The Thelomathesian Society election began earlier this week, and it seems like it would be the perfect time to introduce the student body to this semester’s candidates! Below you will find a picture and name of each candidate, as well as the position for which the individual is running for. They have also provided a brief candidate statement.
Dean Brooker: President
I have learned how to herd cows and sheep. I have debated with many CEO’s of the biggest companies in South Africa regarding the future of my country. I have sold pieces of the broken famous St Francis Bay bridge to raise money for cancer. I have played squash for St. Lawrence University through snowstorms and sunshine. I have helped a friend move into his new dorm, in minus 20 degree weather. All of the above are completely true. I am looking to change the big things, not the small. If we are going to do something together, we may as well go big. If you are looking to not make small change, I am not your man, but if you are looking to make big change together, vote Dean for president.
Johanna Sherman: President
I am dedicated to the betterment of the SLU community through continued mental health and Title IX initiatives. I plan to work closely with Title IX Coordinator Lindsey Cohen in order to hear and voice the needs of the student body and explain the complexities of Title IX code.
Dexter Seeley: Vice President of Senate Affairs
Hello! My name is Dexter Seeley, and I am a sophomore government major here at St. Lawrence University. I have been a member of Thelmo for three semesters and have been an active member of both the Student Life Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee. As a member of the Student Life Committee, I have rigorously worked to improve the wellness of our campus and its students. I have been involved with efforts to improve mental health through days of wellness and making sure important events like Fall Fest, Spring Fest and Carnival run smoothly. As a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, I have worked to make sure the clubs and organizations on our campus are able to fund their activities and this past spring I helped to increase many of the budgets for clubs from last year to this year. I am also a member of the Civic Dialogue Fellowship. This fellowship works to encourage communication between different groups of people across divides of race, gender, religion and political affiliation. Within this program, we have spent time learning how to facilitate conversations, and this semester our program ran a dinner dialogue and spent time with several government classes to discuss important issues in a productive environment. I am also a student athlete, as a member of the football team, and I am proficient at balancing my schoolwork with a variety other time commitments. As vice president of senate affairs, it will be my responsibility to make sure the Senate runs smoothly and efficiently and to be knowledgeable on all aspects of Thelmo’s constitution. As a member of CDF, I have learned how to be a bipartisan facilitator and will use these skills as Vice President. In addition, as Vice President, I want to play a more active role with the SLUSAF organizations and increase their participation in Thelmo through incentives and will work to bolster the relationships between majority white clubs and majority BIPOC clubs on campus by initiating more events that have these clubs and organizations working together.
Lucien d’Aversa: Vice President of Senate Affairs
A vote for me is a vote to change Thelmo, to make it the most invested and direct government yet. A vote for me is a vote to be heard, represented and supported fully. My agenda is to Change the SLUSAF Fund so that the entire thing is split 80/20 among clubs with funding and those who don’t to support new clubs. Also, a minimum of 25 percent of the budget would go solely to events that support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I also want Thelmo to only be able to contribute 40-50 percent of the total cost so that clubs will have to budget as much as we have to. Getting money from the Contingency would mean that similar to a producer of films, we get a say in the project so that is it up to St. Lawrence standard, promotes DEI, and reaches the entire student body. This would mean the development of an oversight board on projects we fund. I also want to train all senators, committee heads, and e-board Members into student resources so that students can come to us with whatever issues they have, and we can support them, like a student on student advising. This would also mean all senators need to be advocates trained, we can’t be student leaders if we can’t help with the problems they face. I would like to make Thelmo open, have students sit in on meetings, and have live streams of our meetings so that Students can watch and see what we vote on, no more closed doors, this government will be open and transparent. I want more office hours, and I vow to spend as much time as I can in the Thelmo office so that people can come in, talk, vent, discuss and always be heard and helped.
Pedro Yupa: Vice President of Senate Affairs
My name is Pedro, and I am a sophomore at St. Lawrence University. I am the right candidate for this position for the reason that I am dedicated, passionate and able to work collaboratively amongst others for the purpose of bettering the needs of the student body. Over the course of my first year at SLU I’ve been a part of the E- board for La Sociadad as a Thelmo representative, but found myself actively working with the E-board on every aspect not just being a representative of the club. I was diligently involved in matters of the club, budgeting and spending, helping manage club events to even helping update our club’s constitution. This has led me to acquire these skills which I think the VP position is perfect to practice and develop new skills. I have also been a part of the budget committee where I found myself having to advocate for the BIPOC clubs regarding funding. I am running to have a more diverse E-Board and being a voice to the minority group of the student body. One of my other goals is to narrow the gap between Thelmo and the student body so that we can work collaboratively and effectively represent the needs of the students. A position I want to work in is making SLU more environmentally friendly and have made some plans to do so and with the help of other senators and Junior executive board specifically the Environmental Affairs Chair feel confident in making this possible.
Kimberly Bravo: Vice President of University Relations
Hey! I’m Kimberly and as your Vice President of University Relations I will tirelessly work towards communicating our needs to university officials. I will work with the school to provide more equitable mental health resources and to place an emphasis on recognizing our environmental impact. As a former Thelmo senator, I have repeatedly witnessed the pleas of the student body to access more mental health resources. It is evident that not only do we need more resources, but we must also figure out how to make them more readily accessible within our busy schedules. I will ensure that multiple perspectives about mental health are collected from a variety of demographics on campus. Although Thelmo is already a part of the conversation to assist our SLU students, I will underscore the necessity for improved and immediate resources, especially for underrepresented students. In addition, given the current environmental state of the world, it is imperative that we take collective action to be conscious of our own positionality to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation on campus. Last year, as a member of the Environmental Affairs subcommittee, my committee and I worked on numerous projects that involved SLU students and the communities around us. These projects aimed to highlight ongoing environmental justice efforts, and emphasized voices from affected communities. Similarly, I am eager to explore my own personal endeavors that will aim to decrease the stress of academics while also immersing students into the outdoors. I have the necessary experience to excel at being your Vice President of University Relations because of my unwavering ability to advocate the needs and wants of all our students.
Caitlyn Hone: Vice President of University Relations
I hope to focus on the safety of students on campus, as well as the accessibility and quality of student life. I plan to do this by bringing the attention of inaccessible areas, especially when it snows, to the school as well as focusing on the Title IX training and education of all aspects of what it entails. Through this I hope to make campus a safer and more fun environment.
Nina Spinney: Secretary
I will work hard to promote transparency across campus with THELMO’s spending, meetings, goals and initiatives. I will work to encourage more students to learn about what THELMO does and how more students can get involved.
Allee Mack: Secretary
I am a Junior Government Major, History Minor, and recent transfer student from Marietta, NY. As a member of the Thelmo Exec Board, I plan to rebuild the relationship between Thelmo and the student body by increasing transparency and partnering with more campus groups. My agenda concentrates on promoting eating disorder awareness and support on campus through events and programs, collaborating with the Title IX Coordinator to work with Greek Life and Theme Houses at creating a dialogue on sexual health, and reinventing the Thelmo Newsletter to increase student engagement. As a member of the Thelmo Exec Board, I promise to listen to the student body and make decisions as a student first, and a member of Thelmo second.