On Feb. 14, the day of love, students will choose either Naomi Kim or Esther Smith for 2024-25 student body president. Voting for Seattle Pacific University’s student body president and vice president opens on Associated Students of Seattle Pacific’s website.
Current ASSP Vice President Esther Smith, politics, philosophy and economics major, is running under a campaign of qualification. As VP, Smith introduced student-athlete and international-student senator positions into ASSP Senate.
Going forward, she hopes to increase faculty diversity, prioritize multi-ethnic programs and create a welcoming atmosphere for incoming students at SPU. For Smith, personal connections and delegation are key in leadership.
“I’m fully aware how difficult these goals are,” Smith said at an election forum on Feb. 12. “I have faith that God wants me here, and these are my focuses. If you care about these things, you should vote for me.”
Naomi Kim runs against Smith on a campaign of inclusivity, diversity and listening to students’ needs all across the university. Kim, physiology major and music minor, expressed her care for all types of students at the forum.
“I do science in the morning and music in the afternoon,” Kim said. “Needs are different for every major and student.”
Kim, current Student Ministry Coordinator, and Smith, current leader of a Bible talk group on campus, shared their respective Christian backgrounds and candidacies. SPU’s Christian identity is vital for both in their potential leadership.
Junior Callaghan Bluechel runs unopposed for Vice President. At an election forum on Feb. 12, he described his focus on school spirit and student appreciation for SPU — through accessible clubs, multi-ethnic programs and cross-campus hope as budget cuts rock the ship.
As a double major in linguistics and classics, Bluechel’s perspective on being a student at a downsizing university is unique — both his programs no longer accept new students and will disappear from SPU within years of his graduation.
“Sometimes it’s just about going ahead on the road, even if it looks difficult,” Bluechel said in response to a question about how areas of study will impact his leadership.
Rayna Martin, fourth-year double major in politics, philosophy and economics and Honors, is ASSP’s current president.
“College campus elections are a lot more important than most people realize,” Martin said. “I think a lot of people get the impression it’s like running for ASB in high school or maybe a college party planning committee type thing, but really, the students are tasked to carry out a variety of important university functions.”
According to Martin, these functions include rubber stamping policies that come down from administration, staff or faculty, running campus extracurriculars, deciding professor of the year, working with campus activism and participating on university committees.
“I’m on like six at the moment,” Martin said with a laugh. “[The committees] do a lot of work — a lot of speaking, writing and sending emails for things that most students don’t realize happen in the background every day, but that are hugely, hugely important to their success.”
Cabinet members, picked by ASSP President, are filled by students who apply. Students interested in being club officer, operations officer, finance officer, officer of university ministries or officer of multi-ethnic programs for the 2024-2025 school year should apply at ASSP’s website.
“These are the students that are fighting to make sure that resources are open for students should they need them that often don’t get seen by other people,” Martin said.
Students are encouraged to vote for Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates on Feb. 14 on ASSP’s website.
