Speaking for the Saints: The Role of Wesley's Student Council

I suspect that for many students, who are scrambling trying to fit in classes and course preparation between some set of other tasks – jobs, church work, families, and so on – the work of the Student Council is largely invisible. Yes, if you stand in front of an electronic sign board long enough, you will see some upcoming event sponsored or coordinated by the Council, but if you are mostly running from one obligation to the next, you may never find time to attend one of those events. And you are likely not even to realize all the other things for which the Student Council has responsibility. Its official job description says “Wesley's Student Council seeks to promote the common welfare of the student body by acting as the voice of the student body through providing an open forum in which concerns can be raised, sponsoring various student organizations, and working with the administration, faculty, staff, and the community to ensure a supportive academic climate.” Concretely, this means three different kinds of things.

First, the Council supports every student organization on campus, including overseeing the allocation of funds for routine operations as well as special requests. It acts to coordinate schedules and events so as to make best use of limited time and space, and offers help in organizing those events. It takes primary responsibility for communicating with staff, faculty, and administration so that the cooperation and resources needed for successful programs are in place, as well as sponsoring community events of its own. Without the work of the Student Council, it would not be possible for organizations like Plumbline or the Association of Black Seminarians to be as vital and effective a part of our life as they are. A shining example of this work of coordination and communication of student activities is the Wesley Journal, which shares information, insights, and inspiration for all corners of the community for the benefit of all.

Second, Student Council serves as the connective tissue between the student body as a whole and the other major constituencies of the community. Student Council places representatives on important faculty committees, serves as liaison to various staff and administrative offices, and sends its president as a representative of student concerns to the Board of Governors, who are ultimately responsible to oversee the mission of the Seminary. In an especially crucial role, Student Council facilitates and coordinates student participation in some of the most critical decisions in the institution’s life: appointments of faculty and senior administrators. This includes both serving on search and advisory committees, and organizing groups of students to interview and give feedback about candidates. This is an essential part of our appointment process – and something that I never experienced in so vigorous a way before coming to Wesley.

Finally, Student Council is the body in which issues of concern to students can be brought forward, discussed, reflected on, and brought to the attention of the whole community for discernment and action. This makes it central to the identity and effectiveness of the institution itself. A theological school exists ultimately to serve God by equipping the church to serve the world. In its central task of “equipping the saint for the work of ministry,” the Seminary relies upon the voices of its primary constituency, its students, to say what is needed for that task, what is missing in its current form, and what new resources are needed to address a changing world. All of us whose vocation is to this place, depend upon you for the clarity, and the constant renewal, of our vision.

I am happy for this opportunity to express the appreciation of the faculty, and my own personal gratitude, for all the work of the Student Council.

Dr. Sondra Wheeler is the Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley.

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