Regardless of your political affiliation, given our current political climate, misinformation runs rampant in American politics. At Parker, student Senate attendance during the 2022-2023 school year was the lowest it had been compared to the attendance for several years prior. As experienced in the U.S. Senate, low attendance provides little to no space for any policy to be enacted, leaving the nation at a standstill in terms of political progress.
The 2023-2024 Senate Heads, Sloane Demetriou, Annabel McIntosh, Benjamin Graines, and Zarin Mehta, have some ideas on how to combat low attendance. “In order to keep Senate attendance high, we will send out a Google form before each meeting to ask the student body about what topic and food they would like to see. This student input will incentivize people to come to Senate, as they will be able to speak on topics they are passionate about, rather than just the ones that are given to them a couple hours before meetings,” said Zarin Mehta in an email.
“Additionally, many of the meetings last year with low attendance were when the topics were not currently relevant to the students. The last thing we want is for the Senate topics to feel contrived and for students to not be able to speak on them. Thus, when there are not many issues to be addressed at a specific time, we will occasionally hold themed events, such as Kahoots or mini-contests, just to keep the spirit of Senate lively and whimsical,” Mehta said.
“Currently, there are two types of Senate-related appointed positions: Student Senate Representative and Senate Sergeant at Arms. However, there was some confusion this past year as to what their responsibilities were, including whether they even had to show up to Senate meetings,” Mehta said when asked what else could be done to improve the 2023-2024 year even further.
“This year, we will clarify the responsibilities of these two positions, making sure their duties are relevant and meaningful. Finally, last year’s Senate Heads did a terrific job of introducing many proposals and resolutions. We would like to keep up this trend by having a portion of a Senate meeting used for any written proposals that need feedback, as well as meeting with Mr. Bruno and Ms. Zeller often to gain their reactions.”
Last year’s Senate Heads had three main goals on how to improve the environment at Parker. Former Senate Head and Student Government President Sarah Matthews told The Weekly that her group wanted to create several styles of discussion (town halls, committee takeovers, etc.) and reform Senate to be a space with more honest debates where taboo topics were discussed more regularly, and publicize Senate more than it had been in the past. She also had ideas as to the reason why attendance was low during her group’s term. “I believe that COVID has had a big impact on the dynamics around Parker’s extracurricular/Student Government life. Students seem to be less engaged in these groups/events since the pandemic, which impacted Senate attendance.”
Even though attendance was lower than in pre-COVID years, Matthews is confident that the 2022-2023 Senate Heads accomplished some change in the Upper School. “Overall, I am so proud of the work our group accomplished this past year! We did make good and necessary change in the Upper School, and had fun doing it! Looking forward, I will take what I learned as a Senate head into my new role this coming year. I am so excited to see what the new Senate heads do and how they will continue to lead Senate!”
Dean of Student Life, Joe Bruno is looking forward to seeing what the 2023-2024 Senate Heads accomplish. “Last year’s Senate Heads worked so hard and in a variety of ways to engage the student body. I look forward to seeing what our new Senate Heads accomplish and will happily support and cheer them on along the way!”
