Academy Holds Assembly with Governor Sununu and Governor Lamont

Governors Ned Lamont (Connecticut) and Chris Sununu (New Hampshire) speaking at assembly. Austin Desisto / The Exonian

By TEDDY CAPOZZI, ERIN HAN, LILY RAMPE, and ROXANE PARK

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, students and faculty alike filed into the Assembly Hall holding an excited silence. Security in crisp suits and photographers on standby flanked the stage, as Principal William Rawson ‘71 introduced New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont ‘72. 

The open dialogue was moderated by co-heads of the Democrat and Republican clubs. Casting a wide range of questions, moderators and audience members probed the governors on current issues ranging from opioids and immigration to public school curriculums and the upcoming presidential election. 

This night represents a culmination of extensive planning between student leaders and Rawson. “The idea was first proposed by Governor Lamont and we were delighted when Governor Sununu enthusiastically agreed to participate,” Rawson shared. “I met with the student leaders to go over the format, but they then came up with the questions.” 

Democratic Club co-head and upper Beverly Oleka described the preparations on the student side of the event, including a meeting between the co-heads of both partisan clubs. “That Sunday, we came together for an hour to two hours,” she said. “We worked on the questions, figured out the order, who was gonna say what, edited it, and then sent it out to the advisors to review and then we sent it out to the Governor’s secretaries to review.” Referring to the contents of the questions, Oleka added, “I was really interested in making sure that we’re being very transparent in our questions…The topics of the questions can sometimes come across as very strong, but I think it’s really important to not shy away from those types of questions, especially when it involves really pressing issues that are important to this timeframe.”

Republican Club co-head and upper CJ Smith felt that this discussion between the governors filled a political discussion void on campus. “A lot of assembly speakers have kind of echoed similar ideas or talked about similar topics and we really wanted to get a discussion going between a conservative and liberal.” Smith’s words speak to the general loathe students feel towards assembly. Having discourse could prove to increase student engagement and excitement for future assemblies. 

Rawson agreed that students had much to learn from attending the assembly. “Starting with understanding how serving as chief executive of a state differs from serving in Congress. Observing the governors’ mutual respect despite clear policy differences on several issues… Hearing Governor Sununu talk about empathy and being curious about why others might think differently. Simply observing closely two Governors in action.” 

In addition, Rawson mentioned his hope that students will carry lessons from the event beyond the realm of politics. “I hope the assembly gave all students a lot to think about, with respect to specific issues but also with respect to how we explore issues together in our Harkness classrooms.”

Student reactions revealed that witnessing this conversation was both informative and engaging. “I thought it was really interesting and kind of entertaining at some points,” lower Lexie Sebastian said. 

“I thought some of the questions were passive-aggressive, but in a good way. I think there were a lot of things in that room that people were waiting for them to address, I am glad they did,” lower Ezra Segal added. “In my opinion, Sununu was more prominent in the assembly - many of his answers were genuinely unique and stuff you wouldn’t hear from many Republican politicians.”

Currently, the administration has no plans for a similar assembly, but positive student reactions haven’t gone unnoticed. “I thought the format with two speakers from different perspectives offering unscripted remarks worked quite well and was engaging to the audience,” Rawson said. “We could do this on other subjects besides politics. I felt there was a lot of energy and interest in the room.” 

Segal agreed. “I’d absolutely enjoy more assemblies like this. It’s great to see people who are on the front lines of issues we care about and who can offer unique perspectives into politics that we can only get by hearing directly from the leaders themselves.”

Although students may have to wait for another similar assembly, those keen on politics may have more opportunities within Exeter. With election season pulsing closer, students can expect to see candidates coming through the town of Exeter. For example, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley visited last February, and Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson will be coming to Water Street Bookstore on Oct. 2. 

After the event, dozens of students gathered around the two governors, eager to introduce themselves, ask their own questions and possibly capture an Instagram-worthy selfie. “Clearly the students would have liked to have had more time with the governors,” Rawson said, “which tells me interest was high and the assembly a success.”

“I am really proud of what we’ve accomplished and how the assembly turned out to be,” Oleka acknowledged. “I don’t know about the entire student body, but in both our respective clubs we all have other activities and events that we’re planning to host. As for now, for the big student body, we haven’t been notified of [anything] yet.”