Student Council Holds Presidential Debate and Election

The three presidential candidates visit the Assembly stage to answer questions Courtesy of @phillipsexeter

By  SAM ALTMAN, ANGELA HE, MARVIN SHIM, and FORREST ZENG

This past week, Student Council hosted its annual turnover elections for its Executive Board. Lowers Lauren Lee and Kyle Kennedy’s were elected as Co-Secretaries, upper Anna Holtz was elected Vice President, and, following the presidential run-offs and debate, upper Cam Khater was elected to serve as Student Council President for the 2024-2025 term. There was significant student participation all around, with a 78% voter turnout for the final presidential runoff, and 74% turnout for the other positions and the presidential primary.

After the presidential primaries, three candidates were chosen to participate in the presidential runoffs. Uppers Meishu Han, Caspar Bailey, and Cam Khater participated in an official presidential debate held during assembly on Feb. 9, 2024. Voting for the runoff took place later that day.

The candidates were first allowed to deliver brief, two minute opening statements. Each candidate was then invited to respond to questions produced by the moderators of the debate, covering topics such as policies and effective student body outreach. After the designated question period, the candidates fielded questions from the audience on topics ranging from their leadership skills to specific initiatives they proposed. After all questions had concluded, the candidates were each designated 45 seconds for closing statements to wrap up the debate. 

Bailey was the first candidate to present an opening statement, in which he mentioned multiple initiatives, including Visitations, Community Conduct Committee (CCC) reform, more transparency relating to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), returning a TV to Grill, and specified DoorDash drop-off locations across campus. 

“I’m open to those ideas, as well as other possibilities, like bringing back math test retakes or increasing dorm events,” Bailey added. 

He ended by emphasizing his previous experience in Student Council, particularly his experience serving as a Co-Secretary on the Executive Board this past year. 

After Bailey presented his opening statement, Khater took the stage and spoke to the audience about his approach to change. He emphasized that “There are a lot of things flying under our radar. Things that we don’t even think about changing. These are small issues that are important.” Khater mentioned his previous efforts in making small changes around campus, including bringing back panini presses to Elm Dining Hall, increasing available dorm funds, and setting up more winter lights around campus. 

Before concluding his statement, Khater offered a few initiatives, such as getting free hot chocolate in Grill, opening Grill on Saturdays, and “putting our CVP blocks to better use.” He concluded by promising the audience to bring food trucks onto campus if elected.

Finally, Han delivered her opening statement, emphasizing immediately the general need for no-homework weekends. “Let’s think about family weekend, MLK weekend and Climate Action Day,” Han said. “How are we supposed to recharge and spend time with our family and friends, if we are given major assignments due the very next day?” She stressed that the substantial workload at Exeter significantly impacts student happiness and wellbeing. 

In addition to no-homework weekends, Han also spoke to the audience about bringing a greater variety of food options back to the campus dining halls, including daily ice cream, diversified meat options, and fruits.

After concluding these opening statements, the candidates answered questions from the moderators. While responding to the questions, many of the candidates spoke about student outreach. “The great thing about Student Council is that on any given Tuesday, anybody can check out and come to the meetings,” Bailey said. “Through community outreach, we can understand what y’all want and then achieve it. It’s as simple as that just by talking to people and then we’re gonna get it done.”

Some of the questions took a humorous angle, which lightened the mood of the debate. In response to the question, “Are you a hunter or a gatherer?” Khater said, “There’s no doubt in my mind. Hunter. I’m assertive. I get things done.”

“Big dogs gotta eat,” Khater continued, the audience answering with thunderous applause. “And if you vote for me, we’re gonna feast.”

Throughout the prepared and audience questions, the candidates vouched for their own initiatives and capabilities as leaders. The Assembly Hall was packed to the brim with cheering supporters. “I would say the atmosphere was ecstatic. People were very happy. There was a lot of cheering,” upper Jacques Leleux reflected. “We were told not to act ‘degenerate’ by one of the moderators, but there was still a lot of whooping and hollering. All in all, it felt as if it were an immensely positive atmosphere for our future.” 

Bailey expressed his happiness with the debate “It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it, and I would like to thank everyone that came out.”

Lower Sean Murthy, however, thought that the excitement could have been toned down. “I was in Mayer Auditorium, so my perspective wasn’t perfect. But, from what I was able to see from the livestream, it looked really heated and almost not as professional as I would’ve liked.”

This election, as well as the debate, was hosted by the Student Council Elections Committee. “The Election Committee is in charge of all elections. They determine the timing in order to make sure that they are meeting the expectations laid forth in the Student Council Constitution,” Student Council Adviser and Dean of Studies and Academic Affairs Laura Marshall said. “They determine the rules for campaigning and decide if any rules have been violated. If a candidate is disqualified, this decision is up to the Elections Committee.”

Leleux believed Khater advocated his platform effectively. “I think Cam performed brilliantly. I would say that I went in as a pretty firm cast for Bailey, but, after the course of the debate, I think Cam delivered very strongly. I think he made some very good points and I think he highlighted why his policies are the best for us to pursue. He was eloquent, he was clear, he was funny; it was a great performance.”

Senior Chris Serrao echoed these sentiments, saying, “Cam especially, really got the crowd engaged. I remember in his final speech, Cam made the line that he would ‘touch everyone’s lives,’ which really aroused everyone.”

“Cam had quite the strong performance,” lower Noah Twilley said. “He’s a pretty interesting person. I do think it’s good to focus on smaller things.”

Khater shared some of his campaigning strategies, explaining, “I think the biggest thing is confidence when saying that I’m running for president. Something like, ‘My name’s Cam, I’m running for president.’ You shouldn’t be hesitant and say, ‘Oh, I’m just trying, I don’t know [if I’ll make it.]’” 

Khater continued, “I, of course, used Instagram reposts, like everyone else. Another strategy I used was asking my friends to spread the word around. And I think my biggest thing was confidence, just not being scared to talk to people about policies. Also, you know, posters have been a lot of fun to make and put up as well as seeing everyone else’s. But overall, the most important strategy is to project a confident image.”

Murthy noted Han’s performance at the debate as well. “I think Meishu stood out to me a lot. Meishu, from my perspective at least, seemed like the most responsible candidate,” he said.

  “I know Meishu went around asking the question, ‘do you know what the Student Council does?’ And everyone responded, ‘No, I don’t,’” upper Michael Lu recalled. “She used that as part of her platform and really engaged the audience.”

Lower Stanley Huang believed that all the candidates seemed equally prepared: “All three candidates seemed quite prepared and they were all charismatic.”

Co-Secretary-elect Lee also shared some of her strategies for the race. “I tried to focus my campaign around how experienced I am as a candidate,” she said. “I focused on what I, as a person with unique communication and leadership skills, can bring to Student Council and can bring to our effort as a whole. That’s what I focused my posters and my word of mouth campaigning on. I think I put up a poster in almost every building in this school, at least on the north side. I even had a strategic spot in front of the water fountain in the academy building, so that whoever wanted to drink water would have to look at my face.”

Bailey commented on his approach to campaigning, “For me, the biggest thing was outreach: talking to people, putting up posters, handing out stickers, approaching people at lunch and saying, ‘Hey, I’m Caspar. I’m running for president.’ That’s the basis of all of this; if you’re gonna trust me to be the president of Student Council, you’ve gotta know me, at least a little bit.”

Bailey continued, “The focus of my policies were mental health. It’s the student experience in conjunction with mental health, and it’s looking for ways to alleviate a lot of the pressures that are put on students here. That’s what I focused on.”

Khater, Holtz, Lee, and Kennedy’s will begin their term as Student Council’s new Executive Board in the next few weeks. The fervor surrounding the election, marked by an unexpectedly high voter turnout and spirited debate, reflects the student body’s commitment to shaping the future of their community. The stage is now set for the incoming Student Council Executive Board to carry forward the aspirations of their predecessors, fostering positive change and representing the voices of their fellow Exonians within the school community.