By Heather Fabritze
Student Life Editor
The Student Government Association’s presidential and vice presidential elections, held Tuesday, March 7, encouraged all members of the Washington College student body to vote for their 2023-24 president and vice president.
The elections for both positions were decided by popular vote, including all four current class years. Students could vote for the candidates of their choosing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Campus Groups.
An email at 5:30 p.m. the day of the election announced the results: sophomore Miranda Parrish won the presidential election and junior Nicole Chimezie won vice president. SGA Parliamentarian senior Maegan White, current SGA President senior Alex May, and Director of Student Engagement Antoine Jordan ’12 confirmed the results.
Provost and Dean of the College and John S. Toll Professor of Business Management Dr. Michael Harvey emphasized the importance of the popular vote in the SGA election.
“These are the two most important student leadership roles on this campus,” Dr. Harvey said. “And every student has an opportunity to have a voice in selecting those two people.”
According to White, there was a 46 percent voter turnout at this year’s election — one of the “highest” WC has had in the past four years. She said that she believes this improvement could be attributed to the lack of contesting for positions in the past and more tabling and campaigning by candidates this year.
To additionally promote candidate platforms, the SGA held a debate on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and a Meet the Candidates night on Monday, March 6.
Dr. Harvey said that while he wishes more of the student body would turn out, he was impressed by the dedication shown by those willing to run for leadership positions.
“I’m just amazed at the degree of commitment that these students who step forward for office show,” Dr. Harvey said. “They are far more accomplished, and mature, and empathetic, and aware of the complexities of life and college than when I was their age. I could have learned a lot from our candidates [when I was in college], so I just have a lot of admiration for them.”
According to May, this amount of commitment is necessary for the roles due to their importance within administration and the greater student body. She also emphasized the necessity of representing student voices.
“These two candidates will be the faces of the SGA for next year, responsible for working with administration and helping to bridge the gap between students and faculty, as well as continuing the projects that the previous executive board has started and continued on,” May said.
Parrish, who as the 2023-24 SGA president will work to facilitate other positions while looking out for student needs, already has her first few goals planned out — acquiring water bottle refill stations for the freshman dorms and working closely with the admissions process.
She also looks forward to building other relationships on campus and expanding the representation of the SGA executive board to members of Greek life, athletes, and non-athletes alike.
“I would love for the SGA to be more than a place of representation,” Parrish said. “I would like it to be a place where students can come to any member and not only feel heard, but feel and believe that their concerns and also what they are passionate about is being followed up with.”
Referencing the College’s new strategic plan, Dr. Harvey said there is a “lot right now for students to care about.”
Currently, WC provides room for growth within leadership positions and opportunities to continue its legacy.
“There is a lot of potential for students to kind of shape the next five years of the College and to make sure that the College grows in ways that matter to students and resonate with student concerns,” Dr. Harvey said. “And to make sure that as we grow, we hold on to things that matter to students.”
Photo courtesy of Miranda Parrish / Elm Archive Photo
Photo Caption: Sophomore Miranda Parrish and junior Nicole Chimezie will serve as the SGA’s president and vice president, respectively.