StuCo Presidential Candidate Q&A: Joel Lotzkar, Wentworth Hall

Why do you want to be StuCo president?

I am running to be Student Council president as I am grateful for my Exeter experience and would like to give back by helping make PEA better for all Exonians.  As president, I will address students’ ideas and issues with school faculty & administration and implement positive changes on campus.

What are the ideal qualities of the StuCo president and why do you think you fulfill these ideals?

The ideal qualities of a StuCo president are experience, a clear vision, good leadership skills, approachability and openness to others.  I have been involved in StuCo since prep year (I also served as a Lower Rep and this past year, Secretary of the Exec Board). I believe that my platform (which includes increasing academic support and workload consistency on campus, improving health and wellness of students, boosting school spirit and extending the dhall hours) can benefit every Exonian. My peers respect me as I am friendly and approachable and I always welcome any new ideas and thoughts. 

What policies do you hope to implement? Why?

If elected, I would firstly like to make academic support more accessible on campus by implementing a dorm by dorm peer tutoring system with longer hours at night.  This would be more convenient for students, not only in terms of location but time-wise as well, given that regular Peer Tutoring is only in the Academic Support building from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  I would also look into workload and grading disparities between teachers to see if anything can be done; I feel that workload and grading should be more consistent, so that one student is not having a much more difficult workload as compared to another student in the same course.

Secondly, I am looking to improve school spirit by creating a new Spirit Committee in Student Council, which would be responsible for: (a) Organizing E/a Pep Rallies (including having a real Spring E/a Pep Rally) and spirit weeks and (b) Assisting Rec Committee with organizing weekend activities and helping PR Committee with promoting both sports and arts events on campus.

Thirdly, I am hoping to find ways to improve everyone’s dhall experience, through extending dhall hours for athletes and other students, upgrading the food offerings and establishing and publicizing the dhall app.

And lastly, I will continue to focus on improving Exonians’ mental health and wellness on campus. Health Center counseling appointments could be arranged for new students at the start of the school year, so students would be more familiar with the Health Center and the services it provides. In addition, I would try to implement one ‘Wellness Day’ in the school year, a time when there students can take a break and learn more about improving overall health & wellness and maintaining a proper work life balance. 

Do you have any comments about the outgoing administration?

I believe that Rebecca and Jun have done a great job this year. They (along with the Policy co-heads Henrietta Reily and Tony Ryou) have pushed hard for a new Visitations Policy that makes sense, and they worked hard to bring more awareness for mental health and wellness on campus, through open forum assemblies and StuCo discussions earlier on this year. It was a pleasure serving the Exeter community with them.

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?

I have had more experience in Student Council than any of the other candidates. I served as Lower Rep where I, along with two others, organized successful events and class gear.  This past year I was Secretary on the Exec Board and had good exposure to working with the president and vice president and learning how Student Council is run. I am involved in different activities on campus, ranging from varsity sports to ESSO clubs like EWCC, Relay for Life, Stage (Jazz) Band and International Student Orientation. I can therefore, better represent the student body and can help address any concerns they may have. I am very approachable and open minded, work well with others and have the passion and commitment to lead the Student Council next year. I will ensure that communication at StuCo is transparent so that all can be kept aware of and participate in decisions affecting the student population at Exeter.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Having been a Lower Rep and Secretary on the Exec Board, I know how StuCo works and have the most experience out of any of the candidates. After talking to many people on campus about my platform, I believe that my points are achievable and would bring a positive change to our school. Ultimately, my job as president is to serve StuCo and the Exeter student body; I am approachable and open to others’ ideas and concerns. I urge all Exonians to take the election seriously and vote for whoever would do the best job as our StuCo president. Thank you and I look forward to your support next week!