StuCo Executive Board Addresses Community at Morning Assembly

Alex Lim / The Exonian

BY ARYAN AGARWAL, CHLOÉ LIND, and JAYDEN OH

    On Tuesday, Oct. 8, students packed the Assembly Hall, the beat of Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” filling the room. Student Council President Cam Khater, Vice President Anna Holtz, and Co-Secretaries Lauren Lee and Kyle Kennedy’s (the 2024-25 Executive Board) all stood on the stage as they welcomed the student body to the annual Student Council Assembly. With catchy music, notecards under the benches, a funny video, and sweet Exeter bars and donuts afterward, this year’s assembly was filled with fun while also conveying some critical ideas about the upcoming goals of the council.

    Student Council, one of the largest clubs on campus, is composed of various committees: Recreation, Student Life, Mental Health, Treasury, Policy, Technology, Public Relations, Elections, and Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI). The Student Council committees are composed of students passionate about bettering the Exeter experience across all aspects of life on campus. From free Boba tea in Grill to electing the next Prep representative, the Student Council works in close collaboration with the Exeter administration to ensure that all Exonians are having an equitable, accessible, and most importantly, enjoyable time at Exeter.

    The annual assembly is meant to give the Student Council a closer connection to the general student population and to inform Exeter about its umbrella goals for the year. In the past, Executive boards have held conversations with administration among other things, but this year, Student Council shifted their traditional approach to something more conventional. In an interview with The Exonian, Khater said, “a lot of students want more engaging content from the Student Council. Rather than more about the school, we thought they wanted to learn more about how the student council functions and our goals. We were trying not to be too overbearing by the length of the assembly and we think we were able to keep the thin line.”

    Regarding past years, Khater added, “As the Student Council went through lots of meetings with Principal Rawson and Deans, we think that the length of the assembly is arbitrary. We also had donuts and sweets because we prioritized students enjoying being interested in what StuCo does.”

    “I think it was one of the best assemblies we’ve had so far this year,” said Kennedy’s. “In terms of accomplishing our goals for the assembly, we had the idea to do the index card suggestions. The night prior, Anna [Holtz] and I spread out the index cards throughout Assembly Hall. We had figured out a system where we knew some students would be informed, and we wanted them to be a part of the student engagement theme of the assembly.

    The idea definitely came through.” Kennedy’s continued to share how he believes students appreciated the concise and high-impact nature of the assembly, as well as how the sweet treats on the Academic Quad afterwards had a positive impact: “We focused a lot on the fun aspect of what StuCo can look like. Having donuts and Exeter bars can be a great surprise. Student council assemblies in the past may have been a bit less interesting to the general student body, but I think having a funny video this year was a good choice, showing that StuCo wants to make sure that students are happy.”

    Lower Dani Méndez reflected the same sentiment, saying, “This year’s Executive Board took a more humorous and entertaining approach. I remember last year, Exec hosted a sit-down interview with Principal Rawson. While both sessions were informative, I think this year’s assembly provided a more basic and general understanding of the Board’s plans.”

    Apart from the assembly itself, the Exec Board brought thoughts regarding their messages and missions for the upcoming school year. The assembly and the Exec Board in general have expressed a newfound focus on fun, and more importantly, bringing a strong sense of community onto campus. Regarding this mission, Khater said, “We value the necessity and the benefits of fun. Students need to have fun to de-stress and socialize. We all need it in our lives.”

    In response to some concerns about the seriousness of this mission and how much effort it will take away from more “important” issues, Khater clarified that “This is just one of the big goals of this year’s Student Council. We were lucky enough to delegate some people to handle fun initiatives, but this is not the sole focus.”

    Kennedy’s echoed this stance: “I would say that having fun and making sure fun is a part of campus is just as important as other Student Council missions. Having fun as an initiative is going to allow us to have a strong community because people get to know each other better by having fun together. It’s a serious initiative, and the Exec Board is working diligently to move forward with it.”

    In the context of the Council’s ongoing effort to reform the Core Values Project (CVP) program on campus to equalize the quality and mission of each project, Khater said, “Our CVP-focused initiatives are not strictly on CVP. It is about how we can make required appointments too lumped together. From our talk with Dean Taylor, our goal is to have a healthy mix of free time. Having food at the quad, giving free time, etc. is vital in everyday life.”

    “[As of now,] I see student’s approach to CVP as a race to the bottom,” Khater continued. “It is, of course, in self-interest to have more free time, but this devalues the other core values of the project. There is no promise on numbers or formats for CVP. Our goal is to be a part of this and positively influence the student body as Student Council members.”

    Kennedy’s discussed the council’s relation and collaboration with Exeter administration regarding the same CVP initiative. “I look forward to working with them,” he said. “We’ve already met with Dr. Bramlett and the new Dean of Students, just recently, about CVP. It was a lovely conversation.”

    He added, “In terms of obstacles, I think the best thing we can do is compromise. Let’s say we aren’t able to agree on certain things or we’re not able to get our first proposal passed. I think we should go back to the student council, rework it, maybe come up with alternative ideas that faculty would be in favor of, and then show it to them. It’s just all about being able to adapt to how you go about things.”

    “In terms of a more overall scale, I think the faculty aren’t opposed to having fun,” Kennedy’s reflected. “It’s just that they also have to keep in mind the fact that Exeter as an institution has its rules in place for a variety of different reasons.”

    The Student Council’s annual assembly is one that is highly anticipated since the first day of each school year. Tuesday’s assembly brought students together and inspired aspiring Student Council members to get involved. Making it happen took countless hours of preparation, dedication, and an unrelenting sense of non sibi. The Student Council organization itself—Tuesday meetings at 8 p.m. and all is a testament to the members’ dedication in bettering the Exeter experience for all students.