Student Council met on Sunday to discuss the annual ‘Caught You in the Act (of Kindness)’ initiative, appoint new members to the First-Year Class Committee and vote for the approval of the new Mediterranean Life Club.
Despoina Katsiokali ’27 presented her proposal for the Mediterranean Life Club at the meeting. The club plans to educate the Kenyon community about Mediterranean culture, especially in food, religion and entertainment. Associate Professor of History Nurten Kilic-Schubel will serve as the club’s advisor. The motion to approve the organization passed unanimously.
Student Council appointed new members to the First-Year Class Committee following fall campaigns from the candidates and a vote from first-years. The Council named Henry Fuerstenberg ’28 as vice president, Anna Sugg ’28 as communications coordinator, Margot Manning ’28 as Safety and Wellness Committee representative and Lauren Karg ’28 as Gund Hall representative. First-Year Class President Amelia Russell ’28 also said she plans to appoint additional members of the class of 2028 to the First-Year Academic Affairs, Buildings, Grounds and Sustainability, Student Life and Housing and Dining committees, in addition to appointing at-large representatives.
The Council also discussed this year’s iteration of Caught You in the Act (Of Kindness), an initiative to recognize students who demonstrate exemplary care and consideration for their peers. A form collecting submissions was emailed to the student body on Monday and will close on Sunday at 12 p.m. Students who are recognized for their acts of kindness will be emailed soon after with details of how to receive their prizes.
Maddie Vandeberg ’25 of the Safety and Wellness Committee then announced other upcoming wellness projects. For example, she stated that Peer Health Educators will be working on a collection of videos about Peirce Dining Hall food hacks, as well as a set of informational coasters on safer drinking tips for use at Flats.
Lastly, the Council discussed more contentious issues on campus that it intends to address in the near future. Student Council Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Pilat ’25 met with Associate Professor of Physics and Computing Madeline Wade and Director of the Center for Innovative Pedagogy Joe Murphy as part of an ongoing discussion about AI programming. The Council also acknowledged an influx of concerns about the College’s posting policy from students, and stated that it plans to propose an amendment of this policy to senior staff this week.
This meeting marked the end of new student organization considerations for the semester. The application for new groups will reopen in the spring.
Student Council will next meet Sunday in Chalmers Library room 302 at 7 p.m. All students are welcome to attend either in person or remotely.