On Saturday, Feb. 17, Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) President-Elect junior Isabel Dorn and LUCC Vice President–Elect first-year Brooklyn Schara officially announced their seven cabinet members, who are set to be sworn in on Thursday, March 28, the first day of Spring Term. The cabinet consists of Parliamentarian sophomore Taylor Nordeng, General Secretary first-year Anna Schumacher, PR Secretary first-year John Henderson, Treasurer sophomore Jinju Hwang, Finance Secretary first-year Angelina Larrea, Club Support and Training Coordinator junior Jack Stuart and Community Outreach Coordinator junior Hayden Young.
According to Schara, there were on average two to three applicants per role, and some applied to multiple positions. The final cabinet decision was based on the joint consideration of Schara and Dorn over experience, familiarity, fresh perspectives and longevity within LUCC. In this regard, Schara noted that the two had tried to assembe a diverse group of students involved in the Conservatory and/or athletics.
“I want this to be a forum where everyone can participate, share their opinions and advocate for things,” said Dorn. “You need to have those strong cabinet members with strong opinions in order to be effective. If your cabinet is not passionate about the work that you do, then you’re not really going to be able to get through those tough times together.”
“Something that I’ve heard a lot from campaigning and my time at Lawrence is that there tends to be a disconnect [between areas on campus], student groups and LUCC,” said Schara. “I think it’s important to have a cohesive cabinet that recognizes each other’s differences and celebrates them as strengths, because it helps bridge those gaps.”
Although the cabinet will not be sworn in until the end of March, there are already plans to meet in preparation for their upcoming term. Dorn hopes this meeting will allow cabinet members to get to know each other and have the opportunity to bond.
“One of the strongest parts of our previous administration of LUCC was that synergy between all our cabinet members,” said Dorn. “We were an incredibly strong team, and I wanted to replicate that in my own leadership. [I want to] make sure that Brooklyn is having input on that, and make sure that these cabinet members feel very comfortable with each other.”
Through her efforts, Dorn has prepared a training model to give her cabinet preparation she found missing in the beginning of her term as the former LUCC Vice President. Dorn said her experience in LUCC has allowed her an understanding of how to continue promoting what worked in the previous administration, while remaining open to feedback and different perspectives. For this Dorn is thankful and remains confident that, despite possible challenges her cabinet and LUCC may face during her time in office, together they will be able to overcome them. Schara hopes to continue to improve the student experience.
“We recognize that at the end of the day, we are all Lawrentians of the same campus, and so I think it’s important that we give ourselves grace and [allow for] openness,” said Schara. “But also recognize we have a lot of strength to move the university forward into what we think it should be, because it is up to us [to do so].”