A Farewell From Our President
I hope I am remembered as a friend and someone who anyone could turn to, and not as a president. I want to start by thanking my student body for allowing me to serve you. No matter how big or small of an endeavor, I hope I will be remembered as someone who is always willing to help. The smallest accomplishments have always given me the greatest satisfaction and have made me feel like I have made an impact on this campus.
A student this semester brought to my attention that dining areas had chopsticks infrequently as a choice of eating utensil. I merely sent a few emails and spoke to some people, and within a week, all dining areas had chopsticks available. To this day, there are still chopsticks. A student asked me to update the THELMO environmental stance poster, and we did just that. In the window of the THELMO office, a poster that expresses the ways students can be more environmentally conscious on campus. These two endeavors were not revolutionary, but to a few students, they made a world’s difference. That’s where my greatest satisfaction from the job has come from.
The accomplishments of the 2023 Executive Board of have far exceeded my expectations of what I thought we could achieve. We increased dining service hours on the weekend till 1 a.m. to accommodate late-night studying and food after a night out. I have been involved in alumni giving campaigns, whereby alumni were encouraged to give to clubs, organizations and sports teams that they cared about. We negotiated with the St. Lawrence University to allow alumni to give directly to clubs, organizations and sports teams, which will substantially decrease the financial burden of these entities in the future.
We pushed for increased wages in student employment, and dining service student jobs have been approved to be increased. More student jobs are anticipated to increase in wages sometime next semester. The university cares for the student body more than you know.
The university administration works harder, has more sleepless nights, and spends more hours than you can imagine, giving us -the student body- the experience we receive. Many students feel the administration has it easy, but as someone peering through the cracks as an insider, I can tell every student reading this that the administration works every day for the betterment of our experience. The university administration has the opportunity to revolutionize this institution. In times of economic difficulty, creativity and risk is the name of the game. The administration and board will need to take some risks and be creative in solving the problems before then, and I think the student body will rise when they decide to take risks and be creative.
One of the most important ideas in the world is the idea of moving with the times, and the example of Nokia and Apple can always be used. In the early 2010s, Apple began to focus on an app, touchscreen and user-friendly centered phone, whereas Nokia continued producing a phone that was superior in terms of components, long battery life and durability. Due to the slow response to the market, by the late 2010s, Apple completely dominated the market, and Nokia became absolute. Nokia had to take some risks to respond to what the users wanted. The university must not fall into the trap of being like Nokia.
The proportion of young people who believe a university education is not necessary is on the rise. Universities, including our incredible campus, need to consider taking some risks and finding a way to meet the market’s needs. When the university decides to take a lead, a lead forward, a leap towards a better time, I know the student body will leap right there with them. The students are ready to leap forward.
I am the same person as I was when I entered in January, but my perspective on a million and two different things has changed. I was a boy from South Africa who wore mostly short pants and flip-flops. I wore a full suit more in one month during my role as president than in the previous 20 years of my life. I have had to say the word, no, every single day. I had to wake up on a Friday morning hoping my face or name was not in The Hill News. I have had to wake up early every morning to finish my coursework and train for squash to have enough hours to meet with students whom I needed to help, for the same students to turn around and say I do not care or that my executive board is corrupt.
I have never been angry when students believe I do not care. I just try to work harder. Anger would never build trust, but hard work and moving the university forward will build trust. Throughout my presidency, I have been a normal student. Nothing more, nothing less. The position has not changed who I am, but it has changed my perspective on many things. My perspective on how many sleepless nights the administration has, how a fiscally tight situation creates daunting challenges, and how the future of universities in the United States is at a tipping point.
In my final call to action as your president, I encourage each of you to reflect on the impact of your actions, considering how they can contribute to leaving St. Lawrence in a better state for the students who will arrive here 50 years from now. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you at St. Lawrence. I wish the newly elected executive board well, and I know they will do good things.
As I depart my role, I remind myself I am just a boy from South Africa who enjoys short pants and flip-flops. It will always stay that way.