*Disclaimer: All information used for this article was obtained from public and published sources of information with observations from the April 2, 2019 Senate meeting, which was open to students. No questions were asked by the writer during the meeting. To the best of this writer’s knowledge the following is accurate. A follow-up article including direct responses from the current Student Senate cabinet was published. View this article here.

To be honest, Student Senate is embarrassing. This year, Senate has done appreciably nothing – or has failed to publicize what they have done. A simple glance at their published minutes or attendance at a meeting shows that students on Senate choose to weigh personal conflict and agendas above what can actually be changed about the school. At the meeting I observed, senators were confrontational and rude. Conversations devolve into jokes and proposed topics of conversation are ignored instead of actually discussed.

While I see many issues with Senate, the primary problem is a failure of communication and a failure of awareness of the role of Student Senate.

According to their constitution, Senate is composed of four cabinet members and four elected representatives from each grade. The elected cabinet members for the 2018-2019 school year are President Jakob Miller, Vice President Sarah Lewis, Treasurer Hannah Keeney and Secretary Alex Theissen. Class representatives were elected in the fall of 2018 for first-year students and the spring for other classes.

However, several spots have been vacated since the beginning of the year. According to Senate rules, when a position is vacated, a new senator is appointed. In cases of vacancy, no school or class-wide emails were sent out asking for interested parties. Rather, individual senators recommended students they thought would be interested.

This process has led, at least in part, to a homogenous Senate that fails to represent the student body. According to outdated information from the Senate website – which has not been updated with current senators and does not have the full names of all senators, which makes it difficult for students to identify their representatives – and word-of-mouth information from current senators, I have compiled data about the current senate.

16 of the 20 required positions, or 80 percent of senators, are filled by students who participate in Greek life, according to current information with the recognition that senators may resign from senate or accept bids from Greek life organizations in the future. According to CollegeBoard, participation in Greek life is 40 percent for men and 42 percent for women at William Jewell College. Greek life is vastly overrepresented on Student Senate. Six senators belong to the same sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and four belong to the same fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha.

Five of the 20 senators are in the Oxbridge program – that’s 25 percent. Fewer than 20 students per year participate in this program, and one quarter of students in the program are not on campus at Jewell in any given year. While this statistic alone is shocking, it is also infuriating because these students will not be on campus more than two consecutive years – making it less likely for them to be able to sustain initiatives and make change on campus.

Eight of the 20 senators are political science majors – that’s 40 percent. According to data on graduates from 2018 from the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately four percent of Jewell’s student body are political science majors. While this may be expected, there are reasons to question the natural affiliation between political science majors and Senate in this case due to the process of appointing new senators.

Encouragingly, eight of the 20 senators, or 40 percent of the Senate, are athletes. According to the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis from the United States Department of Education, 42 percent of Jewell students are athletes, so senate represents the balance of athletes quite well.

While I would like to include statistics on the racial and ethnic makeup of senate as compared to the student body as a whole, the relatively small number of senators and the vast majority of white students on campus makes this statistic difficult to compute and represent. 79 percent of Jewell’s student body is white, and white students appear to be overrepresented in senate – though I was not able to confirm this information.

While these statistics alone are enough to incite questions, they alone are hardly enough to condemn the current Senate. Maybe no other students have been interested in joining. Maybe political science and Oxbridge majors are more likely to want to participate in Senate. Maybe it’s in the nature of ZTA and LCA members to have a desire to be involved in student government.

However, these cannot be excuses for this Senate. If senators are appointed without Senate letting potentially interested parties know, the student body is not getting the representation it deserves. If senators recommend people to nominate, they are most likely to ask people they often interact with – those in their Greek organization, those in their major, those in their program, those in their sport.

There may be students interested in joining Senate who simply don’t know any current senators. These students would never hear about vacancies on Senate because Senate does not notify the student body of vacancies.

I am not advocating Senate to simply focus on identity politicking. I am imploring them to effectively communicate and do all they can to properly, and accurately, represent Jewell’s student body – as they are tasked to.

Senate is required to represent the campus, and they fail to even keep the campus informed. Their meeting times are not listed on their website, Presence or on their Facebook page, as they claim.

Senate has failed to make meeting minutes from the 2019 spring semester public, as they are required to by their constitution. The minutes that are posted, from the fall semester, are simply inadequate. They contain almost no information, do not keep track of votes, fail to record proposals in detail and keep no record of actions taken by specific senators outside of meetings.

There is little to no information of use to the student body in the posted minutes from Senate meetings.

Almost more concerning than the utter failure of the Senate and its cabinet to provide updated, adequate information to the student body is their collective attitude in meetings. According to both analysis of all published minutes from the 2018-2019 school year and attendance of just one meeting, it is clear that senators are often confrontational, rude and inadequately consider the desires of the student body.

According to both minutes and attendance, it appears as though senators often bring up comments and ideas that appear to be of no benefit for the student body and are intended to put someone on the spot.

Rather than requesting a systematic overhaul of the clearly disorganized Senate and cabinet, senators pursue apparently personal agendas – or push proposals that appear to have little impact on the campus as a whole. If the descriptions of these agendas fail to accurately represent how proposals are actually viewed, if they are more broadly supported and not just the project of individual senators, the language of Senate minutes and meetings need to change.

Rather than requesting formalized records of all communication from Senate, they attempt to remember what was said in meetings, which was apparent in the meeting I attended and can be easily assumed from attempts to understand published minutes. Instead of being able to consult detailed minutes or emails from senate to administration, senators rely on memory – which can lead them to confront each other over facts of past meetings and communication.

Rather than requesting records of formalized communication from administration and student life, they appear to be rude and disrespectful to representatives of the College at meetings, according to minutes and attendance of one meeting.

Rather than consistently email the student body updates about Senate and send informational emails about events, they question whether students support proposals that have not been publicized. The role of independents is questioned and they appear to be distressed at the lack of independent involvement.

Senate discusses ways to get independent students more involved on campus and ways they can solicit student feedback. I recommend sending consistent, timely and clear emails and posting flyers in order to address independent involvement and to request feedback.

Senate should publicize what they discuss and consider. They are required by their own constitution to make meeting minutes public, and they should consistently update the student body about their meetings. Publicize the fact that students can attend meetings – a fact not mentioned in Senate emails to the student body.

Even when Senate plans an event, they fail to adequately publicize or discuss it. The recent Diversity and Inclusion roundtable – organized by Keeney – was generally positive and beneficial to the community. It was a good event that fostered necessary communication at the school. Yet, while students in Greek life and on sports teams were required to attend, independent students and the campus as a whole were given little information about the event.

A school-wide email was sent only two days in advance of the event. It failed to explain the purpose or content of the event. Without personal communication with members of Senate, I would not have known that the roundtable was going to be facilitated by an outside source, nor would I likely have attended.

This is not because I did not have a desire to be involved in the campus discussion of diversity and inclusion; rather, I felt the event was likely haphazardly planned and would be poorly executed. This interpretation would have been incorrect, yet it was the sense conveyed by a sub-par email.

The roundtable itself was beneficial and had been extensively planned. However, without membership in certain organizations, students would not have had any reason to think the event was anything other than a waste of time – one that Senate was bribing them to attend. The school-wide communication about the event provided little context and did not compel students to attend.

The roundtable is just one example of a time when Senate failed to communicate. If there was poor attendance of this event, or others, by independents, I suggest Senate work on developing better communication techniques rather than accusing independents of apathy.

Senate complains of a lack of transparency from the college administration yet fails to meet their own standards of transparency and communication. Students generally have no idea who is on Senate, what Senate does or even that Senate meets. Senate hosts Coffee with the Prez in order to increase student communication with Dr. Macleod Walls, president of the College, but fails to host similar events for students to speak with senators directly.

There are further problems with Senate. Their constitution appears to contradict information on their website and is far from comprehensive. They appear to fail to have an outlined understanding of their own power. Cabinets fail to fulfill campaign promises, or fail to adequately publicize instances when promises are fulfilled.

These issues need to be addressed. Many would be aided by serious reconsideration of how Senate communicates with the community and a discussion of how Senate can be a part of the community students should feel proud of. Several of these issues are not just problems with the current Senate, but concern traditional functioning of Senate. Regardless, they need to be fixed.

Yes, it is hard to serve your peers as a member of Senate. Yes, it is difficult to balance this responsibility with other obligations and school work. Yes, it is difficult to make systematic changes to the functioning of senate.

Still, Jewell students deserve a Senate that represents them and that they can be proud of.

From the American Revolution to Reconstruction after the Civil War to the study of historiography I learned what history is and how to write concisely. I learned that how we interpret history changes as, in a sense, all historical writing is revisionist history. Studying history has allowed me to tap into the mind of great historical figures and to see how they lived. My passion for history has encouraged me to pursue further education and to advance to a PhD. My study of history and understanding of historiography has prepared me for future study through concise writing and critical thinking. To judge historical events when they occurred rather than with present-day bias and our contemporary way of thinking and to critically evaluate primary and secondary sources.

Political science enabled me to witness how nations interact and that politics is about justice. Politics allows me to apply history to solve complex questions and fulfill my duty as a citizen. I identify as a political realist, and that has altered my worldview and how I view the United States’ current role in world politics. Political science led to Aristotle’s question and how we should live our lives. It exposed me to deeper questions of democracy, liberty, equality and free will. Political science allows us to help the world through public service. From studying Campaigns & Elections to the politics of Iran, World Politics and Political Theory I have created a global mindset to make me a global citizen.

In January 2015 I joined Lambda Chi Alpha and became part of a fraternity filled with my brothers on campus. They’ve been there for me since day one and have become a second family. I’ll never forget my time with my brothers since my first year. They have made me a better man in my personal and academic life. LCA reinforced leadership qualities of duty and trust that have allowed me to excel academically and personally by following LCA’s seven core values. LCA has built upon my college experience and encouraged me to pursue a life of public service in future studies after Jewell and to pursue my passion in my two majors. We embodied LCA core values through public service from semester Serve & Celebrate to LCA-led service projects through our philanthropy, Feeding America.

In January 2017 I studied abroad in Cardiff, Wales, in the United Kingdom. While abroad I became immersed in a new culture that made me part of a nation. I made lifelong friends and went out of my comfort zone to explore the UK. From walking every day to visiting museums, castles and other historical sites I spoke with Welsh, English and Irish citizens to answer Aristotle’s question: what is the good life? The good life is one of service to others. The simple life is being content with what we have but constantly striving to improve ourselves to live a life of meaning. I’ve always enjoyed visiting museums, art galleries and other historic sites both in the U.S. and abroad. I grew interested in art and the works of various artists such as Joseph Mallard, William Turner and Vincent Van Gogh. I lived the good life through traveling around the UK to 12th Century reenactment and sparring through Historia Normannis. Late night conversations with flatmates about where we came from and future plans, the constant rain, endless miles of walking and coffee and tea made Cardiff a second home.

On Feb. 21, 2018 I spoke at Jewell Chapel about my time abroad where I found the good life in Cardiff and answered Aristotle’s question. The good life in Cardiff of walking, tea, coffee and conversation has allowed me to slow down and enjoy life. I have grown since my freshman year to become more confident and ask more questions from my time at Jewell through my broad academic interests. The Critical Thought and Inquiry curriculum at Jewell has changed my worldview. From a class on sustainability to learn how we should conserve the world’s resources to Stalinism as Civilization to learn what it’s like to live under a tyrannical regime and the attempt to create a new civilization, I learned how we should live. From studying religion as a part of the CTI program I learned more about Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as the Divine Image and how to better connect with others.

In February 2018 I went to Windermere, a Baptist educational community in Roach, Missouri, and learned about the power of reconciliation and how we can forgive others and be accepting to all and consider new ideas and new ways of life. I reconnected with my friends from Christian Student Ministries as well as made new friends from Jewell and other parts of Missouri. I’ll miss Monday CSM meeting with Jeff Buscher. My tenure with CSM has strengthened my Christian faith and encouraged critical reading of the Bible as well as other religious texts such as the Torah and the Quoran. My experiences with CSM has changed my life from personal life decisions to how I read academic texts such as the Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder. My study of politics, history and religion has changed how I answer political and historical questions to work with students of similar and conflicting mindsets. CSM has encouraged me to work for the glory of God through teaching.

Throughout my time at Jewell I learned about presidential leadership and how we should live our lives through the teachings of Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt. I studied George Washington, Harry Truman and Thaddeus Stevens to learn what leadership means and how we can help others. I became immersed in politics through conversations with the political science department. This has increased my confidence in my studies. I became interested in theatrical performances through the Jewell Theater Company and attended frequent performances every semester.

I’m cherishing every day until graduation as I look to the future. Everything will change after May 12, and things won’t be the same. I’ll be a Jewell alumnus instead of a student. The friendships I’ve made will grow, and I will have lifelong friends after Jewell. Everyone will go their separate ways to grad school or the armed forces or law or medical school, but we’ll still be part of the Jewell community.

I will miss a lot about Jewell. From smiling faces around the quad to freshly cut grass. From blizzard winters to scorching spring. I’ll miss being called Mr. Jones every morning and being given life advice from world-class professors. I’ll miss the stimulating seminars and lectures in history, politics and religion. I’ll miss talking with professors in and outside class about historical topics such as Theodore Roosevelt and WWII and the Holocaust to questions about world politics and the works of Aristotle. I’ll miss talking with professors about how they chose to become academics and teach the next generation of scholars. I have no regrets at Jewell and I have done everything I wanted to and more. I’m glad I asked more questions. I’m glad I joined The Hilltop Monitor and Lambda Chi Alpha. I’m glad I traveled abroad and spoke at Chapel. I’m glad for late night MOSAIC and Harriman Jewell events. I’m glad that all my professors encouraged me and prepared me for life. I’m glad I made lifelong friends. I’m glad I spent a weekend at Windermere.

I’m glad that I spoke to you from our various classes of Campaigns and Elections, the Great War and golf, at the bench in front of Curry and Luigi’s on the square. I’m glad that I got out of my comfort zone and talked more. I’m glad that I’ve been active on campus through Hilltop Monitor, Christian Student Ministries and Lambda Chi Alpha. I’m glad that I joined the Phi Alpha Theta and Pi Sigma Honor societies. I’m thankful for late night LCA parties and morning conversations in front of Curry. For Jewell Theatre plays and CUAt the movies. For Jeff Buscher’s chapel service and Armstrong’s War Ethics class. For Reynolds and Howell’s history lectures and Wilkins’ seminars. For Holiman’s Politics of Iran and Staal’s Political Theory.

I’m thankful for the CTI program which allowed me to answer complex questions with students across the campus both inside and outside of my major to learn from different perspectives. I’m thankful to have several mentors in both of my majors and the desire to continue to love what I do. I’m thankful for talking with my brothers in the PLC and stimulating seminars from the Responsible Self to Christianity and Tyranny and from Presidential Leadership to Harry Truman. From my time at Jewell I pushed myself and completed my best work. The future is coming fast, but now I want to live in the here and now. I’m ready to go, but I have infinite reasons to stay as we approach graduation. It’s been quite a ride and I’ve loved every minute of it.

Photos courtesy of Mykala Crews. 

I don’t know a lot about politics here in the United States, but back in my home country, Brazil, politics is such a touchy subject that it can make families break apart, lifelong friendships end and even wearing a specific t-shirt color can cause a huge discussion. Yes, it is that bad.

The worst part is how the whole political system in Brazil is corrupt. The most important people in this system are involved in some type of corruption. The United Nations estimates that Brazil loses $60 billion per year due to corruption. That makes the population, or at least me, not have faith in the system and not even want to understand how it works. In the end it feels like there’s nothing I can do to help.

Another issue in the middle of all this mess is that we don’t know whom we can trust. There are so many official channels that share fake news that seems so true that most of the population believes it. With social media, this fake news is all over the country within minutes and in Brazil no one really thinks about checking sources. But who can blame the population? There are 11.8 million illiterate people in the country, and 52 million Brazilians live below the poverty line. It is easy to mislead an illiterate and starving population.

Another problem, is how we never actually learn anything about this topic in school and as soon we are 18 we are obligated to vote. This lack of political education gives people wrong assumptions and maybe that’s how my country got to the way it is right now. People are easily manipulated by politicians, and they don’t even realize.

One of the reasons I came to the U.S. is because I wanted to run away from all that mess. But at the end of the day I’m still Brazilian, which means that during this year’s election I need to fulfill my duty as a Brazilian citizen and vote. Yet, I have no idea who would be a good option and I don’t know how to look for the ideal candidate.

To be honest, I wish there was a less stressful way to deal with this, but there’s not. So the only thing I can do right now is go out on a search for the candidate I think will be the best. If they are actually the best option, they will probably not get elected, because that’s how things usually go in my country.

After attending Phi Gamma Delta’s (FIJI) Battle of the Air Bands (BOTAB), I am reminded of my confusion with the system. Despite Greek life being a positive force on campus and inviting unity and interaction between classes as well as philanthropic outreach, it also encourages the extension of traditions based in sexist or just plain offensive behavior.

For example, the premise of BOTAB is students paying men, or their fraternity’s philanthropy, to watch girls, whose sororities’ philanthropies do not benefit, dance. This tradition is not as sexist as it could be. From people I’ve talked to, the sororities really enjoy the bonding experience that practicing and competing together provides. The girls choose to participate and are not forced to do so in any way. They are also adults who should be able to make whatever choices they like without being labeled victims of sexism or ignorance. My problem with BOTAB is not that it takes place but, rather, that it represents a culture that refuses to shun tradition, even if the tradition is outdated and rude.

My other problem with BOTAB is a video displayed by FIJI. The video was a meme starring Hitler speaking rapid German with subtitles about William Jewell College. It criticized perceived slights the fraternity feels the school imposes by having rules against tobacco on campus and about the alcohol policy. The content of the video was not necessarily the issue. Rather, it was the effect of our students cheering in agreement with Hitler. I don’t care how funny the meme may be. The fact that our students chose to identify with Hitler was disgusting. I understand that students made the choice to laugh, FIJI made the decision to show the video and that someone, I assume, approved the video to be shown. I also understand that many students do not see a problem with the video “because it’s just a meme.” I am repulsed that we, as a student body, are okay with representing ourselves in such a way.

Further, the culture created by Greek life on campus is not limited to sexist traditions that are maintained simply because they are tradition, including both BOTAB and formal introductions of incoming sorority recruits to the fraternities. There is a culture of sexual assault on our campus that is largely ignored. This culture is perpetuated by continuing sexist comments, like those screamed by certain members of fraternities during BOTAB at sorority girls, and the assumption that most sexual assaults will take place at a fraternity.

Additionally, criteria for selecting members of fraternities and sororities are based on archaic international rules, regardless of whether or not Jewell institutes them, like those that say initiates should be “attractive,” because that is obviously a very important characteristic to possess when becoming involved with a philanthropic organization.

The supposed culture of inclusivity of Greek life also has the unintended effects of excluding people who do not choose to participate. Because Greek life fosters close relationships between “brothers” and “sisters,” these relationships take precedence over relationships, or even interaction, with others outside of their organizations. This leads to members of Greek life completely ignoring people outside of it and to a hive mind within these organizations. This mentality is based on a “family” identification that raises the stakes of these relationships.

The problems with the culture of Greek life are not exclusive to Greek life. These problems are campus-wide, and every student on campus has an obligation to acknowledge them, yet they are amplified through Greek life. This is not intended to be a crusade to attack anything and everything Greek. I simply wanted to draw attention to aspects of the system representative of larger issues on campus that students, both inside and outside of Greek life, should take responsibility for.

*Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to women of sororities paying men to watch and to dance in an event and identified comments by a specific fraternity. It should have referred to students paying to attend the event and to fraternities in general.