Several challenges loom for Congress president
Last week, the student body elected sophomore Chelsi Mobley its Student Congress president for the 2009-2010 school year.
First of all, we would like to congratulate Mobley on her victory. She beat sophomore Aaron Hommell soundly with a 357-point victory. But the next year will not be a breeze; there are several challenges that she will face that must be met.
The biggest problem will be building spirit on the campus. Frequent complaints are made regarding activities on weekends and events for students to attend.
This will be a slightly easier task next year, considering celebrations for Franklin College’s 175th anniversary will be in full-swing. The college already has plans for big events, so it won’t be too difficult to keep students on campus for those. It is the future that we worry about.
We need to establish ways of keeping students on campus after the glory and excitement of the anniversary subsides.
Grizzly Grand Prix this weekend marks a prime example. This event used to be celebrated by the entire town. Now, it’s uncertain if many students will even show up to watch.
A major goal will be promoting student attendance at all college events as well as sporting events on campus.
A good way to influence this is by starting with the freshman – the Class of 2013.
By increasing their involvement on campus and their interest in activities and sports, Congress can encourage current and future students to attend more events.
Student Congress is already making strides toward keeping students on campus. “FC Out on the Town” promotes a monthly event for Franklin students to attend for free.
This month’s event, an Indianapolis Indians game, doesn’t really promote Franklin “on the town,” but rather sends them to Indianapolis.
We need to localize the events to help students interact with the community and establish a bond.
Also, Mobley must raise awareness of Congress on campus.
It seems too few students know about Congress representatives and all they do for the campus. Releasing minutes to students and promoting attendance at meetings will help increase awareness.
Accomplishing these tasks will not be easy - Mobley certainly has a lot to do during the upcoming year.
