Keeping Up with the Council: Special 'Coup' Edition, Part Two

Student Body President Michael Martinez took hold of the gavel and called the new Council’s first official meeting to order.

SBP Martinez began the meeting by laying out his vision and expectations for the Council. He told the new members, as stated in the Council Constitution, that the Council exists to shape a value-centered culture and many of their discussions will be debriefs throughout the year. Martinez said that their job is to do “anything they can do to make the community better.” He told the room he has high expectations for their commitment to the Council and that there will be excellence and thoroughness in all they do. “The road ahead of us is going to be filled with long nights and rough times,” Martinez stated. He read Ephesians 5:2, the passage he had focused on while running for SBP, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

For SBP Martinez’s personal goals, he will work on his conviction and figure out why he believes what he believes, since he knows he will be pushed on it in this upcoming year. For his positional goals, he hopes to build a consistent, recognizable brand for the Council. He wants to breathe new life and energy into new efforts to see how they can make every decision seem significant.

His expectations for the Council include the basic guidelines such as no phones on the table, no excessive tardiness, and the enforcement of a business casual dress code. Director of Communications Elle Rogers then discussed Robert’s Rules, a way for the Council to tackle the greatest amount of questions in the least amount of time. Each member of the Council received a copy of the book and is asked to read it and take a quiz on the material. Rogers said these rules will allow them to get out of meetings quickly and love each other during them. The book will also tell them how to create a motion. “This book will make you a better person,” Rogers assured the Council.

The meeting then went on to positional reports from the Cabinet. Each member explained to the Council what they see their role as and what their goals for the year are.

Director of Communications Elle Rogers told the Council what she saw her role as. Rogers believes her job is to make sure the Council’s vision is communicated through every policy, email and anything they make throughout the year. Also, she is passionate about helping communicate their vision through Student Organizations, or whatever they want to bring to the community. She would like the Council to hold themselves accountable for the ways they communicate, whether it’s speaking about one another, or presenting oneself on social media.

Director of Finance Emily Bingham told the Council she will always do her best to know the remaining amount in particular budgets. She is excited to watch everyone lead and hold financial integrity. Director of Student Organizations Nick Beckman hopes to use his role to foster communities with traditional structures, as well as “niche” communities. Beckman would like to make it easier for organizations to come into being and to function well. His goals are to show-off student organizations and the work they have done and follow through with former DoSO Christina Markakis’ Advanced Student Org proposal. Director of Student Events Lizzy Logan, who worked on the Events Committee before stepping into the role, said that she wants every student to “feel the pride of being a Kingsian.” Logan plans to do this by throwing several student-wide events, such as Spring Formal, which is coming up on April 22nd. She called the Council out and said, “Only one person in this room has bought a ticket so far.”

Director of Spiritual Life Carter Fletcher sees his job as “furthering and facilitating what it’s like to live a Christian life.” Fletcher would like to get back to the basics of our faith and encourage the student body to fuel one another and love one another with a Christ-like love. He will be working with Spiritual Life Associates for each House to equip them with whatever they need to succeed with their Bible studies or prayer groups. Fletcher shared 1 Timothy 1:5 with the Council, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith,” and said that it is important to remember the point of our faith.

Next up, the Council needed to decide who would be on the Budget Committee and House Future Committee for next year. The Budget Committee calls for the SBP, Director of Finance and three House Presidents. SBP Martinez opened the conversation for House Presidents to nominate one another or themselves for a spot on the committee. The three presidents nominated are Churchill President Nathan Rizzuti, Thatcher President Christina Markakis, and SBA President Kara Simmons. The presidents accepted their nominations, putting it up to a vote. Ten out of ten presidents voted yes and approved the new Budget Committee.

The House Future Committee exists to explore ways in which students can gain ownership of the House experience. They will meet to discuss the structure of the House system in order to further its culture at King’s. The committee requires four House Presidents. The four that were nominated and unanimously voted on are Reagan President Phillip Reeves, Truth President Evelyn Stetzer, Thatcher President Christina Markakis, and Lewis President Kyle Kendrick.

The meeting ended with a prayer from DoSL Fletcher and SBP Martinez adjourned the meeting at 10:08PM.