I ran for President because I wanted to make Student Government more inclusive and ensure that our school provides a better forum for students who are afraid to speak or whose voices go unheard. I was thrilled that my message resonated with so many students, and I intend to spend my year as President being a champion for inclusion.  That starts right now.

          Following in the footsteps of our last two Presidents, I have selected an Inclusion Coordinator to join our cabinet. My hope is to expand the role as we create more opportunities to hear the perspectives, ideas, and voices of people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, and political viewpoints.

In the very first week after I won the election for President, I was sent an anonymous letter threatening me with impeachment if I did not back down and give up the idea of appointing an Inclusion Coordinator. I was upset, but with the support of the elected officers of Student Government, I decided that I would not be intimidated. To the contrary, I want everyone in the school to know that you should never be afraid to stand up for what is right.

          With the support of the administration, our faculty advisors, and a majority of the students, we will continue to have an Inclusion Coordinator while I am President. The position fits perfectly with our school’s mission, and to eliminate the position now would be to silence a voice from the very constituency that the position was created to serve. The fact that some people do not understand the need for an Inclusion Coordinator proves to me that the experiences of people in the minority—even at Parker–are still not understood and that an Inclusion Coordinator is essential.

          Let’s address the constitutional argument some have advanced to oppose an Inclusion Coordinator. The argument is that when the constitution lists cabinet positions, the list should be read to be exclusive, even though it says no such thing. In other words, the argument is that every time a past President of Student Government appointed someone to a position not on the list, it was a violation of the Constitution. That’s nonsense.

Our student government Constitution is nearly 40 years old, and it has always allowed Presidents to create positions to address short-term needs or to establish experimental roles that might some day be adopted into the Constitution as permanent positions. That’s the long precedent, and there is nothing in the Constitution that would suggest this flexibility is not permitted.

          I have the power to appoint an Inclusion Coordinator, and I have done so, and it has been ratified by a majority of the assembly. Should we choose to amend the constitution in the future to make the position permanent, and I hope we do, we are going to need a two-thirds majority. I believe the position should eventually be put in the Constitution so that it will no longer be threatened in the future by those who oppose inclusion or those who would silence the voices of people in our community.  

We have a moral duty to ensure that this school is as inclusive as possible for all students. As President, I have a personal responsibility to do everything in my power to make this happen. This is true even in the face of threats–and even if I were actually risking my position.

The appointment of an Inclusion Coordinator is just a first step. Tune in next year to see what else we can accomplish together to make this school and our Student Government a more welcoming, open, and equitable place.