The Gatepost Editorial: Our Presidents’ Day

By The Gatepost Editorial Board

Feb. 19 is Presidents’ Day. 

Officially, Presidents’ Day is intended to be a celebration of the presidents of the United States, and the birthday of George Washington - but to most of us, it’s just a bank holiday.

Instead of spending this Monday like any other day off from school, consider celebrating the student presidents at Framingham State University. 

Student organizations, no matter the size, all feature a group of dedicated student leaders behind their operations. These students handle a lot of difficult work that often goes unseen by the typical student - or even their group members. 

All members of a club’s eBoard help it to run, but club presidents are critical to providing students places to gather and exercise their interests - such as creative writing with The Onyx, dancing with the Afro-Caribbean Dance Group, or community building with Black Student Union or Brother 2 Brother.

Presidents of these organizations, and many others, orchestrate club meetings - creating agendas and setting goals each week. This is important as it provides the club structure and a routine, and gives other members frequent opportunities to collaborate and work together to sponsor events, develop programs, and undertake advocacy work on campus. 

These larger events are usually beneficial to the entire Framingham State campus, and can be a place to see stunning fashion design, as in Fashion Club’s annual fashion and trashion shows, or theatrical performances, as in The Hilltop Player’s semesterly plays, musicals, and improv shows. 

Club presidents also work directly with The Center for Student Experience & Career Development (EXP) to organize these events for everyone’s enjoyment.

This administrative work includes purchasing supplies, reserving spaces to host events, and creating posters or other advertising materials to be posted on bulletin boards or published in The Gatepost - all of which is time-consuming. 

Organizations such as Student Government Association (SGA) advocate for students, help smaller clubs both form and grow, and allocate money to student groups as needed in a professional manner. 

This is incredibly important to all clubs on campus, as without students at the forefront of club decisions, it would be difficult for student voices to be so easily heard and addressed.

SGA also leads Big Budget, a major financial undertaking at which student activities dues are divided among existing and proposed student organizations. This year’s Big Budget saw $376,972 distributed to student groups.

The Gatepost would like to thank SGA and especially its president, Evelyn Campbell, for their professional conduct during what was no doubt a challenging decision-making process, and its continued dedication to the health and development of all the University’s student groups. 

Framingham State Activities Board (FSAB) organizes large-scale events for the entire student body on a regular basis, such as themed Bingo giveaways, casino nights, stuff-a-bear stations, and Sandbox, the largest event of the year.

Events such as Sandbox have been an annual part of the student experience at Framingham State for decades. The organizations behind them, such as FSAB, are run by students who dedicate time and resources to upholding this campus tradition.

Student leaders - not just presidents - all contribute their time and energy to creating and maintaining a welcoming and accepting environment on campus - an environment that makes it fun to be a Ram, and a place where everyone feels they belong.

So this Presidents’ Day, celebrate the presidents on our campus.

Next time you’re at a club meeting, or enjoying an event on campus, be sure you show appreciation to the dedicated leaders who helped put it all together.