Freshman Senate members reflect on their first semester in office

At Point Loma Nazarene University, four first-year students have taken on leadership roles in the Associated Student Body (ASB) Student Senate, working on key campus issues and initiatives that aim to improve student life.

Natalia Cole, Weston Van Soest, December Jones and Kylie Przybylowski bring fresh energy and perspectives to the Student Senate. They said they are excited about the opportunity but the election process was quick.

Senate has four representatives from each grade who ensure student voices are heard, according to Kenzie Lopez, a third-year dietetics major and ASB vice president. 

Lopez is responsible for chairing and holding weekly Senate meetings. She also acts as a bridge between the Student Senate and the ASB Board of Directors. 

“They have the opportunity to lay out any feedback or concerns regarding campus life and get to work with different higher-ups, such as [Vice President for University Services] Jeff Bolster,” Lopez said. 

For these four first-years, getting involved in student government was an opportunity to build on their previous experiences in leadership. 

“In high school, I was really interested in being involved in everything I could so I could make a difference on campus,” Van Soest, a media communication major, said. “I think it made my experience a lot better, and I really enjoyed the feeling of knowing I had a voice that mattered, so that was my motivation for doing the same in college.”

December Jones, a nursing major, said she was on ASB throughout high school. 

“I loved serving on the student body and getting input and planning events,” Jones said. “This [was] my way to join in and hopefully get a position in ASB.” 

Before campaigning, the first-years were required to attend an informational meeting about the election during Welcome Week, where they were informed that the election would take place that same week. Students could campaign through word-of-mouth or social media posts. 

“My friends and I in the hall made a campaign video where I was a boxer and I was fighting Point Loma’s problems,” Van Soest said. “I had a Rocky Balboa theme song in the back and it was super funny.”

Candidates were also required to provide their name, a photo and a short biography of themselves on why they wanted to run for Student Senate, according to Lopez. 

16 first-years ran for Senate this year, with 228 votes from the grade overall, Lopez said. 

“It’s so fast-paced,” Lopez said. “We want to still have it that way because we want the Student Senate meetings rolling right off the bat within the first semester.”

Van Soest said he thinks it would be more beneficial to wait for the second or third week of school to hold elections. 

“I think it might be a bit flawed having the very first week be the week that you vote on people who make a big difference on campus,” Van Soest said. “That way, we know who each other are a little bit more; you don’t really know any of the candidates other than the campaigning they have done and maybe the few limited conversations you had with them.”

Cole, a business major, said she thought that the tight time constraint did not give students enough time to get to know the candidates. 

“I don’t think people can get that good of a read on you within the first week of school,” Cole said. “I think they should have an interview instead of having people vote – but we have a really good group of four freshmen this year, so it worked out.”

For the other candidates, this was seen as an opportunity to branch out. 

“I think it’s good because that is when you are really starting to get to know people; it opens up ways for you to get to know different kinds of people that you didn’t know you would meet,” Jones said. “Everyone is there [at the Welcome Week events] at the same time.” 

Kylie Przybylowski, an environmental science major, said that she still talks to many of the people she interacted with while campaigning.

“Some people just call me ‘Senator’ because that was their first impression of me [since] voting was during Welcome Week and I had to go around to get votes from people I had never met before,” Przybylowski said.

Przybylowski ran for a position alongside her roommate, Cole. 

“I didn’t know if she got it, so I didn’t want to be excited in front of her. I kept it on the down low until I heard a giant scream upstairs in our room which told me that she got it, too – then, I was excited and happy,” Przybylowski said.

Once elected, each senator was put into a different committee: Sustainability, Physical and Mental Health, Diversity and Governance and Documents. 

“They have autonomy to do whatever as long as it fits [within] the needs of the students on campus,” Lopez said. 

Student senators hold meetings on Mondays once a week to address or share any feedback they have received from peers across campus. 

“[We are working] to get more napkins out in the Caf,” Jones said, who is on the Physical and Mental Health Committee with Van Soest. “I did talk to the Caf Executives who run and organize it, so they are working on fixing that. Another thing I want to fix is getting more school spirit, particularly at volleyball games.”

They have also have done things like add more sand to the volleyball court by Hendricks Hall, as well as more serious acts such as hosting academic events to inspire broadening perspectives. 

“We recognize different racial groups and ethnicities on campus,” Cole, who’s on the Diversity Committee, said. “November is Native American Heritage Month, so we [hosted] a Kumeyaay indigenous people viewing event in the Arc.”

Przybylowski is on the Sustainability committee, which focuses on all things environmentally friendly – from electric bikes to composting. 

“I plan to represent by being a listening ear, hearing their [student’s] problems and bringing them to someone of authority,” she said. 

As the year progresses, the Senate members said they are working to plan winter and spring events for the student body and lead like Jesus Christ. 

“We are trying to make a difference, but ultimately, our goal is to bring everyone closer to God,” Van Soest said. “If that’s our center for every meeting, then it’s just a great place to be; I find a lot of comfort in knowing that we are serving one ultimate purpose, which is honoring the Lord.”