Student Body Elects Eight DC Candidates
Out of 31 initial candidates, lowers Seth Amofa, Graham Guite, Louis Mukama, Nahla Owens, Senai Robinson, Kilin Tang, Meredith Thomas and Marymegan Wright have advanced onto the next round of the Discipline Committee (DC) selection process through a school-wide election held on Tuesday.
After an extensive selection process which will include interviews with members of the DC, a number of candidates will be chosen to serve on the committee to alleviate the burden on current upper and senior Committee members, who have been “working overtime” this term, according to senior and DC member Euwie Park, because of students that are either abroad or have left the Committee to serve other commitments.
As a result, the Committee has not yet decided how many candidates will be selected to serve on the DC. According to Dean of Residential Life Dean Carol Cahalane, the number will depend upon the Committee’s needs and the availability of the people who are chosen, including any plans to be away next year.
Throughout their campaigns, many candidates chose to highlight qualities such as empathy and reliability. “My main platform [was] tailoring the consequences to the individual, keeping in mind their experiences, being empathetic towards them and realizing that everyone has their own struggles but also focusing on giving people room to grow,” preliminary candidate and lower Alana Yang said.
Wright acknowledged that students with discipline cases may be dealing with external problems and wanted to be a resource for those students. “I would hope that I could be a person that [students] feel comfortable with and know that [the case] is going to be completely confidential,” Wright said.
Robinson hopes to gain a more holistic view of the process and to judge cases from the student’s perspective. “If [I were] sitting in front of a group of my peers, admitting to my mistake, not knowing what course of action would follow [and] knowing how hard it [had been] to get into this school,” Robinson said, “I would be scared to think of losing my position here.”
Current Discipline Committee member and upper Tise Okeremi stressed the importance of student members in the discipline process. “You speak on these issues as a student, as a fellow Exonian,” she said. “We’re really all about how the student can grow and how we can help them.”
Similarly, senior Matthew Kang, another DC member, expressed that “while students aren’t allowed to be a part of the final vote, our voices are heard and taken into account.”
Wright focused on that specific aspect of the role. “My goal was to appeal to the student audience. Especially as a student DC [candidate], that’s [whom] you’re trying to help. You are a student, and you’re trying to appeal to the faculty as a student,” she said.
Yang noticed similarities in candidate platforms, and noted that students all promise to “listen to [the student on trial’s] story, and understand what’s causing them to do what they do and see their growth over time.” At the elections booth, students audibly expressed confusion over who to vote for because of the lack of diversity in thought.
The high volume of candidates this year was unusual, leading some to question their true motives. “People literally go up to you and say that they’re doing this for college,” Yang said. “That’s kind of upsetting.”
Amofa decided to run because of his concern for his peers. “I really like talking to people and have always been interested in getting to know people on a friendly level,” he said. “I think it’s nice for us humans to have a warm welcome for others.”
Robinson’s dedicated interest in the discipline process compelled him to run. “Ever since I was a prep, I just wanted to be involved in this process. I wanted to be there for actual people,” Robinson said.
Even before the nominees were announced, Kang expressed trust in the many candidates. “I have full confidence that the new members will do a great job,” Kang said.
Okeremi agreed and expressed her determination to include the best possible students in the committee. “I really care a lot about [the DC], and I want people who I know will help this system and are in it for the right reasons,” she said.
The eight nominees will advance to the final selection process, in which students and faculty on the DC will choose the five students who will join them for the next two years. Once elected, the students will begin to fully participate in cases by the fall of their upper year.