CG opens elections on April 7 at 8 a.m.

Hana Glasser ’15, College Government President

Each of us has a space at Wellesley where we feel most inspired and true to ourselves. For the past three years, I have found mine in College Government. This year, I am running for College Government President.

Since first semester, I have spent every Monday night in the Senate chamber — two years as a senator, and one as Chair of Communications and College Government Finances. My time in each position has been marked by conscientious, innovative initiatives — making substantive changes in the role of senators, rethinking how to hold Cabinet members accountable and systemically bringing Senate closer to the people it serves.

Even having taken a step back from a Cabinet position this past year, I have continued in my commitment to making Wellesley a better place for its students, serving as a representative on the Board of Trustees Student Life Committee and chairing the Senate Mental Health Ad-Hoc Committee. This last experience has reinvigorated my conviction that Senate can be conducive to meaningful action. Over the past few months, we have spoken to peers and administrators to develop both specific short-term recommendations and a framework for the future. We find ourselves in a position to prompt substantive, meaningful change in the way that this institution approaches the well-being of its students–particularly as it relates to mental health. I look forward to continuing and expanding this initiative throughout the next year, as well as speaking with all of you about the form this work has already taken.

Though we have taken steps in the right direction, it is clear that CG has room for decisive improvement. CG has an imperative to be relevant, an imperative to prioritize student needs, and an imperative to deliver. Senate should not only be a body for discussion, but a body for action.

Things are certainly moving at Wellesley, and CG has a responsibility to keep up with the student agenda. CG has to be responsive, CG has to be creative and CG has to be purposeful. It means making structural changes: using working groups to identify and act on long-term projects, getting CG out of the meeting chamber and into student communities, fostering allyships with faculty and like-minded administrators and budgeting as a lever for social change. It means keeping our finger on the pulse of student passions: developing sustainability initiatives, furthering a commitment to the ethnic studies movement, continuing the conversation about the inclusion of trans women and ensuring that we serve every student regardless of background or identity.

I want to lead College Government in the next year because I understand it, love it and believe in its potential to create good. I have proven over the years that I am not only qualified, but fully and enthusiastically invested. I look forward to sharing my full platform and plan of action in the coming days and hope to be able to count on your support.

Celeste Zumwalt ’15, College President President

My name is Celeste Zumwalt and I’m running for College Government President. As an active member of the Wellesley College community I’ve observed a disconnect between students and the college administration’s decision-making processes. After speaking with students across campus, there are three major concerns I’d prioritize if elected College Government President:

Accessibility: Only a small subset of the student body is directly involved with College Government, so it is essential to stay directly in touch with the needs of all students. As College Government President, I would hold weekly office hours for all students to ask questions and voice their concerns and provide the CGP with information to take to the appropriate faculty/administrator/committee/student leader. In addition, a priority of mine would be to make the senatorial election process clearer and amend the constitution to increase eligibility and boost senate participation. The CG constitution only allows 22 special interest organizations out of the 123 orgs on campus to have representatives in Senate. As a result, when we have discussions about safe spaces, mental health, and safety, many of the voices that are key to understanding students’ ideas and feelings are then left out of the conversation.

Community: I would utilize the College Government President’s Council to assign organizations on campus to different members of CGPC. That way, each specially designated council member would serve as a direct contact for the orgs to talk to when there is something they need help dealing with, which could include anything from working with the administration to simply navigating college policy.

Transparency: I would encourage transparency with the College’s administration by increasing opportunities for dialogue through public forums with the Dean of Students and other top administrators twice each semester. I have already spoken to some administrators who have agreed to engage with the student body this way. This would enable students to bring up issues that may not have been considered for a town hall. Furthermore, I’d articulate the responsibility of specific administrative departments and disseminate that information to students so that we can hold the administration accountable when problems arise.

It would be a tremendous honor to serve the Wellesley community in this capacity. I hope that this statement has sufficiently communicated my commitment to and passion for addressing the needs of the student body, and I also hope that you will allow me to work with you in the coming year to make Wellesley a safer and more efficient space for all students.

Charlotte Harris ’16, College Government Vice President

My name is Charlotte Harris and I’m running for College Government Vice President. I am running on a platform of Communication, Collaboration and Community. If elected CGVP, I want to continue the work to make the constitution application process and appointments process more streamlined and efficient. By appropriately communicating with the student body and administration, the processes will become more transparent. With increased communications, more organizations and students will know the details to apply for opportunities that Student Organizations and Appointments Committee (SOAC) provides. I will help organizations collaborate with each other to minimize over programming. This will make events better and more attended. Due to my dedication to strengthening communication and collaboration, our Wellesley community can also become stronger. I am dedicated to be a resource to make Wellesley a more enjoyable place and to help students find their niche on campus. The CGVP has the duties of leading SOAC and sitting on Senate Cabinet and my past participation in these two organizations has prepared me to assume the role as CGVP. I have served on Senate and SOAC for two years. First year, I served as the Publicity Chair for SOAC and now as a sophomore, I am the current SOAC Organizations Coordinator. With my experience, I am excited to contribute new ideas to not only cabinet and SOAC but also to the entire student body. I would love to have this opportunity to put my ideas into action as the next Wellesley College Government Vice President.

Estelle Kim ’15, College Government Vice President

Hi! My name is Estelle Kim. I am currently a junior and a Biological Sciences major. After dedicating three years to SOAC, I now realize how much SOAC has integrated into my time at Wellesley. It has been a pleasure to work with the students who have been interested in overseeing the constitutions of various organizations as well as interviewing candidates for positions on vital committees on campus. By taking all the knowledge I have obtained from my experience on SOAC, I would like to be part of College Government through the position of Vice President. As a Senator during my first year at Wellesley, I have seen how the school runs as a whole, which has not only been fascinating but also very rewarding. Through Senate, I became a member of SOAC where I have seen how organizations are an essential part of the culture at Wellesley. As the SOAC Appointments Coordinator for the past year, I have noticed that the students aware of the remarkable committees are vastly interested in having a student voice within an environment of faculty, administration, and possibly even the Board of Trustees. However, I have realized that students do not know of such positions as I had originally thought. Therefore, as VP, I would like to project SOAC to spread awareness of all the committees students should take advantage of. In such aspect, I believe it is important for each student to know that he/she is a part of Wellesley College as any other.

Katherine Tran ’15, Chief Justice

I’m Katherine Tran, and I’d be honored to be your next Chief Justice. My qualifications? Sure. I’ve served for a year on Honor Code Council (HCC) as a Class of 2015 representative. I recycle habitually AND floss. I respond to emails so quickly that you think it’s that Mailer-Daemon thing explaining how you can’t send a message to a nonexistent email. But most importantly, I believe in promoting the Honor Code.

In the past, I figured that righteousness was a private matter (e.g., do kind deeds in secret). I thought: if people publicize their honorability, is that in itself honorable? Why can’t we just be quietly good people?

But this opinion isn’t always right. Being on HCC has shown me that for the Honor Code to work, every member of our community must have a consistent understanding of the Honor Code. This requires communication.

Secondly, we must also realize that we aren’t a cluster of isolated little me’s, but rather, we are a we. Which means we have to care — about ourselves, each other, and the type of education we want to receive. I mean, we could definitely not care, which is easier, but then what do we have left?

As Stephen Chbosky sort of put it, we accept the [education/community] we think we deserve. And Wellesley, we deserve the best. I’d be delighted to work with you to make sure this is so. Fair enough?

Timothy Boatwright ’16, Multicultural Affairs Coordinator  

Hello Wellesley! My name is Timothy Boatwright and I am a sophomore Women’s and Gender Studies major. I am running for Multicultural Affairs Coordinator (MAC) because I would like to be a conduit for resources and access to administration for student projects and organizing. I have two years of experience with the Community Action Network (CAN), including serving on the core team this year. My involvement spans work with Siblings, groups addressing mental health, supporting student narratives, facilitating and the Ethnic Studies Conference. As a queer and transgender person with a disability, I am committed to focusing on intersectionality and serving all students’ identities.

I believe that the MAC cannot and does not represent or speak for the student body but instead must actively respond to student voices. Additionally, incredible student driven activity happened during this year in the areas of mental health, Ethnic Studies and seeking multicultural spaces on our campus. I believe that we will have as strong a culture of driving change next year and, as such, I would like to use CAN as a tool of the community where members from house councils, cultural organizations, student-led movements and unconstituted organizations take the lead. In other work with CAN, I plan to develop a system of recourse with the administration for students to use in the event of a hurtful or oppressive interaction with faculty or staff on the basis of identity. Thank you and I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!

Eugene Lee ’15, Student Bursar

Hello! I’m Eugene and I would like to serve as the next Student Bursar. The Bursar leads SOFC and the Bursar’s Office, is a member of Cabinet and interacts with students, faculty, and the administration to ensure that student organizations are able to financially function. I’ve spent three years on SOFC reading applications and deliberating on policy changes. Additionally, I have two years of experience as a Treasurer and two years as a Bookkeeper, working with organizations to process their forms. While working as Head Bookkeeper this year, I led the implementation of keeping an electronic deposit log and writing deposit receipts, a process that created accountability for the Office and made the system more efficient. If elected, my three goals for the upcoming year are:

To make SOFC and the Office more accessible:

• Make meeting minutes live on the website.

• Include a “How to Fill Out Forms” section in the Treasurer’s Manual to help prevent delays in the processing of forms.

To make SOFC and the Office more approachable:

• Encourage students to join SOFC at the beginning of the semester and visit the Office.

• Ensure that the committee and bookkeepers communicate with student organizations effectively.

To make SOFC and the Office more accountable:

• Conduct an anonymous survey every semester to respond to the needs of the student body.

• Create more dialogue between student organizations and the administration to streamline the funding and reimbursement processes.

I’m excited to be a candidate for Student Bursar and hope to meet you soon!

Adeline Lee ’16, Chair of Communications and CG Finances

Dear Fellow Students,

Thank you for taking the time to read my statement of intent. My name is Adeline Lee, and I am running for the position of Chair of Communications and College Government Finances.

I have been deeply involved in College Government (CG) for the last two years and believe that this experience provides me with a necessary understanding of CG that very few candidates have. During my first year, I served as a Senator and an appointed member of the College Government President’s Council, a committee responsible for promoting CGP goals and thoughtful community dialogue.

I am now the Executive Senator for Tower Court and the Chair of the Senate Policy and Ethics Committee, responsible for maintaining the underlying ethics of CG and for ensuring that its elected members fulfill the duties they were elected to uphold. As Chair, I have become even more in-tune with our college’s internal constitutional procedures and have worked diligently to ensure that various student interests receive the sustained care and attention they deserve.

It is my sincere desire to see the academic and interpersonal experiences of our Wellesley siblings enhanced through the betterment of CG practices; in this regard, I see CG as the essential vessel that must be maintained and streamlined to support the success of our students and larger institution.

I would be honored to have your vote. Above all, I promise you dedication, experience and an enduring passion for representing the interests of our siblings.

Warmest Regards,

Adeline Lee

Alice Yuan ’15, Director of On-Campus Affairs

Hello! My name is Alice Yuan, and I am running for the Director of On-Campus Affairs (DOOCA).  The DOOCA chairs the Schneider Board of Governors (SBOG), which is the college government committee that is responsible for programming campus-wide events that are fun, diverse, and inclusive. We are responsible for Remix, Lake Day, Fall Frenzy, Spring Week and much more. I have been a SBOG member since my first year, and I have served as treasurer for the past year. I would be a strong candidate for DOOCA due to my experiences on SBOG, the Student Organization Funding Committee, and other orgs on campus. As DOOCA, I would focus on increasing dialogue and understanding between the campus and SBOG. I would improve SBOG’s presence on campus through increased communication about our events and better transparency about the planning process. I plan on doing this through writing DOOCA updates on the SBOG Blog on a bi-weekly basis and growing SBOG’s social media presence through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I also plan on sending out more surveys to gauge campus interests and creating channels on Social Media to facilitate conversations between the campus and SBOG. Furthermore, I would work to ensure that SBOG events are accessible, inclusive and fun. It would be an honor to serve as the head of this board and I am very excited to kick start my campaign for DOOCA.

Beth Feldstein ’15, Chair of Political and Legislative Awareness

My name is Beth Feldstein and I am running for CPLA Chair. This year, I’ve gained experience working closely on political issues both as the head of CPLA and as a member of Cabinet.

If re-elected, I will support:

• Multi-partisanship: As CPLA Chair, I will continue to promote a diversity of dialogue. As midterm elections approach, CPLA needs to be proactive in fostering a respectful campus-wide political atmosphere. Elections frequently fracture communities along party lines, but I believe that Wellesley is more than its political divisions.

• Communication: The CPLA Chair is in a unique position to represent a multiplicity of students’ political opinions. However, I believe that the CPLA Chair should also facilitate students’ ability to represent their own concerns. If elected, I will take a more active role in fostering dialogue between administrators and students regarding campus-wide political issues.

• Expansion: Though CPLA’s constitutional mission is to serve as a resource to other political organizations, we have not always fulfilled that task. As a College Government committee, CPLA has the capacity and the obligation to be a better resource to student organizations.

I have absolutely loved serving as your CPLA Chair this year. If re-elected, I would to expand the roles of CPLA and the CPLA Chair position in order to better meet the political needs of the student body. As CPLA Chair, I will strive for the active engagement of CPLA in the Wellesley community to further the goals of multi-partisanship, communication and expansion.