The Elizabethtown College Student Assembly is back in session this semester with a message for all Etown students: We want you.

It is election season for Etown’s student government, and increasing membership is becoming a priority for the body’s chief officers. Earlier this month, membership elections were held, which led to the elections or reelections of nine members. The nine members, a majority of whom are first-year students, join the six chief officers to form a 15-member body.

However, the Student Assembly Constitution calls for 31 members. According to Student Assembly Treasurer Griffen MacLaren, a graduate student, reduced membership limits the Assembly’s ability to fulfill its primary mission: to be a voice for all Elizabethtown students. “That is absolutely not the goal of Student Assembly to have a voice slip through the gap,” MacLaren said. “We want to make sure all voices are heard and all voices matter.”

To attract more members to Student Assembly, which typically only meets three to four times per month, a second round of elections is currently being planned by the Chief Officers, including Chief Speaker Kyler Henne and Vice Speaker Thatcher Baney, both are members of the Class of 2027.

As with the first election in September, any Etown student may nominate themself or be nominated for the second election. All students with one or more nominations will be put on the ballot, which will be emailed to every Etown student to vote on. The nomination forms will be emailed to all students in the coming weeks.

Sasha Jones, a first-year biochemistry major elected to Student Assembly this month, ran for Assembly with several goals for her time as Assembly member. Her focus this semester will be on improving academic standards. “I want to make sure that our Elizabethtown College academics are very rigorous, but we’re also still receiving this support from the teachers,” Jones said.

She discussed her new position as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, saying she hopes to reach out to the four class cohorts to hear their concerns and needs. She also wanted to talk with faculty and get their perspectives and responses.

“Promoting Student Assembly is very important,” Jones said. The more members there are, the more student committee seats can be filled, such as spots on Jones’ Academic Affairs Committee.

MacLaren emphasized, though, that students need not run for a seat in Assembly to be engaged. Student Assembly meetings, which take place on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in Hoover 212, are always open to all Etown students. “We are always wanting to hear from the students here,” MacLaren said, stressing again the importance Assembly places on hearing all student voices. “We highly encourage students, even faculty and staff, to come to our meetings.”

“Talk to us, we are here to listen,” MacLaren said. “We always set aside a portion of our meetings for students to talk to us, they always have a place here.”