TKC Council Holds First Meeting of School Year

| Photo courtesy of TKC Council

The King’s College Council held their first meeting of the 2021-2022 school year on Monday, Sept. 13. Items of new business included debriefing New Student Orientation (NSO) and Great Race, approving a new AAPI student organization, confirming five students as members of the Student Organizations Committee and confirming one student as an Events Committee Associate Director.

After roll call and preliminary status reports from each of the Cabinet members, there was a ten-minute debrief on NSO and the Great Race. Members of the Council, which included the ten House Presidents and the Cabinet, brought up questions, concerns and feedback from students on how NSO and the Great Race went. Joey Willis, the staff advisor for the Council, was also present to receive feedback at the meeting.

Various issues were discussed in the meeting, ranging from critiques and safety concerns with the Great Race brought up by House Presidents of Truth and SBA to scheduling issues with NSO brought up by House Presidents of Barton and Bonhoeffer. These issues were then addressed by the council and presented to Joey Willis for further consideration.

After the debriefing session was closed, a presentation was given by a new student organization for AAPI students called The Bridge. The student presenters were Sophie Pol serving as the president, Kristi Haugrud serving as the Vice President, Janna Vuong serving as the creative director, Paige Hagy serving as the events coordinator and Jules Ballaran serving as the missions director. 

The Bridge’s exec team proposed a plan to “serve and empower Asian American students on campus through fellowship, education, and advocacy,” Haugrud said.  Their plan included connecting AAPI students with each other and their community through events such as fellowship meals, a Lunar New Year celebration and worship with local Asian churches.

A ten minute question and answer session followed the presentation. The presenters were first asked if there was room for collaboration with other student orgs in the future. In response, they suggested open night discussions with The Table or worship nights with Refuge as two in the planning phase for The Bridge. 

Next, they questioned how the legacy of the organization would be passed down once the current exec team graduates from King’s. In response, the presenters highlighted the inclusion of underclassmen in their current exec team, as well as the goal of the missions director to preserve connections made through the organization.

The last main question from the Council concerned non-AAPI students and how they could support the group and its mission. The presenters responded that the club is not exclusive to Asians and they encourage connections between AAPI students and non-AAPI students as allies and members of The Bridge.

After the presenters were finished, the Council conducted a closed-door discussion and anonymous vote. The result was a unanimous decision in favor of recommending The Bridge as a new student organization to Dean Leedy for final approval.

Next, the Council established a new Student Organizations Committee for the 2021-2022 school year. After multiple rounds of anonymous voting, five students were selected for the committee: Jordan Bishop as VP of Investments Club, Nicholas Rommell as president of SAAC, Ellie Davis as president of The Publius Society, Sarah Bensinger as president of TKC Dancers and Edwin Perez, president of The Table.

The final order of business for the night was to appoint Bryn Kinner as an Events Committee Associate Director. Director of Student Events Samantha Klozik proposed the motion and the vote was unanimous in favor of approving Kinner for the 2021-2022 school year.