Although it was mere coincidence, it seems ftting that I interviewed Ted Steinberg and Phoebe Rohn, the newly elected class president and vice president for the class of 2016, near the Student Government Association office in Cro. After all, this second-floor hub will quickly become a familiar space for them among all of the relatively new places on campus. Apart from the SGA office, Steinberg and Rohn have already become familiarized with another room in Cro: the 1941 room, the place where they first appealed to the class of 2016. After delivering their promising speeches, Steinberg and Rohn awaited the results.
Before they won, Steinberg and Rohn did what any aspiring politician would do in order to gain electoral support: They made their names known through a social and personally focused campaign.
“I tried to meet people by asking them if they wanted anything to be changed and if there was anything I could do,” said Steinberg. In addition to meeting and networking in person with people, Rohn, from Litchfield, CT, created a Facebook group that further promoted her campaign through friendly and frequent updates. Following the traditions of many clubs at Conn, Steinberg and Rohn decorated the halls of the campus with posters.
“I tried to get creative with the posters with Photoshop help,” Steinberg said. He partially credits his mom who sent him a baby picture. “I also used a photo of me in a tux,” he added.
Both candidates have carried their inspiring attitudes from their campaigns into their political careers at Conn. They attribute their driven attitudes to previous leadership roles held in high school. Rohn, who wants to major in both government and philosophy, is no stranger to representing and leading a group.
“I was captain of the soccer team and the horse polo team for two years,” she explained.
Rohn, an avid member of the equestrian team, also became a faculty-appointed representative when she took action against an unfair teacher who consistently gave female students lower grades. She noted that this experience pushed her to further initiate positive change within her school, such as re-writing her school’s cell phone policy.
Likewise, Steinberg, a member of the Honor Council and Conn’s club baseball team, views student government as a social and academic model for how students can influence student life effectively. As president of both his middle and high school classes, Steinberg credits his early interest in student government to his sister. “She tells me how much of a difference student involvement makes,” he said. He also added that the parliamentary, “old-school” feel of governance puts him “in a mindset where I want to get to business.”
Although they have only been at Conn for about two months, Steinberg and Rohn have already sprung into their political responsibilities with full force. Last week, along with the rest of SGA, they met with the head librarian to discuss the prospects forredesigning Shain Library. During the meeting, Rohn realized the enormous influence that SGA has over Conn. “I think the dynamic between the SGA and the college is really interesting, in that they [the library staff], can’t finalize anything without talking to us. They have to present it to us and we have to say yes,” Rohn said. Steinberg, who is originally from Boston, can also attest to the power of shared governance in a small, liberal arts setting. “The SGA has such a big voice on campus and I think it’s good that the students have such a big say on what goes on,” he added.
Additionally, Steinberg, by popular demand from both students and faculty, is currently focusing on improving Conn’s internet connection. “I’m trying to get more student support towards this issue, even through student polls, because everyone I’ve talked to says the internet is a problem,” he said. In addition to addressing and tackling these issues, Steinberg and Rohn both want to work with Conn’s faculty and fellow students to create freshmen-focused events.
As a freshman at Conn, I can definitely say that the class of 2016 is well prepared for the rest of the year. As Steinberg and Rohn have said, so much of Conn’s spirit is dictated by a “for the students, by the students,” kind of belief, and I’m sure our voices will be heard.
