On Feb. 19, the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences announced the creation of the first-ever EPPS Dean Council to give students a larger say in how the school runs.
Formed with the help of Student Government Student Affairs Chair Jasmine Kouhestani and Legislative Affairs Chair Jackson Logue, the council aims to provide a new perspective to the EPPS Dean — Jennifer Holmes — about its students’ needs. Originally SG’s EPPS liaisons, Logue and Kouhestani wanted to improve their school. They said having a dedicated council to assist the dean was something they felt was sorely lacking.
“A lot of the students felt like there were opportunities that other schools had that the school of EPPS doesn’t have,” Kouhestani said. “For example, EPPS doesn’t really have that many research-centric traditional majors, so research opportunities are more catered to other schools.”
According to Kouhestani, a criminology junior, the council is meant to provide leadership opportunities within EPPS while giving students a platform to pursue projects and drive changes. Student-led projects are important to both her and Logue; Logue, a political science junior, said there are projects that only students can lead because of their problem-solving skills and intimate understanding of campus.
We felt like there was that gap that was missing within the school of EPPS. We really felt like the school needed a dean’s council because JSOM had a dean’s council and it’s been historically very successful for them.
— Jackson Logue, Student Government Legislative Affairs Chair
“We felt like there was that gap that was missing within the school of EPPS,” Logue said. “We really felt like the school needed a dean’s council because JSOM had a dean’s council and it’s been historically very successful for them.”
Since Holmes’ appointment as dean in 2019, she has expressed a desire to see EPPS grow. Kouhestani and Logue said they’d heard Holmes recently say she wants students involved in that growth, so when they approached her with the council idea, it came to life.
To get students involved, the council plans to host a mentorship program for students in the EPPS “Red Zone,” or students in need of academic support, in coordination with Associate Dean James Harrington. It also plans to release surveys to gauge students’ satisfaction with EPPS courses and opportunities and potentially host an end-of-year award ceremony for EPPS students. Through direct outreach and advertisement, Kouhestani and Logue said the council also hopes to reach out to freshmen and commuters, who can engage with EPPS faculty and staff by being part of the council or attending its events.
Logue said his goal for the council is to give other students the same connection and opportunities he has received. Logue said EPPS has provided him opportunity to “truly flourish” as a “better student and leader” through studying abroad and research. He wants to give back to EPPS by working alongside other students through the council.
Kouhestani and Logue began work on the council from late October to early November last year, before officially establishing it in early January with all the new appointees. The council announced its launch on Instagram the following month.
To recruit for the council, Logue and Kouhestani sent a proposal outline and created an allocation for SG and Holmes. To select the most representative candidates, a rigorous application process was held. Seventy students applied, which was later narrowed down to 25 interviewees. In total, 16 students serve on the council.
The council consists of a president, vice president, secretary, three chairs — marketing and outreach, events and academics — and 10 senators. The current appointed members consist of Logue, Kouhestani, Aria Abhyanker, Joseph Rogers, Caden Brenner, Alisa Model, Sudipta Rout, Alnoor Budhwani, Yara Ismail, Shaarvi Vancha, Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez, Hasti Patel, Destiny Mayhor, Joann Aricat, Tiziano Cecconato and LeeAnn Patterson.
This is a council that will be able to bridge the gap between faculty and student minds, creating more of an atmosphere of collaboration and unity with transparency included.
— Jasmine Kouhestani, Student Government Student Affairs Chair
“We want people to know that we are here, that [the council] does exist, and that we are trying to facilitate anything the student body in EPPS wants,” Kouhestani said. “This is a council that will be able to bridge the gap between faculty and student minds, creating more of an atmosphere of collaboration and unity with transparency included.”
