CHARLES PIERRE moved to Haiti when he was 10 and stayed there until he was 15. His parents still live in the island nation in the Caribbean, so when an earthquake ravaged the country in January 2010, he felt a pressing need to help. Pierre co-founded Hope for Haiti on campus and worked tirelessly, raising more than $4,000 in donations.
"I was impressed with the DePauw students in that they offered their time, their money and their emotional support to the cause and to me recovering from such a devastating experience," said Pierre, a junior majoring in French.
That undertaking showed Pierre that students can be a "force for good" on campus. He then ran for Student Senate and was elected to represent the Class of 2012. Next year, Pierre, a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, will serve as President of DePauw Student Government.
NIC FLORES, next year's Executive Vice President, served as parliamentarian for student government for two years and is the primary author of the organization's current constitution. The junior has helped define the role of the current government.
"For me, I have a deeply vested interest in DePauw Student Government because I've been a part of the process of creating it," Flores said. "... I wanted to make sure that it stays on course for being that powerful force, that venue for students to really express concerns if they need to."
Flores is an anthropology major from Olton, Texas, and a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Pierre and Flores sat for an interview with The DePauw on Sunday evening, addressing their candidacy and their plans for the upcoming academic year. Their victory was announced early Monday morning.
New faces for government
Pierre and Flores represent new identities at the top of DePauw Student Government. Pierre is a black Haitian American man, while Flores is a Latino who is gay. Both said they understand that they come from unique backgrounds, but those identities are not defining or limiting to them. According to DePauw's website, 72 percent of the current student body are white Americans.
Pierre said their election represents DePauw catching up with the times. He mentioned famous black alumnus Vernon Jordan '57, a lawyer and diplomat.
"In reading Vernon Jordan's book, his experience at DePauw in 1957 was very different form mine, in 2011," Pierre said. "In 50-plus years, obviously times are going to change and perspectives of minorities will change, but I think it's nice to see the evolution of peoples' perspectives of those who are different and look different."
Flores said his position represents not only his experiences but him as a whole person, with his identities influencing how he feels and thinks.
"I don't speak on behalf of all Latinos, I don't speak on behalf of all men, I don't speak on behalf of all gay people," he said. "I have my own thoughts, my own opinions that are shaped by those identities, but I don't represent every person who holds those various identities. Our opinions and our thoughts still matter, and we think that what we have to offer is important."
Pierre said their place in positions of power should help students feel like they can effectively voice their concerns on campus.
"I feel as though minorities on campus sometimes feel not necessarily disenfranchised, but they feel outside the conversation, whether that be what's going on in Student Government, or conversations that happen about changes on campus," he said. "So I think having two minorities in power helps students who feel that way to see that their concerns are being voiced."
In a separate interview, President Brian Casey said they bring experience as well as diversity to the positions.
"In some ways the fact that it doesn't seem to be that provocative or that big a deal to the culture means that perhaps the culture has evolved to the point where acceptance is at a very high level," Casey said.
Goals for the next year
Finding ways to connect DePauw as a whole community represents a major goal for Pierre and Flores. Not only does the pair hope to add more DePauw-centered events for all students, they will do so during the 175th anniversary of the university. Little 5 and the Monon Bell Classic are the only major campus-wide events, they said, meaning adding new forums might be a challenge.
"Nic and I are going to have to meet these challenges and figure out ways to get students equally as excited as we are for this," Pierre said.
Additionally, Pierre and Flores hope to add more openness and accessibility to their positions. Social media and personal accessibility to students might be part of that process, Pierre said.
"We're regular dudes," he said with a laugh.
Their platform, called "One Campus, One Community," aims to create common experiences on campus and reach out to the Greencastle community in positive ways. Both Pierre and Flores are members of the Bonner Scholars program, which promotes community service.
"Charles and I recognize that we have ties and bonds with the Greencastle community, and a major plank of our platform is to strengthen those ties and bonds," Flores said.
Last's Wednesday candidate open forum in Meharry Hall featured some discussion of the funds allocations process, and Flores and Pierre said they hope to post much more information to the government's website in order to benefit students.
"If there's an issue that a student voices, then no matter how big or small the issue, we're going to figure out ways to solve those problems," Pierre said.
Running unopposed
With no other students running for the top two jobs in government, both Pierre and Flores said they faced a challenge during the election — proving themselves as formidable without having a foil for comparison. To do this, they visited student organizations and greek houses to talk about their platform and their experiences, and both said they felt like they succeeded in convincing students. Pierre and Flores received 851 votes in the election, with 146 students submitting "no" votes.
Pierre and Flores said their goal for next year revolves around one question — how can they make student life at DePauw better?
Pierre, who identifies himself as a Haitian American man, said his experiences in Haiti helped make him who he is. But, he says, he is still definitely an American.
"I believe in the American Dream," he said. "And I think Nic and I holding these positions in student government is indicative of that American dream being accessible for everybody."