Becoming a Counselor. Samuel T. Gladding

Chapter 34 Student Government: A Moving Experience

      I decided to run to be a legislator in the student government during the spring semester of my junior year. At the time, I did not anticipate being heavily involved in other Wake Forest activities my senior year. I also thought being a part of student government would be a lot of fun and I might positively influence the campus. Thus, I signed up with one of the two parties that sponsored candidates: Better Politics on Campus.

      I won and enthusiastically volunteered to be chair of the Transportation Committee. My job in this role was to line up bus transportation for football games, which were played across town, and for basketball games, which were played closer to campus. The task was not hard. I just had to make a few phone calls to the Safe Bus Company and be in front of the south campus dorms when the buses arrived to make sure everyone got on board.

      During the football season I decided to be adventuresome and schedule a bus caravan to an away game. My caravan ended up consisting of one bus with 35 students to Charlottesville to see the Virginia–Wake Forest football game. I had lined up box lunches for the group so no one went hungry. We lost, but everyone seemed to have a good time. Food mitigated the pain of losing, and it was a unique experience watching Virginia fans sing “Auld Lang Syne” after the game.

      At the end of the school year I received the award for being the best student government committee chair. It was a loving cup—a popular way of recognizing people at the time. I still have the cup, and when looking at it I wonder if I did a stellar job or if no one else did much. Regardless, I enjoyed being a legislator. Laminated on one of the tables at a restaurant in the student union at Wake Forest is a picture of the student government class of which I was a member. I sit at that table when I can. It brings back good memories.