A Peek at ASC: 2021-2022

By: Bryn Heikes                                                                                                              

The newly-elected student government is fired up and ready to make changes during the next school year, specifically tackling issues like the George Fox University (GFU) alcohol policy and campus safety. 

Efforts will be led by junior Micah Mensing, next year’s student body president. Mensing is accustomed to holding positions on student government; he served as a student representative during both his freshman and sophomore years. He said, “I have always had a passion for student politics and working to represent students, their interests, and their opinions. I also felt like I had the right experience where I would be able to not only connect with students but also put their hopes and wants into real action.” 

Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMOCQyChyMW/?igshid=pkkdj3623ewi

The first few items on the agenda include changing policies and ramping up safety efforts, according to Mensing. “I hope to first of all change the alcohol policy. I also want to work on student safety on campus, working on getting new lights in the canyon and giving student access to building lobbies in the case of an emergency.”

Mensing will be working closely with Junior Class Representative Everett Dowdy, who also hopes to overturn the standing policies concerning alcohol. Dowdy said, “In the student life addendum, it says if you are over the age of 21 and a GFU student you can’t drink. We actually started a conversation last year about doing away with that, and making it so legal adults can drink off-campus.” This proposition, called the Alcohol Subcommittee Policy, would need the entire board’s approval before it was passed, but the student government is ready to fight for it.  

Dowdy also shares Mensing’s concern about campus safety: “I definitely want to get a lot of safety protocols reevaluated and rechecked. For instance, the blue boxes around campus aren’t working well.” 

The Senior Class Representative next year, Malachai Tamminga, has a slightly different agenda. He said, “I really just want to keep people in the loop, and really listen to what they have to say. I hope to be able to learn from other people’s experience, understand where they are coming from, and then convey that accurately to the student government and administration.”

Overall, this new leadership is ready to bring about change to the GFU campus next fall. 

For those with questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of these representatives.