and become a representative.
Benedetta Schiavon, 2A Euram
What do the student representatives want people to know? Cazenave said that while there have been a few misunderstandings and miscommunication issues this year, next year should be much improved as this year we must adjust to a new director and a new 1A reform. Schiavon wants to emphasize the delicate position that representatives are in; as students and representatives, they wish to get all student what they want, but they also have to work with the limits set by the administration. Rossi would like to increase communication and lessen the gap between representative and the student body, and he also wants to make sure that every student is comfortable with approaching student representatives with any campus related concern.
The Student Representatives this year for the Euram program are: Krystof Stupka (1A), Camille Ibos (1A), Antony Rossi (1A), Jimmy Quinn (2A), Raphaella Heath (2A), and Benedetta Schiavon (2A). The representatives for the Euraf program are Lorianne Henninot (1A), Selma Ghodri (1A), Evy Thoyer (2A), and Leanna Cazenave (2A). The representative for exchange students is Kelan Murphy. If you have any concerns regarding classes or any aspect of campus life, send them a message.
Photos by Alexandra Oh.
