As the new Freshman Class President I would like to take a moment to discuss my role in student government as well as what actions I am going to be taking to represent the freshman class both effectively and positively throughout my term. My formulation of a new outlook on leadership as well as my plans to enhance the freshman students’ experiences will provide the freshman class with a promising first year.
My role as the Freshman Class President is to not only represent the freshman class as a whole during student government meetings but also to enrich the freshman class by promoting a type of leadership that is often unused. My leadership style was inspired by a simple quote said by Dr. Hamden L. Forkner, the founder of the organization Future Business Leaders of America: “Leadership is not the ability to lead others. Leadership is the ability to get others to lead themselves.”
The method of leadership that Dr. Forkner expresses in this quote is what I like to call “Facilitating Leadership,” and I have been studying this method since my freshman year of high school. This approach to leadership reconsiders the usual methods of dictatorship and replaces it with the attitude of promoting self-growth among the individuals in the freshman class through direct communication with representatives.
My role as the class president is to lead with the mindset of being the hand that pushes the freshman class in the right direction instead of picking the class up and placing them at the destination. This is where the word “facilitating” comes into action. I crave to know what my classmates think about issues and what the freshman student body would do in my position. The involvement of the students in the decision making processes throughout the year will encourage students to engage fully in what is happening on campus.
Students should be passionate about leading their school in a positive direction and I want to pave the roadway to that ideology. “Facilitating Leadership” ensconces the idea of self-discovery for both the representatives and the student body. This unique leadership tactic is the solution to closing the gap between the student government and the student body, and I am going to ensure that “Facilitating Leadership” will be ensconced in my responsibilities as the Freshman Class President.
If “Facilitating Leadership” is demonstrated correctly by the representatives and me the freshman class will have the ability to create an incredible social and scholastic atmosphere that will be present for the remainder of our time here at Tech. The Freshman Leadership Organizations (FLO’s) are working diligently to create a fun-filled agenda for the freshman class that includes a variety of events that the freshman representatives and I will be working on during our terms. I am determined to work closely with these organizations as they plan the beginning of some of the best memories of your freshman year at Tech.
Lastly, I want to constantly improve the communication between the freshman class and their representatives. It is so crucial that students recognize that we are the class’ servants throughout our terms as representatives. Students will be made aware of meet-and-greet events, open forums and student government meetings where organizations need to be represented in order to have bills passed.
Contact information will be at the disposal of every freshman student, and I strongly encourage everyone to get in contact with the representatives. As representatives, frequent communication will allow us to fulfill our duties to the best of our ability. We also charge the freshman class with holding representatives accountable and to provide representatives with solutions on how to better represent the freshman class as a whole.
Again, thank you so much for your support and I can assure you I will be representing you to the best of my ability in every way. I am looking forward to having a personal relationship with every freshman.