A Farewell Letter: My Time in Thelmo

I’ve had the privilege to serve St. Lawrence students on Thelmo’s Executive Board for the last three years. I’m immensely proud of the work Thelmo representatives have accomplished to improve the lives of students in recent years, and how much Thelmo itself has progressed.  

When I first joined Thelmo in the fall of 2018, the membership was largely white, domestic students. There was the shared sense that you showed up to the meetings, but beyond that, no other work was required. You weren’t necessarily required to care. Thelmo made little effort to confront institutional problems and instead drifted along week to week. Thanks to our two hundred plus representatives that have cycled through the organization in recent years, we have made massive strides in the areas of mental health, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and simply functioning as a student government that can address the needs of students.  

In the area of mental health, we secured the added position of a full-time counselor and worked with the Dean of Student Life to implement (and fund) the 24/7 crisis hotline. Individual students and groups, such as the Black Laurentian Initiative, have pushed Thelmo to do better and confront racism at all levels of the institution. Through their advocacy, we have created a standing committee, the Examining Systemic Bias Committee, which has analyzed all of Thelmo’s internal structures and practices for bias and racism. Thelmo has adjusted our practices according to the committee’s recommendations. We are also in the process of mandating all student clubs funded by the Student Activities Fund, engaging in DEI work every year. Clubs that fail to adequately engage in DEI work will be subject to a budget reduction. Thelmo has partnered with the Outing Club to offer programs such as the BIPOC Gear Grant and Guide Training Scholarships, to ensure that the outdoors of the North Country and Adirondack Park are accessible to all. Lastly, Thelmo has improved overall operations including responsiveness to student and campus-wide issues, communication with the administration, and oversight of our membership.  

I’m most proud of how our membership has changed over the last three years. Students are no longer represented by Senators who want a resume boost, but by Senators who lead with kindness and who truly care about helping others. During the height of the pandemic, Thelmo met on zoom for one and a half semesters. Our membership showed up every Wednesday night, spending two to three hours on zoom, not necessarily debating, but rather working together as one to propose solutions to problems hurting students. Getting Thelmo representatives to show up has not been the problem these last few semesters. Rather, getting them to stop talking once 10 p.m. rolls around has been the biggest challenge. 

If there is only one lesson I can take away from the past three years, it is how critical representational leadership is to the success of any organization. So, oftentimes in recent years, I’ve heard this response when conveying an issue on behalf of students: “we don’t know what the problems are unless someone tells us.” Is that not an issue to begin with? I have come to learn that we are all the sum of our life experiences put together. We experience the world and the St. Lawrence community differently because of the unique factors that comprise our individual lives. It’s the varying degrees of positionality we all bring to the table, our race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, (dis)ability, and so on, that contribute to effective problem solving within an organization.  

If an organization’s leadership shares the same factors of positionality, I believe that is where the phrase, “we don’t know what the problems are unless someone tells us,” arises. While I understand that statement to be true, that should not be the case. When an organization is led by individuals who differ in positionalities, the organization can more effectively identify and address problems.  

That is what I know to be true from my time in Thelmo.   

I am exceptionally grateful for the St. Lawrence students who have entrusted me to advocate on their behalf, all Thelmo members from the last six semesters for their exceptional work (and friendship), John O’Connor and Hagi Bradley for their steadfast advice, my family for listening to lengthy rants on facetime and finally, Poppy for giving up hundreds of hours to sleep underfoot, beneath the mahogany tables of the Hannon Room.