The Role of Student Government
Reported by: Ashleigh Scheuneman
Meredith Green, student body president at George Fox University (GFU), hopes to bridge the gap between students and administration via the Associated Student Community (ASC).
“I’ve already noticed that there is a small disconnect with what students want and what administration thinks they want, and it’s just from a lack of communication. I want to fix that,” said Green. “I think it’s a big step and it’s a big goal, because for it to be a tangible thing takes a lot of work. But I think that’s my main goal. Just to take the right steps and right channels of communication.”
Green came to GFU from Texas in search of a Christian setting in which to pursue a degree in biology. She said, “I wanted to go somewhere else for college and expand my way of thinking and grow on my own away from my family. I didn’t want to be in Texas, and I knew that a bio degree would be even more challenging if it wasn’t in a Christian setting.”
In addition to a biology major, Green is pursuing a philosophy minor.
“My sophomore year I took an intro to philosophy class and I absolutely loved it, because it stretched me in ways I didn’t even really consider I needed to be stretched in,” Green said. “I declared it as a minor after two weeks of being in the class. It was a break from the normal track my brain was on.”
It wasn’t until her junior year that Green decided to join student government. A self-declared pet peeve of hers is complaint without action. As a junior class representative, Green felt she could “make a tangible difference” in ASC.
After becoming a class representative, Green said she was encouraged by a previous student body president to pursue the presidency herself.
Green said: “I was able to ask a lot of questions. I wanted to represent people I talked to, friends, and even people I didn’t talk to. I treated it as an opportunity to grow in talking to people I usually wouldn’t talk to, so that’s why I initially ran and applied.”
However, fulfilling the role of student body president is not as easy as Green makes it look. Green said that it requires a lot of emailing, listening, and “bridging the disconnect between administration and students.”
“It’s a difficult tightrope to walk between listening to the loudest voice and the most voices, and listening to all voices,” Green said with a smile. “I want to be the person that effectively communicates a wide range of views to administration, and also to help administration communicate to the masses.”
Green said that her job as president is to represent everyone’s views despite any conflicting personal views she may have.
She said: “Feelings are valid. I represent that, even though I don’t necessarily agree with everyone’s view.”
Another personal goal of Green’s is to listen to understand. She said that it’s easy for people to hear, but for nothing to come of the discussion. Green said she thinks it’s her role in ASC to “listen to actively understand,” a phrase that seems to sum up Green’s stance.
Green said she is particularly excited about the recent formation of subcommittees.
“Subcommittees are slowly becoming my favorite thing,” Green said. “I like being able to work towards things, so having such a supportive team is my favorite part.”
Green said that although she often does not have time to talk when stopped on the quad, she is happy to chat over coffee. She also said that if students have concerns, they can talk to their class representatives or email her personally.
In a world of political turmoil, Meredith Green’s goals of listening and taking action suggest a bright future for GFU.