The recent battle for Campus Union’s executive council for the 2025-26 academic year was arguably one of the hairier and more competitive campus elections to take place in the past few years. With an array of experienced and vocal candidates, four upperclassmen rose to the top and will take on the executive roles on April 20th. Matt Myers ‘27 will lead Campus Union as Student Body President with Wilson Frerichs ‘27 serving as his Vice President. The role of Student Body Treasurer will be filled by Stokes Graham ‘28 and Student Body Secretary by Mary Lois Mitchell ‘28.
Many of the campaigns for these new executives hinged on communication with the student body and amplifying the student experience at Wofford. Myers, who has been serving as student body secretary for the current year, has held firm on last year’s campaign promise to openly share attendance and bill status with the student body.
While these initiatives were largely successful in recording the activity of Campus Union, several within the new executive council still see space to improve accountability on behalf of the delegates and overall student awareness of what bills are passed each semester, with transparency being a central promise in many of their campaigns.
Graham cited issues within the bylaws themselves for fostering a culture where delegates take their roles “too lightly,” and his growing personal concern that some students take part in student government purely to pad their resumés.
Mitchell mentioned a similar concern surrounding the current culture of student government.
“There are people that will sign up (for Campus Union elections) just so they can win… and those are the people who maybe don’t play by the rules as much, necessarily. So I think by enforcing those rules
(within the bylaws), we really want to make sure we have people that are willing to put in the work that it takes,” Mitchell said.
Frerichs shares that he sees an important part of keeping a positive and productive culture to lie not so much in the rules themselves. Rather, he underlines the importance in making sure students can see the changes that are being made across campus to “hold a standard,” for the work of the delegates and committees.
Myers credited the previous cohort of delegates and executives for their persistence with following up on developing bills while still amplifying the importance of the upcoming year in regards to setting an expectation for student government at Wofford.
“With all of the new changes that are coming in, it’s definitely a tone-setting year, especially with the new president,” Myers said. “We want him to have the best possible understanding of Campus Union.”
What does this “tone-setting” look like for Myers, Frerichs, Mitchell, and Graham? Again come mentions of accountability and transparency, but for Myers, the upcoming “tone” seems to be fast-paced progress.
Myers and his fellow executive members seem keen to keep the expectations high for student representatives by being present and active voices on campus and by proving to the student body, and the president, that they are a group that achieves the goals set out before them.
“A lot of my goals are two years in the making,” Myers said. “And so a lot of it is coming to fruition next year, maybe the following year.”
