Faiyad Ahmad Year: Three-year upper Hometown: Andover, MA What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Andover community and how do you plan to address it? There are many issues, but the most pressing issue is 9:30 p.m. sign-in. During this week’s Student Congress meeting it was apparent that some faculty members did not like 9:30 p.m. sign-in. It also seems like the entire student population is against 9:30 p.m. sign-in. The best way to get goals accomplished here is to write a proposal with students and faculty with specifics on why it would have a negative impact, with legitimate reasons. We would submit it to the Senior Administrative Council and the cluster deans to show that it’s an organized effort, that we are getting together to protest. Also, I think that we should address the problem at the root. Rather than a blanket solution [such as 9:30 p..m sign-in], we should hold Student Congress and Student Council meetings about the baseline problems such as students not getting enough sleep. How do you think Malin has done as School President? What do you plan to do differently? Malin has done a good job this year and he has really brought the Student Council together to discuss a wide variety of issues. Any and every president has places to improve and while this may not necessarily be [Malin’s] fault, we are lacking in follow-through. We are not finishing what we set out to start. All it requires is an extra step at meetings—who in the [Student] Council is interested in planning out who to talk to or who to deal with? We need to set specific distinct goals for specific people. Comment on how you will interact with students, faculty and the administration. I found that having a conversation is a really good way to get someone’s perspective. If I am elected President, I will definitely hold more Student Congress meetings. During these meetings, students and faculty meet in small groups and it’s very colloquial and personal. It’s a really good way to gauge perspectives. While it’s difficult to plan, it is a really important endeavor. How would you respond to criticism that student council is an ineffective organization on campus? I agree to a certain level [that Student Council is ineffective]. We had a 1.5 hour meeting on 9:30 p.m. sign-in and it is clear that students don’t like it, but we haven’t really done much about it. It’s not that we just sit around, but the Student Council can be a little stagnant at times. This is something I would change given the chance. Billy Fowkes Year: Three-year upper Hometown: Woburn, MA What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Andover community and how do you plan to address it? We lack someone who is willing to stand up to the administration and there is not a good bridge between the students and the administration. There needs to be more student opinions in Student Council. How do you think Malin has done as School President? What do you plan to do differently? While things like the BlueCards seem to be going well, we don’t hear a lot about what he’s done. [If I were elected president], I would send out descriptions of each meeting and send optional surveys of the topics discussed during those meetings, such as 9:30 p.m. sign-in. I would also utilize the discussion boards online and get some official feedback. Comment on how you will interact with students, faculty and the administration. I would relate to all three of the groups. I would not be on the bad side of the administration nor would I follow everything that the administration says. How would you respond to criticism that student council is an ineffective organization on campus? I feel that the Student Council gives into the administration too easily. It is ineffective in that it allows the administration to overrule the Student Council. There must be more equality between student opinion and administration opinion. Lily Shaffer Year: Three-year upper Hometown: Reading, MA What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Andover community and how do you plan to address it? I think that we’re missing student-to-student communication. I think that one of the biggest problems is that the students don’t know what the people they’ve elected are doing. I’ve served on cluster council for two years and basically all we do is talk about dorm mechanics and cluster apparel. I think that the biggest thing to do is to utilize resources, such as the cluster president, and to really get them talking with kids and visiting dorms. I think that there should be something to the degree of a weekly student council email where the president can let the student body know what they’re doing. I think that faculty to student communication has increased; now we have to get to the next step and make it student-to-student communication. How do you think Malin has done as School President? What do you plan to do differently? I think Malin has done a great job. I was at school congress Monday night and I was really impressed with him. I do think that it would be nice to see the school president sitting with different people at meals, going to different sports games and visiting different dorms. It’s tough to get to know 1100 kids. I think Malin has done a great job trying to do so. I would let the students know what’s going on more. A fault that I’ve noticed all three years here is having the majority elect someone and then having that President disappear so that the students don’t know what’s going on. By really letting the students know what’s going on all the time through surveys, emails and dinners, utilizing cluster council as a miniature student council so that it’s not just talking about cluster apparel and mechanical dorm problems. Having cluster Presidents focus on what the community expectations are at this school and other abstract issues. Improving communication. You will definitely see me eating meals with people all the time and being as personal with the students as possible. How would you respond to criticism that student council is an ineffective organization on campus? I don’t think it’s ineffective but I think that there’s a large potential for improvement. I would really like to continue with an idea that Malin had called a student council table. It’s basically a head of schools table for student council. In all honesty we’re busy kids, we’re not constantly checking on PAnet to find out what student council is doing. I think that communication is key. I think that things that student council is working for specifically the one card system are still undercover and that there is a need to improve the communication. Tyler Jennings Year: Two-year upper Hometown: Atlanta, GA What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Andover community and how do you plan to address it? I would say the question about 9:30 sign in. I feel like right now, a lot of students are unsure about what phase it’s in and how it’s going to be voted on. As president I would try to make it clear to people about where it’s headed and if it’s a reality. I would try to work with people to listen to the voice of the student body. How do you think Malin has done as School President? What do you plan to do differently? Comment on how you will interact with students, faculty and the administration. I think that Malin has done a really good job but I think that a lot of what he has done has been underplayed and that a lot of his accomplishments haven’t been well known around campus. I would try to make student council as transparent as possible so that everyone knows what’s going on with student council. I would probably interact with students and faculty the same way I always have, on a really personal level, as a friend and a peer. I would try to act like someone that people feel open around and that people feel comfortable working with. How would you respond to criticism that student council is an ineffective organization on campus? Student council is only as effective as the energy of the student body and their president. I think that as a presidential candidate, I would be able to garner excitement and put the ideas of the student body into action. Duncan Crystal Year: Three-year upper Hometown: Melrose, MA What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Andover community and how do you plan to address it? It’s clearly a successful school, and there are no huge issues that need to be addressed. However, there are several minor issues such as getting lights outside of George Washington Hall and overseeing the BlueCard system. The little complaints that students make should be focused on. How do you think Malin has done as School President? What do you plan to do differently? I think Malin has done a really good job. He is very focused, friendly, approachable and honest. One thing I would critique is that students don’t really know what is going on in Student Council meetings. Some of the issues were brought up only as presidential candidates began talking about it [on their platforms]. I would definitely make what goes on in the Student Council meetings more public and give out weekly updates [to the student body]. Comment on how you will interact with students, faculty and the administration. I want to maintain a good relationship [with all three groups.] I will be available and give honest answers. One idea is to have a link on PAnet where students could drop off ideas that should be discussed. Where do you stand on 9:30 p.m. sign-in? Why? I am against [9:30 p.m. sign-in]. I think it is a useless change and it is not worth the time that has been spent to discuss it. How would you respond to criticism that student council is an ineffective organization on campus? It is certainly not completely ineffective. [The Student Council] does get a lot of stuff done, however, it can and should be a more productive and vocal part of campus. It is not as effective as it should be. Eric Sirakian Year: Three-year upper Hometown: Andover, MA What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Andover community and how do you plan to address it? I think that the role of Student Council right now is a little bit undefined. I think that the student body is not entirely sure of where its voice lies within the administration. I think this promotes sometimes a sense of separation between student body and the administration and I think it’s time to better realize what our role is, increase our activities so that the direct benefits of having this council are realized. It’s important to meet more with different branches of the administration and meet with more people so that Student Council can become a community forum and the student body can have a greater voice. We don’t know what student council is/does/what it’s supposed to do. We need to bring in more people and more diversity of opinions while at the same time expending ourselves to really understand the school’s activities. Student council needs to be an effective link between the administration and the student body. How do you think Malin has done as School President? What do you plan to do differently? I think Malin is a very effective leader and school president and when I criticize student council, I’m not criticizing him because fixing student council is something that takes time and will not change overnight. I would continue to push this evolution. Initially, I would do the things on my platform (student council). I would try to make this evolution speed up a little bit. I try to meet new students every day. I want to diversify student council. Ideally, it would be awesome to have every student in the school at one student council meeting next year. We need to branch out with different sections of the administration, get to know them better and make our presence known. How would you respond to criticism that student council is an ineffective organization on campus? I personally have worked very hard in Student Council for two years, so I don’t appreciate that many people dismiss this organization without understanding it. I would respond that those people who feel that way should come to a meeting and see what goes on. I would agree that I don’t think we’re doing as much as we can be doing and over this next year I would like to increase our activities so that every student can sense the positive effects that Student Council has on our school.
