Wofford’s Campus Union presidential race is in full force on campus. Candidates have filed their election petitions, put up posters, handed out flyers and conversed with students in preparation for the Campus Union executive election to be held on Apr. 13 and 14.
With the business of the spring semester, it can be difficult for students to have time to research the candidates prior to the election. Here’s what to know going into the 2022 Campus Union Presidential election.
The three candidates for Wofford’s Campus Union’s student body president are Thomas Cuttino ‘23, Megan Santos ‘23, and Jordan Willey ‘23. All three rising seniors have experience serving on Campus Union.
With this experience, they have been previously involved in passing or promoting proposals in Campus Union. Examining past proposals can aid in the voting process.
Santos is proudest of her resolution to suggest changes to the current Wofford diploma. Currently, the Wofford diploma does not highlight each area that students have studied. With these changes, the diploma would specifically list the major or minor of the graduate.
Willey is proudest of his proposal to provide date-rape drug tester coasters across campus.
Willey listened to concerns of female friends to pursue action to prevent sexual assault from happening to Wofford students on-campus. He knows that this proposal had a real impact on students.
Cuttino is proudest of what Campus Union as a whole was able to accomplish during the unprecedented times of the 2020-21 school year. Campus Union, like a vast group of student organizations, was restricted during the pandemic. However, Cuttino believes that Campus Union under his leadership as secretary combined with the other executives was able to overcome these obstacles.
“Our assembly navigated through a global pandemic, which is completely unprecedented. In addition, we maneuvered around social justice issues, as well as adapting to online forums and at-home school,” Cuttino said.
Cuttino, a Government major from Columbia, South Carolina, previously served as student body secretary from Apr. 2020 to Apr. 2021.
Cuttino aims to highlight three major areas of development if elected president: promoting mental health and wellness, promoting campus safety and establishing convenience across campus are all goals of Cuttino’s campaign.
To promote mental health and wellness on campus, Cuttino aims to advocate for one wellness day a month, hiring more counseling staff in the wellness center and widening the availability of time frames for students to seek counseling.
For general campus safety, Cuttino wants to implement a security gate system, active from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m., to act as a deterrent to misbehavior in light of recent events on campus.
Additionally, Cuttino wants to emphasize convenience for all students by advocating for machines and printers in all student dorms and the construction of a 24-hour market in Milliken.
Santos, a Studio Art and Biology double major from Concord, North Carolina, is currently a junior delegate on Campus Union. She also serves as the chair of the Ad-hoc committee to amend Campus Union’s constitution and bylaws.
Santos’ campaign focuses on equity and inclusion while also emphasizing the need to listen. If elected student body president, Santos wants to provide menstrual equity across campus by creating widespread access to feminine products and make sure these products are also in all-gender bathrooms.
Santos also plans to focus on mental health. She plans to advocate for adding more counselors to the wellness center, specifically male counselors, to try to provide male students with counselors who would better understand their experience in their demographics.
Santos had discussions with Dean Roberta Hurley to establish wellness days for students to relax and prevent burnout. However, the academic calendar makes this difficult. Santos wants to advocate for having events promoting mental health as much as possible.
Willey is a Government major on the Pre-Law track from Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Willey serves on Campus Union as a junior delegate and has served previously as a freshman and sophomore delegate.
Unity is the central theme of Willey’s campaign. In his effort to establish unity campus wide, Willey wants to eliminate the information gap between Campus Union and the student body, create more events for the Wofford Student Body to collectively experience and magnify the voices of smaller, under-represented groups.
To eliminate the information gap between students and serving members of Campus Union, Willey wants monthly emails to be sent out from the secretary of Campus Union, communicating what proposals and resolutions have been passed and providing information on how students can access these resources.
Willey also wants to make sure students hear from their delegates on a consistent basis. He is advocating for delegates to email the students they are representing with updates. Both of these emails would include a suggestion box where students can make their wants and needs known to their respective delegates.
Willey also wants to push the community to create events that involve all of the student body, such as the Black and Gold ball. Black and Gold is a unique event on campus in that all of Wofford is involved and participating. Willey aims to foster unity in the student body by creating more events like this.
Willey also wants to magnify under-represented groups by having bi-weekly meetings with leaders of these various organizations to hear their objectives and goals.
All three candidates have been consistently involved across a vast array of student organizations throughout their time at Wofford.
Outside of her role as a junior delegate for Campus Union, Santos is the chair of the ad-hoc committee for Campus Union to amend the constitution and bylaws, the Archivist for Wofford Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WAAPI), is involved with Wofford Women of Color and has participated in Wofford Companions and Orientation Staff.
Through her membership and leadership roles in these organizations, Santos has grown as a leader. She believes a president should be able to delegate and communicate well. WAAPI has allowed her to develop this skill.
“In my leadership position on WAAPI, we all communicate really well together and lean on each other,” Santos said.
Cuttino, who previously served as secretary, has also been involved in Kappa Alpha Order as a delegate on Interfraternity Council and as Diversity and Inclusion chair for Kappa Alpha Order.
Additionally, Cuttino was hired by Rev. Ron Robinson as an Interfaith Peace Fellow. Cuttino might be a newer face to some first-year students, as he studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland last semester.
Cuttino believes that his previous leadership experience, specifically his prior experience as a Campus Union executive, has allowed him to develop relationships across campus. He believes himself to be a friend to many of the board members and faculty and staff, which will aid him in his potential role as Campus Union student body president.
Willey has also been involved in numerous organizations on campus. Willey serves as the Mock Trial president and founder, the WoCo Speaks president and founder, the IFC vice president of recruitment, where his goal was increasing diversity in greek life, Sigma Alpha Epsilon diversity and social chair and a student advocate for Judicial Commission.
Willey believes that his involvement across campus would help in his role as president.
“I have my foot in a lot of different things on campus and what that has allowed me to see is that our interests are often more similar than they are different,” Willey said. “Because I have the understanding of what all these different perspectives are, I feel like I am in the best position as president to unite all the different interests in a way that is cohesive and can get us all working together.”
A number of students also had a lot to say about what they were looking for in a student body president.
“A president should be someone who is a good leader, honest, approachable, a hard worker and involved on campus,” Liana Giannopoulos ‘25 said.
“A Student Body President should be someone who can relate to the typical Wofford student and wants to make this school a more rewarding and enjoyable college experience for everyone,” Jack Chastain ‘24 said.
“I want a president who is kind, compassionate, honest, and willing to stand up for what’s right,” Grace Ledford ‘23 said.
Similarly, the candidates shared what qualities they have that would make them especially fit for this position.
“My record has shown that I have been a consistent and effective leader for giving tangible results,” Willey said, also adding that he has the most experience on Campus Union.
Santos wants all students to recognize that, if elected president, she will be approachable and will seek to approach others to hear their perspectives and thoughts.
“While a president is held in high regard, they also should be a friend to all,” Santos said.
Cuttino believes Wofford to be a great place and doesn’t want to lose sight of that. He wants students to know he will assume a positive approach towards change if elected to this position.
“You can pursue facilitating change at a place like Wofford while also appreciating what has made it the great school that it is today without only focusing on its shortcomings,” Cuttino said.
Each of the candidates was asked about their favorite part about Wofford.
Cuttino enjoys the small school environment of Wofford. He likes getting to know fellow students and having one-on-one connections with professors and faculty. Wofford’s sense of community among the student body stands out to Cuttino.
Willey has appreciated Wofford’s willingness to adapt and change as a community. Specifically, Willey has noticed Wofford’s ability to change through the death of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these events, Wofford has come together and has been united.
“This community has come together in a way that most colleges haven’t,” Willey said.
“I think my favorite thing about Wofford is that it fosters growth for everyone. I know when I was a freshman I was super lost and unknowing of what I wanted to do, but now I feel like I have a clearer idea and ability to do so,” Santos said.
Santos testified that attending Wofford has helped her come out of her shell and make lots of friends on campus on her way to assuming leadership roles.
Willey can be reached at [email protected]. Cuttino can be reached at [email protected]. Santos can be reached at [email protected]. Be sure to contact them for further information on their respective campaigns.
