Commentary Class Officers: Is a Title Really Necessary? By Arya Namboodiri (December 11, 2003)

Recently, the Senior Class Officers faced a difficult problem when our class president had to relocate to another community with her family. With more than half of the school year remaining, the three of us had to make a decision: would we fill the spot with another capable member of the senior class, or would we tough it out on our own?

Class government has traditionally been composed of four individuals from each grade level who strive to make each year "better than the last." We are swayed by whatever it is that makes the individual attractive: his/her speeches, personality, intelligence, popularity. But what do all of these qualities mean when considering the role of a class officer? Ask any of your leaders and they will tell you that it means absolutely nothing. Success in class government depends on how much interest your leaders actually have in making your school year better. Whether that entails organizing an extra dance or fundraising for the Prom in a new, creative way, I have yet to see a group of leaders who have each contributed an equal amount of time and enthusiasm for organizing class activities.

But getting back to the question at hand, the main goal of the Senior Class Government is, of course, to promote the interests of seniors throughout the year and to organize a slew of social, fundraising and charitable events. If you knew the amount of things we have yet to do, you would not be surprised to learn that we plan to hold an election for the open slot. Senior year planning requires much more work than any other student office in this school, in my opinion. Along with the fun things that we plan that include Homecoming and the Senior Fashion Show, seniors are especially involved in their community and must step up to the plate whenever student leadership is necessary. 

But whether all of these things are accomplished or not, I still find myself questioning why the individual offices of "president," "vice-president," "secretary," and "treasurer" are necessary. If the hierarchy goes as mentioned, then I’m not sure if I’m where I’d like to stand. But in all seriousness, the titles do not mean anything. The president has no right to feel superior because of his/her title, and in the same way, the treasurer has no reason to feel that he/she is inferior. We all perform the same duties with equal enthusiasm, so why is it necessary to designate each of the four as a different office bearer? 

I believe we actually hinder many from running for office because of our traditional title-based government. The I’m-not-running-for-president-because-Suzy’s-running argument has been overused. We need to put a stop to petty politics and make the task more important than the title. But in order to do this, we must introduce the concept of the "class leader."

A class leader is a student who represents the class, much like a current class officer, yet he/she is not hindered by the implications of his/her title. In fact, this class leader now feels closer to his/her fellow class leaders and is better able to share his/her ideas. I know what you’re thinking: if people run for office because of the title they might receive, then what does this do for them? Exactly what we want it to. If students desire to run for office only because it will look good on their college applications, then do we really want this person making decisions for our class? Do they really care about what we want? Using the title "class leader" for all four students will eliminate these kinds of candidates and will leave those who really care about serving their class in the race. 

As a class officer, this dilemma has frustrated me many times. I have often tried to determine a solution for this problem to no avail. In May of last school year, an attempt to change the system of class government to a group of leaders failed. But with enough support from the student population and from the Student Council, I believe we can make this positive change. After all, are titles really necessary?
 
 

Note: If you are currently a senior and are interested in running for the open "class leader" slot, please see Mr. Hoover for a petition. All petitions are due before or on December 19, 2003.