FEATURES | Vol. 25, Issue 1 | 2

ASWC President Tovar Calls On All Caring Poets

Last year, students at Whittier College watched as the courtyard transformed from its ordinary state into Penntronic, cloaked by a stage with DJ sets and thumping feet, backdrops and laser lights. The campus was alight with talk of what to wear, how it will go, and what security would look like.

Bathed in morning sunlight, the Penn Society upperclassmen zigzagging like blurs of black, red and yellow against the concrete. Among those directing the flow of equipment and contractors, our President elect of Associated Students of Whittier College (ASWC): Devin Tovar. Penntronic came to life thanks to cooperation between Tovar’s society, the Penns, and the ASWC.

Believe it or not, this is only a small snapshot of the opportunities found underneath the Campus Inn (CI) and across the hall from the Dean of Students office. The ASWC is responsible for giving away funds for student interests collected from every single Poet’s tuition, specifically the $370 student-body fee. The body is also there for students to turn to when their grievances grow too heavy to handle alone.

Tovar fell under its spell just three years ago. He recounts his star-crossed entanglement with the Senate body like it was yesterday.

Freshly on campus, Tovar found himself quickly under the wing of a seasoned campus veteran during a brotherhood mentorship program, who made the idea of Senate membership desirable for him.

With his encouragement, Tovar was elected President of the Freshman Class Council. At his post, he prioritized advocating for his class and hosting fun events like campfire s’mores and karaoke.

His successor, Annabelle Henkins, had a more strategic aim of bringing folks out of their comfort zone to make unexpected connections. She made the role her own through adversity while engagement with Senate has diminished.

Both members, Tovar and Henkins, discuss difficulty in finding commitment from students on campus. Henkins celebrates the success of her events but recalls how empty her meetings had been.

Similarly, Tovar comments with particular care on his time as the chair of Elections committee last year, when multiple students ran for their positions unopposed.

“I knew this was always a concern when it comes to elections, how they get small […] It can be hard to find the people who care,” Tovar says.

In search of drumming up engagement, he promoted and put on an ice-cream election day. Beyond votes however, his main goal was for students at large to have an understanding of the election process.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of people view the whole Senate work as just a lot of paperwork but not the physical presence of it,” Tovar adds.

Henkins, now Vice President, and Tovar take pride in their impact made possible through collaboration with the studentbody. They know that Senate is only as good as what is asked of them. As investors in our own experience, Poets can initiate a significant effort of curating a good time by connecting with Senate resources.

Meetings take place on Mondays at 7 p.m. in Villalobos Hall. There are openings for positions of all standings at the College so be on the look out for during the month of September.

Beyond this, the b o d y perpetually accepts budget requests for clubs or student organizations. For guidance through the process, one can visit the Office of Student Engagement (OSE) for resources as well as the ASWC website for their constitution.

You can visit them at: https://www.whittier.edu/ose/aswc