Student council elections will look different this spring. On Monday, April 27, the council edited and approved a constitution drafted by Student Body Vice President Lincoln Wayland, a junior at Haldane. The adoption of this document marks the fi rst major update in years. The policy changes define organization, eligibility, and responsibilities of the various roles of the student council as well as reform the election, termination, and ratification processes.
Th e push for reform stemmed from Wayland’s observation of disengagement within student government. “I think I first realized it when I ran for office in my freshman year,” he said. “I was the only one I noticed who was putting up posters or really campaigning beyond social media and randomly asking people to vote for them.” That frustration only deepened once elected. “While I was on Student Council, it seemed like that apathetic attitude towards student government continued past elections. There just didn’t seem to be a whole lot of new ideas or students going above and beyond.” Wayland ran again the next two years without campaigning and won both times, which he said “has only reinforced that feeling of apathy towards the whole system.”
To address this, Wayland targeted structural change, with the idea that “if students have a more codifi ed sense of rules and responsibilities, they’d be both more willing to complete them and more comfortable with coming up with new ideas to improve the school.”
In drafting the new constitution, Wayland employed similar models from other schools, such as Arlington High School in Arlington, MA, and Saline High School in Saline, MI, as well as student government constitutions from Harvard University and Th e Michigan Association of Student Councils.
Th e new guidelines clarify eligibility, declaring that only juniors and seniors may run for Student Body Council Offi ce and must have previous experience in Haldane’s Student Government, unless they attended previous meetings as an observer, demonstrating dedication and understanding of their position.
Several new campaign requirements have also been introduced. Candidates must obtain 20 signatures of approval from students and the recommendation from teachers, with a higher threshold of 100 signatures for a Student Body position. Many endorse this updated principle, believing that it better reflects the commitment necessary to take up a student government role. “[The new constitution] encourages our candidates to put true passion and effort into their campaigns. My personal favorite idea, the selected number of signatures needed, depending on the position, resembles an open campaign while also meeting a requirement to be in office,” freshman Council Treasurer Carla Coleman said.
The new rules also cap campaign spending, with the constitution stating that “no gifts or activities of more than nominal value are allowed,” preventing students from obtaining an unfair advantage by outspending their opponents. Additionally, any campaign posters must only positively endorse a candidate and must be approved by a Haldane administrator. In this way, campaign materials are safeguarded so that negative or inappropriate content is prevented. Students running must also prepare and present a campaign speech to other Haldane students, providing an outline of their policy platform.
For some students, these reforms raise the concern that tighter rules may put off students looking to campaign. “Some people might feel more nervous or discouraged going into student council elections due to more work needed to campaign,” said Junior Class President Clara Gelber. Still, she acknowledged the benefits: “I think the changes will attract people who really want to be a part of Student Council and make a change within the school.”
