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Last month saw the election of Thomas Napoli ’16 and Olivia Hussey ’17 as president and vice president, respectively, of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College. Napoli, a native of Glen Ridge, NJ, is pursuing a double major in international studies and political science; Hussey, from Kennebunk, Me., is a history major with a minor in international studies. The pair, who will assume office later this semester, recently shared their thoughts about BC student government and other matters.
Q: What motivated you to become involved in student government, and to run for office?
Napoli: I originally joined UGBC as a sophomore because I felt relatively unexposed to all that BC had to offer after my freshman year, and was looking for a way to change that. I went to few campus events or took part in initiatives. The clubs I joined were similar to the ones I joined in high school. And, most strikingly, the friends I made were predominantly white and culturally homogenous.
While I didn't have the language or perspective to talk about the issues I was having with my BC experience, I had an intuitive feeling that there was more to BC than I was experiencing; either I was not doing a good enough job of breaking out of my circles or there was cultural forces at play, pigeon-holing my experience into a stereotypical BC narrative.
I joined UGBC because I saw it as an opportunity to learn what happens behind the scenes at BC in order to better make sense of my own BC experiences, to meet new people, and to ultimately contribute to BC's growth and development as a university. As my time progressed at BC and in UGBC, I kept on coming back to the same conclusion: The student voice should be the driving force of university life. I decided to run for president because I am not certain that this is currently the case. While Boston College has a rich history, caring administrators and professors, loyal alumni, and active Jesuits, all factors that play an important part in determining BC's identity, the 9,000 undergraduates must be empowered to take ownership of their BC experiences as well.
I believe that UGBC has the opportunity to have a meaningful role representing the student voice in all aspects of University decision-making, to enrich students' lives by catalyzing important discussions on campus, and to create an environment where students know that the best way to show their love for BC is to work to grow and improve the University.
Hussey: Initially, I joined UGBC fall of my freshman year because I thought it would be a great way to meet new people, make new friends, and be involved in things bigger than just my freshman floor of girls. However, I soon came to love it and think of it more as a family than just another club. I discovered the things I'm passionate about and found out that there is a way to make a difference on campus and help my peers right here at BC; to this day, my favorite part of UGBC is how we have the opportunity to improve everyone's BC experience.
In terms of deciding to run, this had never been a goal of mine. Going into sophomore year, it was not on my horizon. However, as the semester progressed and I had a new leadership role in UGBC, I found that I had a clear vision not only for UGBC, but BC as a whole that I wanted to share. At the end of the semester, I realized that I was most passionate about making other people's dreams and passions a reality, and it seemed logical that I could best do this as executive vice-president.
Q: Do you see BC students as largely disconnected from student government, or are they more engaged than people might think?
Napoli: I believe there has been a disconnect between the students and the student government at Boston College, which exists largely because students have not felt that UGBC has the power to advocate for them. Every year new ambitious promises are made during election season and then, over the course of a year, few of those promises are achieved. This, of course, leads to distrust between students and their student representatives.
We want to find a way to bridge this gap. Over the course of our campaign, we met with many students to talk about their experiences at BC. For both of us, we began to better appreciate just how many wonderful and passionate students there are on campus. This is something that UGBC needs to key into; by engaging students across campus through collaboration, we can focus on the issues that truly matter to students.
We also plan on running our administration a little differently. We are just as ambitious as other administrations but, if we are unable to achieve our goals, we want to be completely transparent with the reasons for those disappointments. BC is a complex place that tends to change slowly and intentionally, meaning UGBC's proposals often take many years to become a reality. That being said, students still deserve to know why some of our programs or advocacy work is being shut down or limited. This will give students more trust in their student union.
Q: Name three things you can't wait to get started working on as the UGBC leadership team.
Boston College students and faculty can find tremendous benefits from a cohesive free-speech and expression policy that addresses all facets of expression, such as demonstrations, public speeches, external speakers, and even just flyer posting. We believe that all voices deserve to be heard without unfair restrictions or any form of censorship. With a cohesive and sensible policy, Boston College will assert itself as a University that values intellectual diversity.
EmbraceBC, a speaker series in which junior and senior campus leaders talk to freshmen about their BC experiences. We hope that this will open up dialogue about stigmatized issues on campus, motivate freshmen to increase their reflections and honest dialogue amongst themselves, and create an environment where freshmen can meet new mentors and role models.
Mental Health Awareness Program, a new program that aims to raise awareness and education about mental health on campus. By teaching students how to recognize signs of mental illness in their friends and themselves, we hope to create a healthier environment for BC students.
Q: This year's UGBC campaign and election took place against a very snowy backdrop. What things stood out to you about the BC community as it sought to cope with the severe winter weather – and has this influenced your ideas and plans for governing?
The first thing we noticed is that after the excitement of the first snow days, BC students were eager to get back to school and be in the classroom. This really confirmed for us the fact that BC students prioritize their intellectual development and want to be in school, growing as men and women.
This fact gets us really excited for our plans to re-energize this campus with activism and public discourse. We know that students want to be involved in academic and social discussions, and right now don't always feel like they have the avenues to do so. With a free-speech policy, encouragement of public debates, a fund for outside speakers, and more space on campus for tabling, banners, speeches, etc., we believe BC can be transformed to a truly active institution that produces inquisitive and outspoken men and women.