November 1, 1999

A New President Leading Into a New Millennium
Alua Arthur
Wesleyan's First African-American, Female Student Body President

Story by Tami Navarro'02

      In keeping with their reputation, Wesleyan students are breaking new ground. This time, however, the tradition they're challenging is their own. For the first time, the President of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) is not only African-American, but a woman as well. For those students who have been here long enough to remember the impeachments of last spring (including then-President, Bill Wilson '99),

According to Calica (who lost the race by 62 votes), the "President's duties are largely undefined [but] it is clearly up to him/her to guide the organization with vision and direction." If experience is the deciding factor of a President's ability to lead the student body, Arthur seems perfect for the job. While she has held many titles before (including that of President of her high school student body), her role this year in the WSA is by far the most prestigious. As a former member of both the Student Affairs and Educational Policies Committees, as well as a former Sophomore Class Representative, Arthur has spent more than her fair share of time as a member of the WSA. Aside from student government, she has also been very active in several student groups on campus, including the Women of Color dance troupe (now Isis), as well as Ujamaa.

When asked why she decided to take on the challenge of running for President, Arthur said: "I have to be active. I can't sit back and complain. I feel that the only way to do things is to mobilize, and besides, always having something to do keeps me going." Taking a look at her biography, it seems truer words have never been spoken. In her four years at Wesleyan, Arthur has tutored at Portland Middle School, been active in International Human Rights, and organized a clothing drive to benefit the people of Ghana. But Arthur is not one to rest on her laurels. She wants to be an active part of the WSA, citing its significance as "one of the most important political vehicles at Wesleyan, since student issues pass through students first."

With all this going on in her life, one wonders how Arthur intends to be an effective leader of the student body (what with doing nonprofit work overseas as well as recently taking the LSAT). This question is quickly answered when you find out what she thinks the role of President should entail. Her goal is not to shake things up. Rather, she intends to "keep the ship afloat. But, if the WSA can do anything about an issue that concerns students, damn right we will." To get a better idea of Arthur's vision for Wesleyan, the SCW sat down with her last semester:

SCW: There was a repeat of the impeachment ceremonies of last year recently. Why do you think this (absence from WSA meetings) continues to be such a problem in the WSA? AA: Actually, this year the problem wasn't nearly as extensive. Last year there were 12 impeachments, and this year there were only two. Of those two, one had been seriously ill, and the other was having personal issues. But, while students are coming to the meetings, a lot of them show up because of attendance records, not interest in the WSA.

SCW: Other than President of the WSA, what roles do you currently play in the Wesleyan community? AA: Currently, I am Vice President of our chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, a TA for Psyche 105, a Senior Interviewer, as well as the only student on the Search Committee for the Dean of Financial Aid.

SCW: As the first woman of color to be President of the WSA, do you feel you are making a difference? That is, do you feel your unique perspective is changing things in the WSA? AA: Well, since my position is so public, it has definitely created a link between the student of color community and the WSA. While I don't think I have a unique perspective in the WSA itself, I do feel that my being President has brought it to the student of color community. It [the student of color community] has always been active in student politics, but there's finally a link there.

SCW: What's the most interesting thing you are working on right now-and what DO you talk about at those weekly meetings with Douggie (Wesleyan President, Douglas Bennett)? AA: Right now, the most interesting thing I'm doing is working on "Ask Someone Out Week" (ASOW). We're sort of starting a whole new ASOW crusade.

SCW: Didn't ASOW already happen last month? AA: No, that was "Shake Shit Up". No one knows who started that, but ASOW has always been done through the WSA. Another really interesting thing we're working on is online voting [for the WSA]. As far as those meetings with Bennett, we discuss campus issues like violence, alcohol, and neglect of community standards, and try to figure out ways to fix them.

SCW: As a senior (as well as the WSA President), how do you feel about the recent Senior Cocktails/DKE incident? AA: I think that whole thing is really reflective of the disrespect people have for the community itself as well as community standards. It's just really indicative of everything else that's going on at Wesleyan right now.

SCW: How would someone who wanted to become active in the WSA do so? AA: Come to the meetings. WSA meetings are open to the public, and the agenda is published every week in the Argus. If there's an issue you care about, come to the meetings and let us know what you think. The meetings are every Sunday at 8 p.m. in the WSA office, and the only restriction is that the public can't vote

SCW: Is there anything you'd like to say to the Wesleyan student of color community? AA: Just because we're at Wesleyan, doesn't mean our work is done. We have to realize that while we're here there's much to do, and that we're not only here for ourselves, but for the community as well.