Welcome back Milli-bubble! I am so honored and excited to be serving a second term as Student Senate President. With a new school year come new changes and opportunities. One of the changes includes this right here! I will be writing for the Decaturian, keeping the student body up-to-date on what is happening with Student Senate. Also, you guys have the option of submitting any questions, comments, concerns, or deep thoughts to me, and I will work with the Millikin community to supply answers and solutions.
Even though we may not be fully unpacked, this has already turned into a busy start to the new year. Over the summer, a ton of changes and events have already taken place. The first change is our new Interim President Pat White. Since I worked in Decatur this summer, I had the opportunity to meet with him throughout July and August, discussing what students were feeling about everything that has happened or what is to come. Personally, I am beyond ecstatic to have him here at Millikin. I feel as though he is a President that does not really concern the word “Interim” in his title. Within his first 40+ days (yes that’s right, only days) in office, he has gone out of his way to meet the faculty and students that were present. He knows that there is a lot on his plate, but he is more than ready for it. President White is what Millikin needs, and we are so lucky to have him. Welcome home President White!
Of course, the big story of the summer was the release of information regarding the past of one of our professors. Millikin and the Decatur community was flooded with journalists, hoping to catch the next bit of information to blast across the country. However, that is all in the past. Millikin is now moving forward, supporting one of their own.
Within Student Senate, we have been gearing up throughout the summer to discover ways to better serve and represent the students. One of the projects under way, thanks to the Vice President of Academic Affairs Jared Rixstine, is to collect more information on what works with advising and what can be approved. The survey was sent out at the end of last year, but we are still continuing to gather information. Student Senate also has a few more tricks up its sleeves, so stay turned to find out!
Also, we have some positions that are available for people to run for now! Those positions include Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Communication, Tabor Senator, College of Professional Studies Senator, Junior Senator, First Year Senator, and International Senator. If you are interested in running for one of these positions, contact me for more information! Applications are due September 3rd.
Like I said, the new year brings new changes. It also brings us the opportunity to start new. For the first year students, it is a time to start new and discover who they are. For the upperclassmen, it is a chance to put aside all the struggles from last school year and hit the ground running. This is a historic time in Millikin’s history. Change is coming to Millikin. We can either be fearful of it or embrace it. Personally, as a more famous President once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Welcome back and let’s make this a great year!