January marks the tenth month in the term of Student Body Co-Presidents Philip Meng ’26 and Gracie Aziabor ’26. Over the past year and this fall, the Co-Presidents have been working on increasing student participation, facilitating better communication between the administration and students, and following through on initiatives they ran on initially in their campaign.
Aziabor noted one of the pair’s core responsibilities, which lie in communicating feedback from the student body on school-wide changes with faculty and administration. She explained how the onset of certain policies has affected points of discussion in their meetings.
“We have our weekly Deans’ Table meetings with all the Cluster Deans and the Dean of Students team. Then we also have meetings with Dr. Kington. While those were definitely daunting at first, we’ve been able to do a really great job of conveying the student opinion on all of the recent policy changes, such as the cell phone policy or the oncoming DoorDash policy. We’ve been able to say, ‘Here’s what the students have been saying, here’s what we think,’ and actually see how that alters the plans and the ways that the adults and the administration choose to release these different [administrative] changes,” said Aziabor.
Recently, Meng and Aziabor implemented a club handbook. Developed in collaboration with Christopher Capano, Director of Student Activities, the handbook serves as a definitive guide that outlines specific policies and expectations for clubs on campus. Aziabor explained the problems they sought to address with this initiative.
“When I first came into the school, clubs were such a daunting region of students’ social life. I felt like there were so many rules, so we were thinking about how we could put all this information into one place to make it seem like it’s not this large, scary thing that only older or more experienced students can partake in but something that actually has space for everybody,” said Aziabor.
Drawing from his own experiences with clubs at Andover, Meng elaborated on the purpose of the handbook to streamline the process of creating and maintaining clubs.
“For both Gracie and I, when we started our own clubs, there was just so much confusion as to who you were supposed to talk to, and what you were supposed to do. A lot of it had actually never been written down, so you would have to set up a meeting with Mr. Capano or some other person in Student Activities to find out what it is you were supposed to do. Getting all of that down on paper, so that it’s easily readable by anyone, is something we’re proud of,” said Meng.
Mia Isacson ’26 commented on how the handbook made club registration easier to navigate for newer students. She appreciated its volume of information and utility for both club members and leaders.
“For lots of underclassmen and my proctees in the hall, they really benefited from using the club handbook, as it answered most of their questions. They didn’t have to email anyone specific or ask a thousand people to answer a specific club question. Everything is in there from learning how to start a club to how to use ClubHub to board applications. It’s very informational and it really has positively impacted the student body,” said Isacson.
In addition to the club handbook, many pointed to the Abbot Dance (Abbot) as one of the most successful events this year. Aziabor explained that the event was not originally scheduled due to last year’s low turnout, prompting her and Meng to step up and take control of the event.
“As soon as [the cancellation of Abbot] got out, it sparked an outcry. So, Philip and I, along with [Aya Murata, Assistant Dean of Students and Residential Life,] and the Student Council decided that we were going to take it up as our own responsibility … It was a very student-run thing, but honestly, that’s part of the reason why it was so successful. Something that we’ve learned is that, a lot of the time, students know best what other students want. So, I’m glad we were able to put it all together,” said Aziabor.
Noting the increased turnout for Abbot, Lucien-Sinclair Herndon ’28 emphasized how the Co-Presidents led with a focus on fostering student input. As a Lower Class Representative, Herndon highlighted their ability to listen to others during Student Council meetings.
“[In] [Student Council meetings], Gracie and Philip … ask for a lot of students’ opinions. We get a wide range of students’ opinions, like dances and munches and everything, so students have a lot more impact than last year in terms of student activities on campus,” said Herndon. “There were around 400 people at Abbot this year, which was significantly higher than last year. A lot is being planned, and they’re working really hard every single day, which I appreciate.”
So far, Meng and Aziabor have implemented most of their initiatives, including reform to the Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion (EBI) program and Notes from the Academy, a collection of Senior remarks that are handed to new students during matriculation. Aziabor expressed their intention to leave an impact that future Co-Presidents can build upon.
“Something that we talked about when we first started running was to think [about] how we can leave a legacy or mark on the school even after we graduate, as something that’s bigger than ourselves. Even if digital Add-Drop ends up being something that doesn’t come by the end of this academic year, it would still be nice to get some meetings on the table and see ways that we can input student opinion,” said Aziabor.
Editor’s Note: Philip Meng was a Business Manager for The Phillipian vol. CXLIX, and Gracie Aziabor was a Layout Editor for The Phillipian vol. CXLIX.
