By Reid Kamhi
Oct. 21, 2022
The Edgewood Student Senate aims to hold a town hall focused on mental health, along with a Fall Fest, this semester.
These are just a few forthcoming events from the Student Senate, a body which serves as a bridge for students to advocate for their needs to the college’s administration.
Morgan Koss, president of the Student Senate, emphasized the importance and timing of the mental health town hall and added that it is especially relevant to athletes.
“I know that’s been a big concern especially with athletes and now how that’s progressing and where that’s all going,” said Koss, herself a former softball player with Edgewood. “With the recent amount of athlete suicides, it’s concerning.”
Koss referenced the deaths of five college athletes by suicide last spring, a crisis highlighted in an article in the Washington Post in May.
She wants students to know that “you’re not by yourself and that there’s also support on campus that you can go to.”
Casey Konkol, the Student Senate’ finance chair, referred also to what will be offered for students at the town hall.
“We’re hoping to also give care kits for students and get those resources that they need to take care of themselves,” Konkol said. “The care kits will hopefully contain basic supplies like tissues, [a] stressball, and hand sanitizer.”
The other event which Konkol advertised is the Fall Fest. He says it is set to look much like the May Fest last spring with food and backyard-type activities.
The goal is to get students “energized, happy to be back on campus,” he described.
Dates for the events are yet to be determined. Until then, Konkol and Koss will otherwise be focused on their duties as part of their Student Senate roles. They are part of the organization’s executive board, a group of seven elected members which hold specific duties within the Student Senate. The executive board meets on the second Sunday of every month to discuss various matters which students have presented to them.
Additionally, the entire Student Senate, along with representatives from other student organizations and campus administrators, holds a general meeting on the final Sunday of the month at 5 P.M. in the Nona McGreal Room to have similar discussions under a wider audience. While the executive board’s own meetings are for them only, Edgewood students are invited to attend the larger meetings.
Attending the general meetings is just one way students can be involved in the Student Senate’s happenings. There are multiple student voice representatives for each class, as well as for graduate students and other subsets of the student population, such as athletes and international students. These members, which are selected via application, represent their contingent in the Student Senate and can – along with executive board members – vote on matters presented at the general meetings.
Morgan Koss noted that, while there are two such positions for each level of education along with one for athletes, only two positions total are filled. There is also one vacancy in the executive board. The Senate is pushing to fill the positions.
“We are trying to get the word out that we exist and have a great environment that people should join,” Koss said.
She hopes “to get those voices around campus to make sure we’re hearing everybody and not just certain groups of the population on the Edgewood campus.”
Even without taking on the responsibility of a position, Casey Konkol made clear that the Student Senate exists so students’ feelings can be heard.
“I think that if students have anything that they want to see us do this year, they can definitely voice that to us,” he said. “We’re always looking for ways of how can we (sic) give back to students.”
Koss also talked about the pride associated with being part of the Student Senate.
“It’s nice to be a part of something and know that you’re trying to make a difference and get the students’ voice out there,” Koss remarked.
“It’s just a great thing to be involved with.”
Students can learn more about the Student Senate, contact them, and find meeting agendas and minutes at https://edgewood.sharepoint.com/sites/Student-Senate/. They can be found on Instagram as well at @studentsenate_ec.
About the Author:
Reid is a post-baccalaureate student in Communication Studies. Previously a software developer, he now aspires to break into the career of sports commentary.
Post your comments