Student Perspective: Campus Outreach

Student Perscpective:

Campus Outreach

David Fuentes, Student Body President

The student body president is elected by his or her peers in the previous academic year and leads the entire Executive Cabinet as the main branch of student government, representing the student body through elected leaders from LETU’s main student organizations.

The Executive Cabinet consists of presidents from the YellowJacket Activity Council (YAC), LeTourneau Student Ministries (LSM), and Student Senate. Once elected, these leaders, along with the student body president, meet with the Vice President of Student Affairs as a contact point between administration and students. Every year they take on special projects, plan events, and address critical issues identified by the student body and its leadership.

This year, student body president David Fuentes added several roles to the Executive Cabinet in an effort to increase the group’s productivity and effectiveness as well as its relationship to the student body. These include an executive manager who manages social media and other associated projects, an executive secretary to keep records and facilitate communication across the branches of student government, and an executive development officer who oversees independent projects of the cabinet. Finally, the already-existing president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has been added to the cabinet to represent student athletes.

We sat down with David to hear about everything his cabinet has already accomplished in the fall semester, what he loves about the LeTourneau community, and his passion for highlighting the diverse, vibrant cultures and groups within the student body.

Which aspect of LeTourneau has impacted you the most?

I think the people make LeTourneau what it is, and that’s been my favorite part. The professors are very engaging, the staff is very helpful, and they treat you like an actual person here instead of just another number. Everyone is very caring—people ask about your tests and homework, they ask how your week is going. The community is very intentional and willing to go out of its way to help you. All of that makes being a student here easier. It’s hard not to make friends here—you just have to put yourself out there.

What do you enjoy about the community here?

Recently, I met an alumnus who told me, “Enjoy your time here because LeTourneau is the only place of its kind in the world.” As I reflected on that, I realized how true it is. You don’t see many schools that have humans vs. zombies games or cardboard boat races, robot battles or theology debates. You might get some of that at a bigger university, but the whole campus participates here. I think that’s something very special, and I have to give the student body and the faculty/staff the credit—all of this makes LeTourneau a special place.

What are some things you see God doing among the student body right now?

I think it’s a lot of little things. I think people are having easier times connecting with each other or with other groups, and they are trusting God more and growing in that trust. We’re having more organized worship nights on campus, and Spring Break mission trips are filling up really fast. There’s also a lot of unseen things that are happening—God moves in mysterious ways that we’ll never know about, and I trust that God is working in all of these things.

What have you seen God do through your work as student body president this semester?

I think God has blessed me with a really great Executive Cabinet, and I couldn’t be more proud of and thankful for them. They’re always willing to lend an extra hand and go above and beyond the work required of their individual positions. Some of the things God has allowed us to accomplish already: working with the campus pastor to improve the chapel experience, extending the evening hours of both dining areas, the Corner Cafe and the Hive (based on student feedback), upgrading the furniture and facilities in Tyler Hall, and forming a Student Handbook Committee. A lot of students felt like some things in the handbook were outdated, so we worked with Dr. Steve Conn, Dean of Students, to form a committee of students to focus on updating that. One major thing I also wanted to address this year was the school’s relationship with student athletes because many of them felt disconnected or like people didn’t care about them. So, we’ve been promoting games more, doing raffles to encourage students to attend, and working closely with the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC); we reallocated some funds to them and added the SAAC president as an official position on Executive Cabinet.

Tell us about the work you and your team have been doing to highlight and promote diversity on campus, and what you’ve learned through this endeavor.

We’ve been working with the multicultural ambassadors* to see how we can promote the different cultures that are represented on campus. One of our biggest successes this semester was the Hispanic Heritage Party—we had a mariachi band, horchata, and Mexican food outside on the patio of the student center. Around 180 students, faculty, and staff attended, and many students said it was their favorite event they’ve ever been to at LeTourneau. Next semester, we hope to do the same for African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people groups on campus. I think promoting diversity here is good because it gives LeTourneau the opportunity to expand. We have a very diverse student body of different backgrounds and personalities who should be celebrated, and we can continue to reach out to the local Hispanic community and other cultures as well. It’s important to actively engage minority communities and cultures because we should be growing our horizons and understanding of the world. We shouldn’t have a narrow mindset—there’s so much more out there. If you engage people who are different in this way, you often find you have more in common with them than you thought before. *Multicultural ambassadors seek to provide an arena to engage underrepresented students on campus. As encouragers, facilitators, friends, and organizers of cultural activities, they get involved by hosting social events and leading presentations on diversity and hospitality campus-wide.

What would you like to see God do here in the future?

I hope that future student leaders and the LeTourneau community in general will continue to reach out more, to the City of Longview, to East Texas as a whole, and globally as well, getting out of its shell. I think it’s important, and I hope LeTourneau continues to grow and expand and be successful while staying true to itself as The Christian Polytechnic University.