Students Elect 2022-2023 Representatives

After a week of intense campaigning — primarily on social media — students were able to make their voices heard by electing their student representatives for their year group. These representatives will have seats on the Campus Life Council, which will meet regularly throughout the year with an administrative team composed of the campus director, the pedagogical managers, the student life advisor, class representatives, and the presidents of the permanent associations. 

At the start of the semester, the administration reminded students that the election should not be a popularity vote, emphasizing the importance of the role in campus communication. In accordance with campus tradition, the first-year tracks have one representative each, while second-years share two representatives (typically one female and one male). Exchange students also elect a representative. 

This year, the first-year French track displayed the highest voter turnout, with 87% of the students voting. French track also had the highest number of candidates — four competed for the representative spot. In both the English track and exchange student elections, candidates ran unopposed. In both the first and second years, few students attended the candidate's speeches. 

For the first years, William Chan was elected to represent the English track and Pablo Civera to the French track. Ishan Naithani and Valentine Menegazzo will represent the second-year students, and Bianca Van Tonder will represent the exchange students. To see a full-length profile of the candidates, check out this post on the Menton Times Instagram.

The representatives play a vital role in student life. The elected students will meet monthly with the administrative team throughout the year to discuss all student issues and concerns — from campus life to student projects. 

“Your cohort representative will have the delicate and crucial task of transmitting information between the administration and the student community from the bottom up and down,” stated Solène Hoy, the student life advisor, in an email to the first-year students. 

As student representatives serve primarily as liaisons between the student body and the administration, candidates emphasized their communication skills and experience throughout their campaigns. Additionally, they promised to advocate for solutions to various student issues on campus, like the lack of a campus cafeteria and adequate English language outreach. Beyond prioritizing general student well-being and mental health, other key topics included improving networking resources for students — particularly regarding the third year abroad — and helping forge connections among exchange students across the different years and tracks. Many representatives also stressed making the communication between students and administration and subsequent problem-solving more efficient. 

As representative meetings commence, the student body eagerly anticipates what changes the new representatives will bring to our campus.