Field will be narrowed down to 35 to serve under SG mentors
Four days after applications for Student Government’s Freshman Council were due, the field of 152 applicants had already been whittled down to 109.
The first-year leadership program will welcome its new class of 35 members in about two weeks. During those two weeks, Freshman Council’s selection committee, consisting of members of cabinet and student senate as well as former Freshman Council members, will interview the 109 hopefuls.
“We’re looking for people who are interested in leadership, and we’re trying to find the best of the best,” said Freshman Council adviser and fourth-year international business student Sydnie Reynolds.
Acceptance to the program has traditionally been competitive. It attracts many former high school student leaders looking to get a foot in the door of USC’s most competitive organizations, including Student Government. Freshman Council alumni hold cabinet positions and senate seats. Student Body President Chase Mizzell was also a member during his first year at USC.
These older Student Government officers are among those who will be assigned as mentors to the new Freshman Council members, and they’ll communicate with one another throughout the year.
“It definitely showed us what the norm was for Student Government and made me a stronger applicant,” said Jourdan Simpson, a second-year public relations student and SG secretary of student services. “We also got to work with older members of Student Government and see how everything worked.”
But Freshman Council isn’t simply a feeder program for Student Government, Reynolds said. Instead, she said, it serves as a stepping stone to leadership in many campus organizations.
“I was not in Freshman Council. My co-adviser (Alex Drake) was, so we’re like yin and yang to each other. He comes from Student Government, while I come from leadership positions in different parts of campus,” Reynolds said. “The students will get exposed to lots of opportunities to develop as a leader and network with student leaders.”
Besides networking, students will develop leadership skills and plan events for freshmen across campus. Last year’s Freshman Council projects included developing a safety initiative called Walk Home Cocky and a pre-finals event called Freshen Up for Finals, which was coordinated with Carolina Productions, Carolina After Dark and the Residence Hall Association. The event featured a comedian, music and dance performances and a three-hour rave.
Most of this year’s Freshman Council events will be planned for the spring semester and worked on throughout the fall, Reynolds said.