The student body elected three representatives of each class to the Williams Student Union (WSU) on Saturday through an online ranked-choice voting system facilitated by the Student Faculty Committee Board.
Student turnout was 30.9 percent, up two points from last fall and 13 points from the spring. Overall, 285 first-years, 160 sophomores, 149 juniors, and 110 seniors cast their votes.
The representatives for this semester will be James Johnson-Brown ’25.5, Dylan Safai ’26, David Shi ’26, Shloke Jani ’27, Tatum Leuenberger ’27, Michael Okpoti ’27, Charles Hughes ’28, Ahmad Irfan ’28, Abdiel Perde ’28, Shesit Moreno-Lopez ’29, Annabel Smith ’29, and Franklin Wang ’29. Seven out of the 12 representatives have served on WSU in the past. Leuenberger, Hughes, and the three first-years are new additions.
In their roles, representatives work with the College’s administration and advocate for student concerns. They hold open meetings to solicit student opinions and policy suggestions. Representatives are elected for a semester-long term as stipulated by the WSU constitution.
Newly elected representatives shared their plans for the coming semester with the Record.
As a sophomore class representative, Hughes said he aims to address the community impacts of the recent change to the student health insurance plan. “I hope to work with the administration to create a system that better financially supports those who are struggling in the face of the stingier health coverage,” Hughes wrote in an email to the Record. “I’m pressing this issue because no person at an institution as wealthy as Williams should be struggling to pay for essential medications or doctors’ visits.”
Johnson-Brown hopes that WSU can bridge the gap between students and the administration on the police’s approach to parties on Hoxsey Street. “WSU will also advocate for Hoxsey residents in our meetings with the administration,” he wrote in an email to the Record. “Overly-punitive policing of off-campus events makes students afraid of the police and makes them less likely to call in the case of a real emergency.”
Wang, a first-year student, plans to focus on outreach to the student body. “I would make us more visible in Paresky by tabling more often, adding a WSU table in Driscoll, and reaching out directly to students,” Wang wrote in an email to the Record. “We also plan to create a TikTok account and expand our Instagram account by creating more Reels detailing our activities on campus.”
Leuenberger hopes to promote inclusivity and foster a greater sense of campus community through cultural events. “[My plans include] creating a student International Food Festival event in Paresky where WSU would partner with the [Minority Coalition] and international student groups on campus to share home-cooked food of different cuisines with the Williams student body,” Leuenberger wrote in an email to the Record.
Ongoing WSU initiatives will continue as well. “I’ll be continuing Shoshie Hemley’s (’25) initiative with David Shi (’26) to require codes of conduct and within-group disciplinary procedures in the RSO renewal process,” Johnson-Brown wrote. “This will help clubs keep their members safe in the case of misconduct, and bring Williams into compliance with new federal laws.”
Leuenberger plans to extend past WSU efforts to address the College’s history around campus. “WSU is already doing a lot of great things for the students, but I’d love to help continue their reclamation work (including updating plaques around campus and creating a sculpture at the end of Spring Street),” she wrote.
