After his swearing-in Jan. 20, President Biden took over the @POTUS handle on Twitter and created an Instagram account. Biden’s social media accounts exemplify a term that has been threaded through the message of his new administration: unity. The followers of either account get daily updates of the President’s actions along with videos, live conferences and infographics. The accounts have been busy.

A video posted on Twitter depicts Biden, still in his inauguration suit, signing a stack of executive orders from his seat behind the desk in the Oval Office. 

“Some of the Executive Actions I’m going to be signing today are going to help change the course of the COVID crisis, going to combat climate change in a way that we haven’t done so far, and advance racial equity and support our underserved communities, and we’re going to rebuild our economy as well,” Biden said. 

These first priorities have been Biden’s focus, but he reminds those listening that, “these are just all starting points.”

On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order requiring masks on federal property. He rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, reversing the previous administration’s decision to leave the agreement. Biden also took 15 other executive actions on issues spanning racial equity, immigration and LGBTQ+ issues – as well as other actions on COVID-19 and climate change. 

On Jan. 21, Biden released a National Strategy to combat COVID-19. The strategy is based on restoring trust with the American people; creating an effective vaccination campaign; mitigating spread; safely reopening schools, businesses and public transportation; protecting those most at risk and restoring the United States global image. He also renewed U.S. support for the World Health Organization, stating on his Twitter, “America is back at the table.”

His other early actions include fortifying DACA, repealing the ban on transgender people serving in the military, singing a Buy America Executive Order to invest in the future of American Industry, promoting fair housing policies, ending private prisons and strengthening Medicaid. 

Biden has also been steadily forming his cabinet. On Jan. 20, Avril Haines, former White House lawyer, was confirmed as the new Director of National Intelligence. She is the first woman to lead the agency. Lloyd Austin was confirmed on Jan. 22 as Secretary of Defense. A retired four-star general in the Army, Austin is the first African-American defense secretary. The Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as secretary of the Treasury Department Jan. 25, becoming the first woman to lead the department. Antony Blinken, a foreign affairs veteran, was confirmed as Biden’s Secretary of State Jan. 26.

The new President has also found time to speak with other world leaders. On Jan. 25, Biden spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, stating that he wants to reform the U.S. transatlantic alliance with Germany. He spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Jan. 26. They discussed challenges the NATO allies face and affirmed their intention to work together on global challenges. Biden has also spoken with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After each action is taken, a tweet outlining the event shows up on the @POTUS timeline. Some tweets are short messages aligning with the issues Biden has indicated will be his first focus such as “Wear a mask. Save lives.” and “Science will always guide my Administration.” Proving his measured consistency, the account tweeted “Together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness.” The message relays much of the same message he shared during his Inauguration Day speech. As of Jan. 31, the tweet has 137.6 thousand likes – 137.6 thousand Americans unified in the pressing of a button.

The Hilltop Monitor hosted the 2019 Student Senate Cabinet Debate. The event, held at 7 p.m. in room 221/222 of the Yates-Gill College Union, was relatively well-attended, with approximately 50 students spectating in-person and around 100 viewing via Facebook livestream.

As of April 11, only two cabinets have submitted petitions and had them approved by the current Student Senate’s election committee. The deadline to submit a petition ends April 12.

Cabinet “Will to Better the Hill” is headed by presidential candidate and junior political science, business administration and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry (ACT-In) major Sarah Lewis, with sophomore elementary education major Carman Stephenson for vice president, first-year communication major Tavarus Pennington for treasurer and first-year chemistry major John Haug for secretary.

The second cabinet, “Serve, Challenge, Belong” is headed by presidential candidate and junior psychological science major Hannah Keeney, with first-year business administration major Mario Magana Jr. for vice president, first-year political science and history major Hunter O’Connor for treasurer and junior biology and ACT-In major Micah Williams for secretary.

Notably absent from the debate from the “Will to Better the Hill” cabinet was presidential candidate Sarah Lewis, who was unable attend due to changes in the schedule of William Jewell College’s softball team but viewed the debate through the livestream. All other members of each cabinet were in attendance.

The two hour event commenced with a set of 13 questions prepared by The Hilltop Monitor editors-in-chief Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe and Christina Kirk. The questions covered general topics such as each cabinet’s priority list and what sets them apart from the other cabinet as well as more topical questions, like each cabinet’s position on offering free condoms in dorms on campus.

“Our primary thing we’re running on is renovating student spaces [sic],” said Pennington from the “Will to Better the Hill” cabinet. “The next thing that we’re focused on is the flier policy.”

This cabinet stressed their commitment to setting small goals in the hopes that they would be more achievable than the aspirations of the opposing cabinet. These small goals include the advertised endeavor of adding meal-replacement smoothies to the coffee shop menus.

The competing cabinet declared much larger goals.

“One of our first priorities is trying to renovate our housing for the upperclassmen, because if we’re going to be required to live on campus for four years we feel like that housing should be up to date for us [sic],” said Williams about her cabinet’s priorities. “We also want to work on diversity and inclusion, but not just in a groupthink manner, moreso in a recruitment manner.”

These remarks about the priorities of each cabinet established a theme of each cabinet’s prospective approach to changemaking on campus: “Will to Better the Hill” is playing it safe by aiming small, while “Serve, Challenge, Belong” is looking to impress with lofty goals and propositions for radical change.

What the cabinets did have in common was an expressed commitment to creating change on Jewell’s campus.

In response to the question, “First-years, after less than one year on Jewell’s campus, what leads you to believe that you are the best choice to lead the student body?” the first-years on both cabinets expressed that they believed the opportunity of being on the Senate cabinet would empower them to become change-agents.

Shortly after, the athletes were asked how they would manage the extra time commitment of being on the Senate cabinet, particularly during their season. The “Will to Better the Hill” cabinet, which is comprised of three non-athletes and one athlete, was placed in an unusual situation as their nominee president Lewis – the only athlete on the cabinet – was absent from the debate due to a softball game.

Stephenson, the nominee vice president of the cabinet, stepped in and answered the question by explaining that there are various ways to demonstrate commitment to the responsibility of leading the Senate.

“[When Lewis] found out late last night at like 10 o’clock that she was leaving at 8 a.m. today, she totally went into overdrive mode,” said Stephenson. “I have a five page speech that Sarah wrote that she wanted me to share with you guys because she wanted her voice to be heard.”

Contrastingly, the “Serve, Challenge, Belong” cabinet is comprised of three student athletes and one non-athlete. All athletes on this cabinet were present at the debate and insisted that they were ready to fully commit to the Student Senate and would even go straight from practice to meetings, if that became necessary.

The second hour of the debate was devoted to audience questions, which were asked both in person and via comments on the livestream.

One question from the Facebook livestream was popular among audience members, who snapped and applauded as it was read aloud. In light of the previously referenced condom discussion, a student asked if the cabinets would work to also provide free feminine hygiene products on campus. Both cabinets responded positively, saying if they were in support of free condoms, they should be in support of free feminine hygiene products as well.

The event was not without its controversy. Some audience questions led to moments of direct confrontation. One audience member announced that one of the questions posed to the cabinets was from “Will to Better the Hill” vice presidential candidate Stephenson’s mother, implying that the question had been planted as if to tip the scale in that cabinet’s favor. This was met with laughs and scoffs from other members of the audience, as can be heard in the archived livestream of the event.

The question from Stephenson’s mother regarded Jewell’s marketing outreach and asked candidates for any ideas they had about recruiting new students. This is a project that Stephenson has been tangentially involved in during her time at Jewell.

“I think that she brought it up because she knows… it’s important to me and something that I think should be important to this campus. So, yes, that’s my mom. I love her, she’s great – she supports me, and I appreciate that,” Stephenson said in response to the accusation.

At another moment, “Will to Better the Hill” candidate for treasurer Tavarus Pennington started his response to a question posed by the moderators with a harsh generalization.

“Coming to William Jewell obviously wasn’t my first option. I’m sure it wasn’t many of yours,” Pennington said.

A few audience members appeared a bit put off by the assumption, and Pennington, seemingly in response to audience reaction, emphasized his passion for the Jewell community despite his initial doubts about attending the school.

Another audience member took issue with the flier policy worked on by this year’s Senate cabinet, a policy which would allow students to hang posters without approval from Student Life.

The audience member expressed concern about the possibility that the policy could make it easier for posters and fliers containing harmful or offensive material to be disseminated among the student body. Both cabinets defended the policy, saying offensive posters will still be reported and arguing that people who want to post offensive posters wouldn’t have gone through Student Life anyway.

Back and forth between the audience member and the cabinets ensued, until the moderators intervened and Magana of the “Serve, Challenge, Belong” cabinet resolved to personally discuss the issue further with the audience member at the conclusion of the debate.

Later in the evening, both cabinets were stumped by a question from a current senator, who asked about both cabinets’ opinions on the changes to the student rights and responsibilities completed by Senate in the past year.

While the “Will to Better the Hill” cabinet cited the absence of their only representative who had served on Senate the past year – presidential candidate Sarah Lewis – as the reason they were uninformed about the changes, Hannah Keeney, “Serve, Challenge, Belong” presidential candidate and current treasurer of the 2018-2019 Student Senate cabinet, had a difficult time making any clear statement on the changes.

“I’m sorry I can’t inform you more directly… I know, I know what you’re talking about, I do,” Keeney said. “Um, but, word for word, you caught me off guard.”

The event concluded with a direct question from an audience member to the candidates on both cabinets asking about the changes they have already implemented as students. The listener seemed concerned that due to the limited time the first-year candidates have spent on campus, they do not have extensive track-records of being changemakers at Jewell.

To the dismay of the audience, the first-year candidates seemed to miss the point of the question and none seized the opportunity to cite their leadership achievements to date, on campus or even prior to their enrollment. Instead, each candidate exposed the lackluster impressions they have had on Jewell to date.

“In my very limited time here I haven’t been able to, uh, actually … produce tangible change,” said O’Connor from the “Serve, Challenge, Belong” cabinet.

“I’m agreeing with Hunter,” said Magana. “I’m very new to the campus so, you know, real, tangible change is something that I can’t attest to right now, but I can attest to in the future.”

Similar statements were uttered by the members of the “Will to Better the Hill” cabinet.

“We obviously haven’t been here that long, we don’t have that much ability… we haven’t had much time to build up the reputations that we could actually effect change that would be applicable on a widespread level,” said Pennington.

Those statements were the concluding remarks of the debate and, while they may have been honest and well-intentioned, they left a bad taste in the mouths of voters who are looking for great things in their Senate.

Despite a few dissatisfactory comments from the members of both cabinets, each candidate spoke passionately about bringing lasting change to Jewell and presented themselves as committed students ready and willing to lead.

Voting will begin Monday, April 15 during Jewell Time and conclude Thursday, April 18 at midnight. The elected 2019-2020 Student Senate executive cabinet will be announced Friday, April 19 during Jewell Time.

The Beard is a cabinet comprised of all independent, sophomore student-athletes running on a community-centric platform to make the voices and concerns of Jewell students heard. Ethan Weilant is a sophomore economics and business administration major running for president. Hannah Waine, a sophomore economics and math major, is the cabinet’s vice president with Justice Taylor, a sophomore physics major, running for treasurer and Sam Sullivan, a sophomore communications and interactive digital media major, running as secretary. The cabinet’s platform includes more student autonomy such as the choice of commuter food plans for Juniors, off campus housing for seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA and reform for the alcohol policy to focus more on student safety, rather than fear of punishment.

The Beard mentioned several times during the debate that they have been going to extra effort this past week and one half to ask students about their concerns and opinions. One of the unique initiatives of the Beard is to bring about more education and safer alternatives to drunk driving, which they see as an issue to be addressed on campus.

Their community-centric campaign wants to create incentives for student attendance at events. Among these four athletes, three sports are represented, and the Beard intends to invest serious effort into addressing the concerns of student athletes, which accounts for a significant portion of the student population. However, due to sporting commitments, Waine and Sullivan were unable to attend the debate. The livestreaming audience raised a question of time management for student athletes running student senate since half of their cabinet was unable to attend.

“I believe we will have plenty of time,” said Taylor “Running this cabinet is not always going to be a specific time sensitive thing.”

Taylor acknowledged that full presence may not always be guaranteed, but he is certain that their cabinet will definitively have time to get the job done.

Listen, Plan, Act (LPA) is a cabinet campaign led by first-year oxbridge major Jeremy Hofman as president. The cabinet includes junior physics and math major Macy Tush as vice president, junior Seki Anderson, a junior biochemistry and ACTI-In as treasurer, and first-year, chemistry and communications major Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe as secretary. Hofman is the only cabinet-member with experience as a student senator, however, their cabinet represents as wide range of student organizations, such as Greek life, Pryor Fellowship, feminist club, University Innovation Fellows, QUILTBAG, the “Hilltop Monitor” and multiple honor societies.

LPA is focused on senate communication, empowering student organizations, Title IX education and accountability, implementing an effective student mentorship program and reforming the alcohol policy. Their platform is action-oriented and they describe their promise of action as the distinguisher of this cabinet. LPA aims to increase student autonomy and make Jewell’s overall environment safer in order to make sure the students feel heard and trusted.

LPA brought a unique response to the question of sustainability on campus and Jewell’s environmental responsibility. All cabinets were adamant about continuing and encouraging recycling programs, but LPA mentioned the solar and wind energy usage on campus. Tush mentioned the potential for furthering those sustainable energy efforts and expanding their utilization at Jewell.

“By enacting change, empowering the student body and improving communication, we will change the way that senate does business,” said Hofman. “Which means we will not dodge accountability, [but rather] embrace accountability, and engage students in all that we do.”

Moving Jewell Forward is the campaign that includes presidential candidate Junior Political science major Drew Novak. The cabinet’s vice president, sophomore nursing and ACT-In major Luce-Virlynn Apollon, is serving as the current Student Senate Cabinet’s treasurer. The cabinet also includes first-years Chris Choe, an oxbridge major, as secretary and Jacob Dice, a physics, economics and math major, as treasurer. This cabinet is focused on innovative policies and effective student government, which they strongly feel is attainable with Novak and Apollon’s past senate experience combined with the creative ideas brought to the table by Choe ad Dice’s fresh perspectives. Moving Jewell Forward believes their senate experience and preexisting relations with the administration, such as Student Life and the Board of Trustees, will aid them in effective action as a cabinet. They plan to continue forward with the progress they’ve already made such as conversations regarding alcohol policy, Title IX awareness and chicken tender Thursday.

“Complacency with our accomplishments only leads to their disintegration,” said Novak. Multiple times this cabinet reiterated the significance of student senate, explaining the intricacies of diplomatic relations with administration, and the expertise needed to continue the progresses that the current senate has achieved.

“The next cabinet will hold in its hands the ability to make decisions that will fundamentally change this campus for the next decade,” said Novak “Our cabinet is the only cabinet that is prepared to meet these challenges and to deal with this. Our cabinet is the most experienced and has the most intellectual capability to achieve these.”

The full video of the student senate debate is available on the “Hilltop Monitor’s” Facebook page.

The process can be confusing, so here’s a rudimentary explanation of the steps it takes to become a member of the president’s Cabinet:

A nominee is nominated by president/president-elect
Senate hearings before relevant Senate committee
Committee votes — if a majority of the committee votes for the nominee, it goes to the Senate floor for a vote by the full body. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, can bring a nominee to the floor for a full Senate vote even if they do not get the approval of the relevant committee.
Goes to the floor vote in the Senate
Among Donald Trump’s appointments are several former Goldman Sachs employees, as well as several generals. Critics have said that such appointments violate the doctrine of civilian control of the military and favor donors to the Republican party, rather than qualified candidates. Sen. Claire McCaskill criticized Trump’s cabinet stating, “I call it the three ‘G’ Cabinet: Goldman, generals and gazillionaires.”

Most of Trump’s nominees are expected to be confirmed. This is, in part, due to a procedural change implemented by the Democrats when they were in the majority in the Senate in 2013. The party eliminated a rule that required 60 votes to move a nominee to a vote by the full Senate.

Here are the individuals who Trump has appointed to his cabinet:

Secretary of State-The Secretary of State is the chief foreign affairs adviser to the president and carries out the U.S. foreign policy agenda. Rex Tillerson has no experience in government, but did head an international company, Exxon Mobil, for decades. He advocates for a better relationship between the U.S. and Russia, a country he has had business ties with in the past.

Homeland Security Advisor-Tom Bossert previously served in the George W. Bush administration as deputy homeland security adviser. Bossert got attention for an op-ed he wrote in 2015 in which he defended the invasion of Iraq and criticized President Obama’s approach to the use of force.

Secretary of Agriculture-Sonny Perdue is the former governor of Georgia. Perdue is a former veterinarian and Air Force member, and he also ran an agriculture business that specialized in hauling grain. He served on Trump’s agricultural advisory committee during the election.

Secretary of Commerce (not yet confirmed)– Wilbur Ross is a 79-year-old billionaire. He is the chairman and chief strategy officer, as well as the founder, of the private equity firm WL Ross and Co. He made a name for himself by restructuring failing companies and businesses, including one of Trump’s casinos in 1990. The Department of Commerce states that its mission is “to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce.”

Secretary of Defense– James Mattis is a retired Marine Corps general. He served as the commander of U.S. Central Command and oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In order to serve in this post, Mattis had to receive a congressional waiver from a federal law that states that a member of the military must wait seven years after leaving the armed forces before serving as secretary of defense.

Secretary of Education-Betsy DeVos (not yet confirmed) has been a critic of public schools and an advocate of putting taxpayer dollars to charter schools and voucher programs. During her senate confirmation hearing, she stated that she did not know the differences in evaluation standards for standardized test scores. She has been a longtime Republican donor. No Democratic senator will support DeVos’s nomination, and if one more Republican senator opposes she will not receive the nomination.

Secretary of Energy– Rick Perry (not yet confirmed) was the former governor of Texas. He has previously stated that he would like to abolish the Department of Energy. The Department of Energy is in charge of both regulating the energy industry and managing the country’s nuclear weapons. Trump once tweeted that Perry “should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate.” Perry has also appeared on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Secretary of Interior– Ryan Zinke (not yet confirmed) is a veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALS. Zinke is currently on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources. The Department of the Interior oversees such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey and the National Park Service.

Attorney General– Jeff Sessions is a Republican senator from Alabama. Sessions advocates for a more stringent immigration policy and an increase in deportations of undocumented immigrants. He was denied an appointment to a federal judgeship in 1986 after lawyers testified he had used racially charged language.

Secretary of Homeland Security– John F. Kelly is a retired Marine Corps general and oversaw Guantanamo Bay prison. The Secretary of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting the nation from terrorism and cyberattacks, recovery from natural disasters and border protection.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development– Ben Carson (not confirmed) is a retired neurosurgeon. Carson has no government experience, but says that as the son of a single mother, he was prepared for the secretary role. This department oversees policy on home ownership, housing assistance, fair housing practices and addresses homelessness and housing development.

Secretary of Labor– Andrew Puzder (not confirmed) is the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc., which is the parent company of several fast-food restaurants including Hardee’s. In the past, he has been opposed movements to increase the minimum wage and regulating overtime pay. The Department of Labor oversees the welfare, working conditions and opportunities for workers, job seekers and retirees.

Secretary of Transportation-Elaine Chao served as secretary of labor under George W. Bush and the deputy secretary of transportation under George H.W. Bush. She also served as a member of his Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee. She is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Secretary of Treasury-As Secretary of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin will oversee economic and financial systems. Mnuchin has no government experience, but did work at Goldman Sachs for 17 years and headed a California bank that foreclosed on an estimated 36,000 homes.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs-David Shulkin (not confirmed) is a physician and was appointed as the undersecretary for health in the Department of Veterans Affairs by President Obama. This office is in charge of providing benefits and health care to veterans of the U.S. military.

Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency-Scott Pruitt has served as attorney general of Oklahoma since 2010. He is an advocate of the oil and gas industries and has actively opposed the environmental regulations that the Obama administration put in place, saying such work was government overreach. This department oversees federal regulations, distributes grants and conducts studies concerning the environment.

Health and Human Services– Congressman Tom Price serves as chairman of the House Budget Committee. He has stated that he plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act and privatize medicare.

Head of CIA– Kan. Congressman Mike Pompeo has worked in the aerospace and oil industries and was a part of the investigation into the allegations surrounding the 2012 Benghazi attacks.

Ambassador to UN– Nikki Haley, the first female and minority governor of South Carolina, doesn’t have much diplomatic experience. She called the suggestions that Trump made during the campaign for a travel ban on Muslims “an embarrassment to the Republican Party.”

Supreme Court Nominee– Neil Gorsuch is the youngest supreme court nominee in decades, which is worth noting since judges hold their seats for life. He has clerked for two Supreme Court justices and also served as a clerk on the second most important appeals court in the country, in Washington D.C. In this position, he ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby in its infamous contraception case before it went to the Supreme Court. Several Senate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, have stated that they will filibuster the nominee. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decided to block any consideration of President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court one year ago, following Antonin Scalia’s death.

While many members of Trump’s administration must face confirmation hearings, there are some officials who do not require confirmation. Here are the most prominent:

Chief Strategist– Steve Bannon is the former executive chairman of Breitbart, the right-wing news website. Bannon served as Trump’s campaign advisor for the final months of the campaign. He was briefly in the U.S. Navy and worked at Goldman Sachs in the 1980s. As chief strategist, Bannon will act as a close advisor to the president and hold a permanent spot on the national security council.

Chief of Staff- The chief of staff acts as an immediate advisor to the president and is considered the highest member of the president’s cabinet. Reince Priebus previously served as the Republican National Committee chairman, was on the RNC general counsel and acted as chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.