The Associated Students of Fort Lewis College welcomed new members Robert Bennett and Iain McCourt to the table as this term’s First-Year Ambassadors.
They will serve in this role for one semester, then they will have the choice to renew the position or run to become full senators, Dennett said.
“I’ve been a fan of student government since sixth grade,” Dennett said.
Dennett served as president of the San Diego Central Library Council, a youth organization which focuses on homeless outreach, he said. He also said that he worked as a volunteer and eventually interned for the San Diego City Council.
Iain McCourt, a Durango native, is also no stranger to community involvement. They were president of their 4-H club, an organization designed to give youth leadership experience. They even worked their way up to the 4H La Plata County Council.
“I was one of the district senators from our small corner of Southwest Colorado,” McCourt said. “I worked my way up to state representative to represent our district at the state level.”
Their responsibilities included organizing county events and ensuring that the relatively smaller district was not financially ignored by the statewide 4H organization in favor of the front range districts.
McCourt and Dennett both said that it’s important for them to bring a freshmen perspective to a table made up primarily of upperclassmen.
“The majority of freshmen live on campus, so we have a perspective on student housing,” Dennett said. “I want to hear what’s happening in the residence halls, both good and bad, to ensure that there’s good representation.”
McCourt also desires to bring more LGBTQ+ representation to the table, they said.
“I’m personally non-binary, my pronouns are they/them,” McCourt said. “I want to focus on freshmen members of the community who are still closeted or don’t feel they have a safe space, even with The G. I want to work through the board to make The Fort a safe space for those people.”
Dennett stated an interest in increasing the voting turnout for state and national elections on campus.
“As a poli-sci major, it’s one of my first objectives to raise that through outreach,” he said, referring to plans of hosting events to increase voter registration and improve civic engagement.
The pair of ambassadors left one piece of advice for the class of 2023, echoing FLC President Tom Stritikus’s own advice to them during the 2019 orientation session.
“You’re not alone,” McCourt said before referencing Stritikus’ words with echoes of approval from Dennett. “Whatever it is you do, even if you feel like there aren’t people that do it, there probably are. Just keep doing what you like, and you’ll find your flock.”
Dennett also recommended students voice their concerns.
“If you have a concern or an issue, talk to someone about it,” Dennett said. “This relates to any aspect of life, be it you’re struggling in school, one of your relationships or something as simple as you not knowing how to do your own laundry. There’s no shame in that, no one should feel ashamed to ask about something they don’t know.”