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Abby Cook’s Dear Wheaton

Abby Cook ’22 is running for Vice President of SGA for the Academic Year 2021-2022

Dear Wheaton Community,

My name is Abby Cook, I’m a member of the Class of 2022, I use she/hers pronouns, and I am seeking reelection to the position of SGA Vice President. For the past three years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving our community; my first year as a Class of 2022 Senator; my second year as SGA Secretary; my third year as SGA Vice President. Consequently, I am well-versed in the Democratic Rules of Order (the complete set of laws for governing our weekly Senate meetings) as well as the policies of both the SGA and our institution. I’ve gained a wealth of experience from my roles, forming relationships with members of the administration, the Board of Trustees, professional staff, and student leaders that have been pivotal in actualizing my policy aims (e.g., establishing the Student Relief Fund, creating the Club Congress, founding the Senate Outreach Committee, and expanding access to tampons and pads in campus buildings).

Before I launch into my priorities as an SGA representative, I’d like to share a little bit about myself:

  • I have a genuine passion for writing proposals, interpreting precedents, and perusing the SGA constitution and bylaws for inconsistencies. (I’m dead serious; I love this “boring” stuff. I intend to go to law school following my graduation from Wheaton).
  • As a leader, I thrive in situations where I am forced to multitask and engage in argumentation about norms and rules.
  • I enjoy the challenge of meeting and getting to know new people; it’s energizing for me!
  • I am detail-oriented and derive joy from organizing even the smallest details of my personal and professional life.

In summary, I’m someone who you can always rely on to do the “grunt work” for the Association. I’m a dependable, persevering, and forward-thinking candidate with an extensive background in SGA policy making. I know exactly what the job entails, what can and needs to be done to change the culture of student advocacy on campus, and how to go about accomplishing that.

Here’s how.

I share the same priorities as my colleague, Mikaela Savarese, who is running for the position of SGA President:

  1. Pushing transparency in every sphere of student life;
  2. centering diversity, equity, and inclusion work by collaborating with DEAL as well as the new Associate VP of the Institute of Equity and Belonging, Shaya;
  3. improving every Wheaton student’s access to proposal writing materials through championing “Proposal Writing For All” and the new Club Congress initiative;
  4. streamlining the internal processes of the SGA (e.g., writing down precedents, clarifying the jurisdiction of committees, ensuring that our binding documents are promoting inclusive practices, etc.);
  5. and working with the SGA Secretary to publicize all orders of business in the Senate in a timely manner.

This agenda outlines the steps that must be taken in order to both acknowledge and rectify the Association’s history of gatekeeping documents and proposal writing resources, which effectively barred students from participating in the changemaking process. Also, these steps will generate proposals that contain various perspectives, thus becoming more representative of our community at large.

I care very deeply about our community and have dedicated my time at Wheaton to improving the student experience. I am so grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me since my first semester. If reelected, I promise to continue to assume this role with intention and to maintain the current levels of productivity, professionalism, and organization in the Senate.

Sincerely,

Abby Cook

Incumbent Candidate for SGA Vice President

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