When Wheaton College’s Student Government Association (SGA) sent out its election results last month, the outcome was surprising — two incoming sophomores, Bryant Davis and Cara Pisani, student body president and vice president, were elected.
“They will, respectively, be the first sophomores to hold their positions in Wheaton College Student Government Association’s 105-year history,” said Zachary Welch, the current student body vice president.
Davis and Pisani served as co-presidents of the freshman class this year. Davis, a history and business economics major, said the two friends have a supportive relationship where their different strengths are emphasized.
Pisani, a psychology and communication double major, agreed. She said that because the two have experience working together, they are fully equipped to handle the role given to them this next school year.
“I view the idea of us stepping into these roles as sophomores as a complete positive,” said Pisani. “ I think it’s important in this role to have a willingness to learn. We’re also looking forward to working with the current student body presidents and members of the current board that have been involved in SGA for years and learning from their experience.”
“Bryant and Cara already have a strong working relationship,” said Marina Ntragatakis, the current student body president. “They are very passionate, hard-working and passionate people, but they are also friendly and approachable.”
Among the changes they hope to implement, Davis and Pisani expressed interest in making the atmosphere of the college more hospitable than it is now. They hope to make spaces on campus more welcoming for conversation, including more seating options, with the ultimate goal of fostering an environment where students can freely interact.
They also talked about changes they hope will be implemented to the Community Covenant during their presidency, such as expediting some of the wording of the covenant. “ The goal is for the Community Covenant to be able to be read, in its fullness, in chapel and to be much more accessible to the student body than it is now,” said Pisani.
This will include revisions to language and be more concise and understandable.
Another shift that will impact their presidency is the inclusion of the SGA Student Senate, a change that was made this year for a new governing body in SGA. They hope that the inclusion of this new section will allow for a more diverse spectrum of voices and opinions across the campus so that SGA might better serve the whole college community.
Overall, they expressed their desire not to implement their ideas of what the college should be but to facilitate dialogue between themselves and the student body — to allow the students to answer that question. They hope, in listening, to create a campus environment at Wheaton where everyone has a voice.
“Historically, SGA has had a culture of humility and servitude towards the student body,” said Davis, referencing the policies they hope to implement. “Ultimately, we love Wheaton and want to continue representing these qualities in every aspect of our leadership.”
SGA already facilitates student feedback and participation. They are reachable by email at student.government@my.wheaton.edu or in person every Wednesday afternoon from 3:45-5:00 p.m. in the Chicago Room of the International Student Program office in the Beamer Student Center, where students can sit in on their meetings.
Davis invited the student body to approach Pisani and himself, as they are interested in hearing from others. “Both of us are very open to being contacted and are looking forward to hearing concerns from the student body,” he said.
“We are here to serve you, so reaching out to us is the best way to start a dialogue between us and the student body.”
